The emphasis was on aerodynamics with the design of the new McLaren 650S.
McLaren is set to unleash the latest in its fast-growing line-up of supercars, the new 650S set to make its debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. But the maker is offering up an early sneak peek at the new model with these two official images.
The 641-horsepower will slot into the McLaren line-up between the current 12C 2-seater and the P1 hypercar, with the 650S being offered in both Coupe and electrically retractable hardtop Spider body styles, both expected to reach showrooms by spring.
The debut of the new McLaren 650S is in keeping with the British maker’s plan, first revealed by TheDetroitBureau.com in 2010, to roll out an entirely new model roughly once a year. And, as with both those earlier models, the new 650S will use a carbon fiber chassis – with the lightweight material being used extensively in body, interior and other componentry, as well.
The new McLaren 650S picks up elements of both the current 12C and P1 models.
The overall design of the gull-winged 650S will appear familiar to those who’ve already seen either the 12C or P1. The shape of the face, such as the LED headlamps, in particular, are almost a direct lift from the hypercar. There’s a large but well-integrated front spliter designed to maximize downforce, with door blades behind the front wheels to further channel airflow for high-speed stability and grip.
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Large intakes behind what McLaren refers to as “dihedral” doors handle airflow for cooling the midship engine, meanwhile. Like the 12C, the new McLaren 650S also get the Airbrake rear wing, though the maker claims to have enhanced the system to automatically deploy, as needed, either to increase rear downforce or to ensure more rapid braking. In fact, overall downforce at 150 mph is said to be increased 24% by the aerodynamic detail work.
“As always with McLaren, the new design is there for good engineering reasons,” explains McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt. “The newly designed front bumper improves downforce and steering turn-in. The high speed handling balance is now even better. The LED lights use less power and last longer.”
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The McLaren 650S – the “S” standing for “Sport,” by the way – shares the basic twin-turbo V-8 now found in the 12C, but here upgraded to 641 horsepower. The maker has not released revised torque figures yet.
The new entry will also feature McLaren’s ProActive Chassis Control system, which can be operated in Normal, Sport or Track modes.
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“Everything we’ve learnt from the 12C and the McLaren P1™ has gone into the design and development of the McLaren 650S,” claims Flewitt, something we should be able to confirm when the new supercar makes its official debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show on March 4th.