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McLaren announces name of its latest hypercar

It is definitely more elegant-sounding than just ‘F1’

The name evokes images of fast cars. Or quick ducks. IMAGE FROM MCLAREN

If someone gave out awards for the most grandiloquent automobile press releases, McLaren Automotive could need a new storage facility for all the trophies it would receive. Every time the boutique carmaker sends out news about an upcoming model, the pages describing its latest product are filled with the kind of language that makes your inner reading voice adopt a posh British accent while your brain suddenly wants to order tea and biscuits for merienda. Case in point: the unveiling of the name for the brand’s latest speed machine.

Previously only referred to as the BP23, the firm’s fastest-ever car will bear the name Speedtail. Meant as a spiritual successor to the legendary F1 road car, the new McLaren is not being referred to as a mere sports car or supercar, but as a “Hyper-GT”—supposedly the world’s first, according to the company. The name takes its origins from the fact that the Speedtail will be faster than any McLaren road car before it, with the promise being a top speed north of the F1’s 391km/h, and that its design will be flowing and streamlined.

The new McLaren Speedtail is not being referred to as a mere sports car or supercar, but as a Hyper-GT

Just like its famous predecessor, the Speedtail will have a three-seater cockpit with a central driving position and one passenger seat on each side behind the driver. Power will come from a petrol-electric hybrid setup with yet to be confirmed specifications, but it looks like McLaren is trying to build a proper Bugatti killer here, so expect figures exceeding those of the hybrid P1. The company helpfully advises customers that each production vehicle will be customized to the buyer’s specifications, and that the new materials used in it “encourage boundless tailoring through McLaren Special Operations.” That’s sales-speak for “you can spend insane amounts of money just customizing this thing.”

The sticker price stands at £1.6 million (P112 million) plus taxes. In case you’re now thinking of picking up the phone and reserving one of these beasts, don’t bother: All 106 cars are already spoken for, and you needed to be near the top of the McLaren owners list to even be considered for one. The official reveal will take place before the end of the year, with the few lucky individuals who will get to own one receiving an early preview. The rest of us need to wait until the next superfluously worded press release arrives in our electronic mailbox.

What’s in a name?



Frank Schuengel

Frank is a German e-commerce executive who loves his wife, a Filipina, so much he decided to base himself in Manila. He has interesting thoughts on Philippine motoring. He writes the aptly named ‘Frankly’ column.



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