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MCLAREN Automotive is preparing to take on the powerhouse of Porsche with an entry level sports car which it hopes will woo away drivers who would traditionally have aspired to own a coveted 911.
The new kid on the block’s design director Frank Stephenson is convinced the McLaren will blow away the opposition with a 21st Century sensation as it shortly sets its sight on a niche market dominated by Porsche with an ‘entry level’ concept of its own.
Speaking exclusively to GulfWeekly at a dinner in the swanky Coworth Park Hotel, a short drive from the company’s Woking headquarters in the English county of Surrey, he said: “I promise you, our entry-level McLaren will be awe-inspiring. The P13 will make people stand up and take notice. Just watch out Porsche!”
McLaren Automotive, the British-based company offshoot of the famous Formula One brand, is 50 per cent owned by Mumtalakat, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, and its success will help boost the kingdom’s coffers for years to come.
Its first offering, the BD100,000 MP4-12C, is currently being hand-built to the tune of 10-a-day and assembled to meet the ‘global stampede’ to own what many consider to be the ‘national sports car of Bahrain’. MP4 represents the racing bloodline (the chassis designation for all McLaren F1 cars since 1981), 12 represents the focus on complete performance and efficiency and C represents the revolutionary Carbon MonoCell which the car is built around.
By the end of this year it will have 2,000 finished orders and the ambitious company is now keen to take on the might of the German automotive giant which some motoring analysts suggest has been sitting pretty with its 911 for far too long.
Porsche recently launched its latest offering and the four placed on display at its centre in Sitra were quickly snapped up. Only one BD50,000 red 911 S Carrera remains in the showroom awaiting collection and its overall appearance is typically 911, although 90 per cent of its components are either new or have been fundamentally revised.
In its glossy brochure the company says: “Our identity is the 911. This is especially true, even in the 21st Century. Instantly recognisable and originally designed for the racetrack, it continues to stir the emotions today, just as it did in 1963.”
Motoring critics have been full of praise for the new Porsche 911 Cabriolet, such as Autoweek’s Greg Kable, who said: “It’s hard to think of an open-top performance car with such a broad set of abilities – and such entertaining qualities. The Mercedes-Benz SLS roadster comes close, but it lacks rear seats and is significantly more expensive.”
Porsche Centre sales executive Sam Bontoft said: “We’re an example of evolution rather than revolution. Once driven, you’re smitten – it’s all about pure passion and performance with the 911. But competition is always a good thing, so bring it on!”
McLaren believes the time is ripe to offer potential owners with its alternative option. Mr Stephenson said: “It will be a totally new car – it would be too predictable to make a smaller version of the 12C although we will ensure the McLaren DNA runs through it. “We know fully well what we are up against and we know what the issues are. It’s our uniqueness which will make us stand out. The formula is simple – we will offer more horse power, address weight issues, cut Co2 levels and ensure it is more aerodynamic than its competitor.
“The P13 will revolutionise the segment. It will be nothing like the 911 – that would be like comparing chocolate with vanilla. Both are popular flavours but you know in your heart which one you prefer.”
McLaren may even move away from the number game and give the P13 a hot new name. Discussions are taking place at board level about the options available, although pearl, with its historic Bahraini connection, is considered to be amongst the favourites.
Mr Stephenson was the man responsible for the designs of the Mini Cooper, the Fiat 500 and the Alfa Romeo Mi.To – three of the most lauded hatchbacks of the last decade. He was also responsible for the design of the Ferrari F430 and 612 Scaglietti.
Born in Morocco and raised in Spain, he attended the Art Centre College of Design, which has turned out many famous designers, including Chip Foose, the hot rod shop owner, automotive designer and fabricator, and former star of the reality TV series Overhaulin’ and Chris Bangle, an American automobile designer known best for his work as chief of design for BMW Group, where he was responsible for the BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce motor cars.
McLaren Automotive is also developing a new supercar under the working title of the ‘P12 project’, which will feature ‘more exotic materials’. But the baby McLaren, aimed as a direct competitor to the Porsche 911, is the one the industry will be most intrigued about.
Managing director Antony Sheriff said: “Our commitment to our customers and fans is to launch ground-breaking products that espouse McLaren DNA. Our future range of sports cars will include models and derivatives of varying specification, and we plan for each to be a benchmark for efficiency, performance and innovation, sold through a retail network as dedicated as we are to being the best.”
In Bahrain, McLaren dealers Al Ghassan Motors will be opening a new showroom at Moda Mall in the near future.
