Woking

McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt is planning a big R&D push that will culminate in 15 new products and introduce "a completely new powertrain architecture."

DAY ONE - UNDER THE ENGLISH CHANNEL INTO FRANCE

Think of the name McLaren and you're likely to conjure up images of two different things: grand prix racing and exotic supercars. Each of these two core areas of competence has its own division under the McLaren Group umbrella, but in between them sits a third division called McLaren GT.

If you were impressed by the MP4-12C, well, you should be. It's an otherworldly performance machine. But we ain't seen nothing yet from McLaren Automotive, which is gearing up to launch an even more capable supercar.

Turning a Formula One team into an automaker is no mean feat. Ferrari did it decades ago, and now McLaren is following suit. The first product of the newly formed McLaren Automotive – an offshoot of the F1 team – has already hit the market in the form of the MP4-12C, with several additional models planned over the coming years. But in order to do so, they'll need a state-of-the-art production facility.