McLaren Senna Gallery – Click Tabs to Advance [Photos: McLaren]
Just a few years ago, “McLaren” was a marque hardly known outside the legendary F1 of the 1990s. That all changed when they brought out the MP4-12C – that car changed peoples’ perception of the brand forever. Since then, waves of ultra-fast McLaren road cars have emerged. To date, the P1 has been the ultimate expression of McLaren’s lineup. A ballistic, brutal bruiser of a supercar to take on the likes of the Porsche 918 and LaFerrari. Today, McLaren has taken things up a notch or twelve with this: The McLaren Senna.
Yes, the “Senna”. Those of you steeped in F1 folklore know that name as one of the greatest drivers in history, Ayrton Senna. McLaren decided to name their “Ultimate Series” after three-time world champion, who chalked up those victories while racing with McLaren Honda in the late ’80s and early ’90s. A legendary name, but then that may be appropriate – as this could be a true legend of a hypercar.
McLaren Senna by the numbers
The Senna uses a 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged, flat-plane-crank V8, codenamed M840TR – McLaren’s most powerful internal combustion engine ever. It produces 789 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. Bear in mind, the engine is flying solo here – there aren’t any electric motors to help it along, as there are in the P1. McLaren designed that engine, and the entire car, to be the ultimate track-bred car that you can also drive on the road. All that power courses through a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission.
The car uses the same underpinnings as the current 720S, but goes one further. It uses a “Monocage III” carbon fiber monocoque to make this hyper car a true featherweight. At just 2,641 pounds. That makes it McLaren’s lightest car since the iconic F1.
The McLaren Senna’s Figures aren’t the only thing that’s extreme
So the Senna has some impressively big numbers. That’s great for a spot among hypercar royalty. Not only is it powerful, but it’s also expensive (at 750,000 pounds sterling, or just over $1,000,000). It’s not just going to be expensive – it’s also rare. McLaren is producing just 500 of these bad boys starting in Q3 2018, and they’re all spoken for.
So, that’s most of the boxes ticked. Powerful? Check. Expensive? Definitely. Rare? Yep. That just leaves one thing…it has to look extreme. The P1, the LaFerrari, and the Porsche 918 all look sensational in their own unique way. Fortunately, the Senna has extreme looks in spades.
It’s certainly a strangely-styled car. The car has cuts, bulges, wings, scoops all over the place. Of course, that’s all in pursuit of aerodynamics. McLaren has always favored function over form, and that’s why all their cars go like hell. Besides the aero features, the Senna has an updated version of McLaren’s hydraullically interconnected dampers that eliminate the need for conventional roll bars. McLaren has also upped their game with new carbon ceramic brakes and bespoke Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires.
One of the coolest effects of the new Senna are the windows actually cut into the doors. You have to admit, it certainly gives the car a unique silhouette when the doors are open. Do you know another car that has windows cut into the doors? I thought not.
Showcasing March 2018 at Geneva
The McLaren Senna will debut in March 2018 at the 88th Geneva International Motor Show. It will definitely make a splash, even though none of us will likely never even see one.
What do you think of the new McLaren Senna? Let us know in the comments! Check back to TFLcar.com for more information on McLaren’s ultimate hypercar as well as more news, views, and real-world reviews (because we all have to come back down to earth…eventually).
