Alongside the Senna GTR, McLaren used the Geneva Motor Show to reveal that the forthcoming three-seat ‘Hyper-GT’ will be the fastest car the brand has ever produced. It’s said to be capable of exceeding 243mph, which is faster than the once record-breaking McLaren F1 of the nineties.
We are yet to see the new model, codenamed BP23, but we know it’ll be powered by a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain and features a centrally-mounted driver’s seat. New sketches released from the brand show its unique seating layout from above, as well as the driver-focused dashboard with digital instruments. McLaren claims that, alongside the car’s clear performance credentials, it will also be the most luxurious car to leave the Woking factory to date.
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McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt also confirmed at Geneva that we’ll be seeing the new car in a public reveal before 2018 is out. The BP23’s entire production run of 106 cars has also been allocated – even before the car was officially announced in November 2016 – at a price of £1.6m plus local taxes. Every BP23 features some form of personalisation from McLaren’s Special Operations Division (MSO). The BP23’s production name has yet to be announced, but we know it won’t follow the alphanumerical strategy used for lesser McLarens so far.
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A test mule for what will be the brand’s ‘fastest ever model’ has also been developed based on the 720S to evaluate different cabin ergonomic options and its unique three-seat layout. New technologies for the BP23 are also being trialed such as digital mirror tech that could feature on the final model.
The actual 720S test mules don’t give us any clues as to how the BP23 will look, but the teaser sketches provide us with an early taste; an elongated, swooping rear end houses an aggressive rear diffuser and thin LED lights. As with every McLaren, it’s also likely to feature dihedral doors. Further development of the BP23 is currently underway at McLaren Special Operations (MSO), dedicated producers of McLaren Ultimate Series cars.
McLaren’s boss, Mike Flewitt, revealed that the company’s three-seat ‘Hyper-GT’ project will be one of the fastest and most powerful cars that the Woking-based supercar firm has ever made, but now we know it takes prime position in terms of outright speed. Described as “the most exquisitely crafted and luxurious roadgoing McLaren to date”, the BP23 is known to feature a hybrid powertrain that’s likely to comprise a powerful electric motor and the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 seen in the new 720S.
The BP23’s three-seat layout is draws comparison to the iconic F1, which also used that configuration. But Flewitt has said that while the new model is an homage to the first McLaren road car, it is not a direct successor. He described BP23 as “a car designed for longer journeys, but with the high levels of performance and driver engagement expected of any McLaren”.
With the McLaren BP23 ‘Hyper-GT’ on its way, check out the recently launched McLaren Senna…