McLaren P1 GTR to make Pebble Beach debut

The British supercar maker is set to cause quite a stir at this year's classic car Concours d'Elegance by taking the wraps off its latest super-exclusive track-focused creation.

The P1 GTR will be based on McLaren's flagship hybrid hypercar, the P1, but will be faster, more powerful, more aerodynamic and altogether rarer. That's because in order to stand a chance of owning one when it goes into production in 2015, you will have to already have a standard P1 sitting in your driveway and a spare £1.98 million to spend.

That's a lot of money for a car that can't be driven legally on the public highway, but it could be a small price to pay if, as McLaren claims, the GTR lives up to the hype as the world's best-performing track car.

And the fact that the company has chosen to call it the GTR proves that it is very serious about making the vehicle extraordinary. In 1995 those three letters passed into automotive history when the McLaren F1 GTR won at Le Mans. And dusting off that badge and applying it to a new car isn't something a company, especially one so steeped in automotive racing history, does on a whim.

McLaren says that the P1 GTR that will be unveiled on the 18th fairway at the Pebble Beach Lodge in California on Friday, August 15 is only a design concept model and so some of the features are expected to change before the actual car goes into production in June 2015.

However, what has been confirmed is that the GTR will produce 986bhp (that's 1,000PS), run on specially developed slick tires and boast a wider track in order to help make the most of that extra power.

What's more, each example will be the racing car equivalent of an exquisitely cut bespoke Savile Row suit as every lucky owner will work with McLaren to help co-develop his or her car and to make sure it is a perfect fit with driving style and capabilities. This co-development program will include exclusive consultations with the McLaren driver fitness team and the company's design director and access to a state-of-the-art driving simulator where changes and additions can be tested virtually before being applied to the actual car.

The final exclusive touch will be an invitation to compete in regular driving events including a minimum of six dedicated races that are scheduled to be held on some of the world's most famous Formula 1 circuits.