Is McLaren working on a new, lightning-quick hypercar?

Cars that become iconic enough to define a generation are generally not planned with that in mind. Take for instance, the Lamborghini Miura which went on to become the world’s first-ever supercar. The car was born out of engineers who worked on a race-inspired machine in their spare time against the wishes of the company founder Ferrucio Lamborghini. Or the Ferrari F40 which came from five 288 GTO Evoluzione development cars that, after the end of the Group B racing series, had no place to go.

McLaren Automotive is a different story. When designer Gordon Murray set out to build the McLaren F1, he intended it to be an exercise to create the ultimate road car for the world. This was the British manufacturer’s first ‘1’ car, and 20 years later, they followed it up with the McLaren P1.

McLaren's new hypercar: Is this the next generational icon?

It has now been over a decade since the P1 debuted off the shoulders of its ancestor, and McLaren has possibly just hinted at a new ‘1’ car in the works. The manufacturer put out a video titled, “What makes a ‘1’ car? An icon that redefines what’s possible." At the end of the video, a date and time flashes onto the screen – October 6, 1:00 PM British Summer Time (BST). While there are no further details provided, it is possible that McLaren is working on a successor to the P1.

McLaren had reportedly previewed their new hypercar to their retailers earlier in the year. While it was codenamed the P18 at the time, this is expected to be the new ‘1’ car. The manufacturer is currently working on a new hybrid V8 powertrain to replace the old twin-turbo unit that has been in use since the MP4-12C came out in 2011.

The new hypercar is further set to debut McLaren’s new design ideology that was previewed earlier in 2024. While it continues in the footsteps of the previous style sheet, it features a more pronounced design with a long rear overhang that covers an exposed rear end. More details will be available as we step closer to the reveal date.

Check out Upcoming Cars in India 2024, Best SUVs in India.