The requirements for aesthetic design and aerodynamic power aren’t perfectly aligned, and you don’t need to look any further than the McLaren Senna to see that. While the hypercar proved to be incredibly effective on the track, its appearance was equally shocking to watch. , the automaker has taken this lesson to the center and its upcoming hypercar is expected to be more visually appealing.
McLaren’s next hypercar is codenamed P18 and is expected to land in the U. S. When it arrives, it will feature F1-inspired technology, bodywork written by McLaren’s new designer, Tobias Suhlmann, and cost around $2 million. .
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This and more data was revealed at a store assembly in Las Vegas on April 16, as reported by Autonews.
The P18 will feature an aerodynamic design, with its bodywork perfected in McLaren’s new wind tunnel. It will come with floating fenders to improve airflow around the car, an active divider under the “orbit” headlights that can be opened and closed to reduce drag, and a giant air intake above the C-pillar. This intake serves to draw the cooling wind into the engine bay and allows the driver to hear the V8 engine that will power the car.
The hypercar will also get a giant carbon-fiber diffuser that spans the entire width of its rear. The aerodynamic detail will be underneath two titanium exhaust pipes and a McLaren P1-style active rear spoiler whose mechanism has been described as “jewel-like” through dealers who have noticed renderings of the P18 ahead of its debut.
Despite all those impressive aerodynamic design elements, McLaren works hard to make sure the design remains consistent. “The [P18] has a lot of the technical facets of the Senna, but it’s much prettier,” one racer told the publication. It will also ditch the brand’s gullwing doors for top-mounted gullwing doors.
Under the hood, power will come from a new hybrid powertrain. The V8 engine at its core is designed from the floor up and has no connection to the impressive V8 of the 750S or the wide-angle V6 of the Artura.
Read more: McLaren unveils new design language and immersive cabins
The engine will be connected to a hybrid formula that’s 70 cents lighter than McLaren’s existing kit, thanks to a high-density battery designed for the automaker’s Formula 1 race cars. Unfortunately, the force hasn’t been released yet, but the P18 is expected to expand by more than 1,000 hp.
Although McLaren will only produce 400 examples of the hypercar, it will be a style for the brand. The new V8 engine will force long-lasting styles, and the P18’s design language will be implemented in long-lasting vehicles, adding the four-door styling imagined throughout the brand.