McLaren built a $1 million hypercar that it says is unlike any other vehicle in the world

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McLaren built a $1 million hypercar that it says is unlike any other vehicle in the world

McLaren Senna

McLaren

It's the McLaren Senna!

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  • The McLaren Senna hypercar debuted on Saturday.
  • It's named after legendary Formula One racer Ayrton Senna.
  • McLaren will on build only 500 Sennas with a price tag of $1 million each.
  • The Senna is powered by a 789 horsepower twin-turbo V8.


Ayrton Senna is arguably the greatest driver in Formula One history and one who made an indelible mark on McLaren. The Brazilian spent six of his 11 seasons in F1 with McLaren during which time he delivered 35 race victories and three world championships.

On Saturday, McLaren unveiled a new $1 million (£750,000) hypercar called the Senna in a ceremony at the company's headquarters outside of London.

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The McLaren Senna will be just the second member of the company's Ultimate Series, which has remained without a production model since the P1 hybrid hypercar ended its run in 2015.

"The McLaren Senna is a car like no other: the personification of McLaren's motorsport DNA, legalized or road use but designed and developed from the outset to excel on a circuit," McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt said in a statement. "Every element of this new Ultimate Series McLaren has an uncompromised performance focus, honed to ensure the purest possible connection between driver and machine and deliver the ultimate track driving experience in the way that only a McLaren can."

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Ayrton Senna

REUTERS/Stringer

Ayrton Senna (L) with former McLaren boss Ron Dennis.

According to McLaren, the Senna is built to be the ultimate track-focused road car. Thus, everything about the Senna is about putting up insane lap times on the track while offering a comfortable commute on the road. That also means function over form when it comes to aesthetics.

The Senna is powered by a 789 horsepower version of the McLaren's 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged, M840TR V8 engine. It's development of the M840T engine that debuted earlier this year in the 720S supercar.

McLaren has yet to announce any performance figures associated with the Senna. But, I wouldn't be shocked to see a 0-60 mph time quicker than 2.8 seconds and a top speed north of 212 mph.

McLaren Senna

McLaren

With that said, the Senna's party piece won't be its straight-line speed. Instead, the car's forte will be its ability to meld that speed with mechanical and aerodynamic grip to deliver mind-blowing lap times.

The new hypercar built on McLaren's new Monocage III carbon fiber structure. At just 2,641 pounds, the Senna is the lightest McLaren since the company's ground-breaking 240 mph F1 hypercar of the 90s.

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The McLaren Senna will make its official world debut at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show in March. Unfortunately, all 500 Sennas are already spoken for.

McLaren Senna

McLaren