Iconic name resurrected

Twenty years on from victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by the now legendary McLaren F1 GTR, McLaren Automotive will resurrect the iconic name from its history for a track-only edition of the award-winning McLaren P1.

A special programme for owners priced at £1.98M, approximately BD1.27M, will include a tailored itinerary created for each customer to build driver capability.

The model will go into production when the 375th and final example of the road car has been completed, and in homage to its race-winning ancestor, the most powerful McLaren to date will be named the McLaren P1 GTR.

With no need to comply with road legislation it will be designed and developed as the ‘best drivers’ car in the world on track’, its makers claim. Exact production numbers are still to be determined, but will be strictly limited.

This will see even greater levels of performance, grip, aerodynamics and down-force than the road car, says the British sports car company, which in partly owned by Mumtalakat, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund.

The move comes shortly after McLaren Automotive announced it had made both an operating and pre-tax profit for the first time, as reported in GulfWeekly, and the decision to produce a track-only variant is in response to the demand from McLaren P1 owners.

The new wider-track terror will feature technologies and a powertrain more extreme with an intended power output 986bhp, race-proven slick tyres and more aggressive and distinctive styling designed to offer optimised performance around a lap.

The McLaren P1 GTR programme will include exclusive consultations with the McLaren driver fitness team and design director Frank Stephenson, privileged access to one of the McLaren racing simulators, and participation in a minimum of six dedicated international drive events to be held at some of the world’s most iconic Formula 1 circuits.

Insiders say there is ‘every chance’ the Bahrain International Circuit will be one of the chosen destinations although no decision has been made.

Following the company’s global launch in 2010, McLaren Automotive unveiled the groundbreaking 12C and 12C Spider and followed this in 2013 with the limited-run McLaren P1.

In keeping with its plan to introduce a new model each year, the company recently unveiled the 650S Coupe and 650S Spider. The brand continues to expand and will shortly be launching an entry level sports car, codenamed P13, as exclusively revealed by GulfWeekly.