McLaren P11 supercar goes back to the drawing board... in two months
The McLaren P11 will still be powered by a 6.2-liter Mercedes AMG unit, but nobody knows yet what the car that goes around the engine is going to look like. Frank Stephenson, recently of Fiat fame, has been given instructions to completely redesign the car when he starts at McLaren. However, he can't take up the position at McLaren until he finishes his "gardening leave," a mandatory vacation between sensitive jobs that aims to prevent employees from taking their inside knowledge with them. McLaren says that the car won't look anything like the sketches that made the rounds last year. That's not such a bad thing -- while a good looking car, the sketches were uninspiring and a bit derivative. We expect that the man who has had a hand in everything from the BMW X5 and MINI to the Ferrari F430, Maserati Quattroporte and MC12 probably has a few good ideas left lying around. Unfortunately, the arrival of the P11 has been pushed back a year due to the redesign, to probably mid-to-late 2010.
[Source: Autocar]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
RG 12:13PM (8/27/2008)
Frank Stephenson?
Well, here comes the retro-fest.
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mk 1:30PM (8/27/2008)
A guy with THAT resume is going to completely re-design the little Mac? (BigMac is the F1...)
This should be very very interesting. Only thing better would be if it got some sort of new-advanced-tech engine. (top exhaust, Variable duration and lift valves without throttles, direct injection, and any other new tech they can put in...) not that the MB engine is a bad one.
But the BMW V12 in the F1 was a singular jewel of an engine, and unlike any other at that time. Another leap in engine tech would be welcomed.
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MikeofLA 12:31PM (8/27/2008)
Good things are worth the wait. This guys seems to have the credentials to produce a vehicle that will go down in history as one of the more amazing. Let's hope he does McLaren good, and makes a worthy successor to the almighty F1.
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JD 12:46PM (8/27/2008)
Gordon really needs to work on this one, not some stupid city car. We need a true sequel to the F1, and now. Dump the MB powerplant, get something that revs high and is naturally aspirated, and it might match the F1.
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madgamer 1:06PM (8/27/2008)
Those sketches were kind of bland imo, so I agree with Mike above. This guy should make it a better looking car, as I loved the MC12, F430, and some of other stuff he has worked on, so maybe it's for the better.
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Brian 1:53PM (8/27/2008)
The 6.2L M-B engine does rev high and is naturally-aspirated, though, JD.
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JD 3:01PM (8/27/2008)
I stand corrected regarding the supercharging, but the 6.2 liter (even though all the models that use it are marked "xx63 AMG") V8 doesn't rev very high by the standards I use. 7200 RPM is not bad, but it isn't a high revving engine by my personal definition.
The V12 powerplant used in the F1 is far better than the AMG engine, as good as it may be- 6.1 liters, 12 cylinders, 627 hp (a substantial difference in power), and 480 lb-ft. Both the power and torque are higher, at lower displacement, more cylinders, and higher revs. They'll need to work on the AMG engine for it to play in the same league the BMW motor was in, even though that engine was a beast.
make_or_break 2:39PM (8/27/2008)
Murray's greatest achievement, the F1, at least in my mind. Hope he's involved with the next one.
And yeah, weight (or the lack thereof) is indeed the key.
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