Spy Shots: McLaren P11 already caught on the road
by Frank Filipponio on Oct 13th 2008 at 5:29PM 
Earlier today we told you the latest news on McLaren's upcoming "F1 Jr." P11 project. We even showed you a glimpse of what is believed to be a styling buck for the new F430/Gallardo fighter. Expected to show up in production trim about 18 months from now, the P11 will certainly be a tough secret for McLaren to keep. The P11 is one of the most highly anticipated sequels in automotive history, so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that spy shots of running prototypes have already surfaced. This time it's Auto Express publishing a few pics of the car in the wild. Heavily camo'd, the car was spotted near the McLaren F1 shop in Woking, Surrey. Even in disguise you can see that the car looks like it will be as trim as we hoped it would be. Expected stats include a 6.2L AMG V8 possibly turbocharged to 500 hp, 1,100-kg curb weight, 0-60 in under four seconds and a top end of 200+ mph. AE also thinks pricing should fall into the £150,000-£200,000 range.[Source: Auto Express]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
zamafir 5:44PM (10/13/2008)
Is Murray involved? Prophetically telegraphing everything from the smallest nut to the entire engine and body from his genius? No? Don’t care.
Reply
Red 5:53PM (10/13/2008)
I dig the reverse mohawk.
Reply
Benfolio 6:04PM (10/13/2008)
Roof inspired by Nascar.
I'm sure it works for straight-line stability, but it looks damn goofy.
Art 5:59PM (10/13/2008)
If this is to be in gallardo/f430 territory i am sure it will do well. I somehow feel like McClaren deserves the right to have its own breed of supercars.
Reply
Trent 6:11PM (10/13/2008)
are we talking like F430 or Scudaria? because if we're talking scudaria you might as well throw the enzo in there. Has anyone done a full road test with the LP560 yet?
Reply
ArtBoy 6:54PM (10/13/2008)
hey buddie, the escuderia might do the same time in some tracks as the enzo but let me tell you that a f430, or f430 escuderia is no Enzo.
RLQ 7:05PM (10/13/2008)
Is it me or do the taillights looks Mustangish? Overall I like the shape of the car.
Reply
B 8:44PM (10/13/2008)
I HIGHLY doubt the roof "fins" will be on the production model...or the small flat panels sticking up parallel to the C-pillar.
The fins are likely part of the camo and intended to hide the true profile of the car in photographs when shot from the side. The smaller panels appear to conceal a recessed body detail.
Reply
BoxerFanatic 12:04AM (10/14/2008)
Even though this is a heavily camouflaged, profile, and all (that is what the ridges are on the roof for...)
I am not really seeing anything to move the ball forward from the big Mac (F1). Even in terms of supercar value.
It doesn't look bad. The tail lights are obviously bargain bin truck LED units, which are easy, and preserve the secrecy of the real designs.
But the F1 was a gestalt shift, it was a shock to the system, and it was functionally GORGEOUS. The Veyron may be faster, and it may be more opulent and fashionable, but it is not a better car than the F1, merely a newer, faster one.
I am not sure this is going to be a better car, either, merely a newer, more attainable one.
As much as I love turbos... there is something odd about going from the F1's 6.2 liter V12 with 600+ horsepower engine with nary a flywheel, and an 8000+ RPM redline.
...and going to a 6-liter, perhaps turbocharged V8, making 500+ horsepower? Why not just use a supercharged Chevy engine at that point? Not that any of them are bad engines... but this is the successor to the McLaren F1, not the somewhat lackluster SLR.
At least a V12 has perfect harmonic balance, and smaller individual pistons, for the same ~6 liters.
Sorry, but this is missing the sure and focused touch of Gordon Murray. This may be a British alternative to the Ferrari 430 (or it's replacement), or a Lambo...
But I don't think it is a game changer, the way the big Mac F1 was.
Reply
HeyHuub 2:46AM (10/14/2008)
Allot of people say the Veyron is also the better car between these two. THough i agree a high revving smaller V8 would probably fit the character of the car more.
And can i laugh at the fact that you're bringing a chevy V8 into this?
BoxerFanatic 10:28AM (10/14/2008)
You can laugh if you want...
It just seems to me that both the MB engines, and the GM engines tend to like big torque-monster V8s of roughly 6 liters of displacement, and then to really get them going, strap a compressor onto them.
That kind of strikes me as the armstrong sledgehammer method of high performance. Just get a bigger hammer, and a stronger arm to swing it.
The McLaren F1 was not that kind of a vehicle. It was a new tool entirely, that was designed especially for the job, and second to none. It had 6 liters of displacement, but it also had between 6-700 naturally aspirated horsepower, and it won LeMans and other races with that engine, merely with intake and exhaust changes, to meet the rules.
I wasn't comparing the P11 or it's resulting production car to the Veyron. I was comparing the McLaren F1 to the Veyron. The McLaren F1 is a better car, even if it isn't as fast. Arguably, the Veyron wouldn't be what it is if it hadn't had the F1 as the benchmark to beat.
The Veyron is an amazing machine to be sure, but it is certainly not anywhere in the vicinity of light weight. The McLaren F1 doesn't carry around the committee-think design that took much longer than anticipated, and it doesn't carry around the haute couture fashion statement design of the Veyron.
Every last ounce of the F1 was designed and built for a purpose, and that is the ultimate expression of the automobile builder's craft. If I were somehow hugely wealthy, would own more than one hand-me-down F1s before I would even look at buying a Veyron, but that is just me.
I really hope the P11 materializes into a very nice car, but so far, I haven't been convinced that it is going to be now what the F1 was 15 years ago, not even in the adjusted sense of being built to a price point for value.
So far it looks like a bit more bespoke alternative to the Ascari KZ1. Although the KZ1 uses a 5-liter BMW engine to make 500 horsepower, and reach ~200mph. It doesn't need an extra liter, or a compressor...
hydrogenvodka 11:05PM (10/13/2008)
I'm betting that they started development in mid 2007, when they thought they would win both F1 Championships... bummer.
Reply
Jamie 3:29AM (10/14/2008)
About time Mclaren came out with something new. The SLR just wasn't enticing enough. This should be better than the F430 and the Gallardo. So I'm hoping it sells well. Then maybe Mclaren will come out with a true successor to the F1. Something that takes a whack at the Buggatis and Koenigseggs of today.
Please tell me Murray is still involved.
Reply
mrfiat 1:15PM (10/14/2008)
Most of the top engineers including Gordon Murray, and his right hand man, Barry Lett left after the SLR fiasco (where they were not given control). Gordon has his own company now
Very different set up now...
Reply
soldier9599 3:21PM (10/19/2008)
0-60 in under four seconds and a top end of 200+ mph.
That's pretty damn disappointing. The last one (10+ f-ing years ago) went 0-60 in 3.2 and reached 213. You would expect this one to be in the range of the Bugatti. Instead it's in Corvette territory?
Reply