Skip to main content

McLaren Reintroduces a Three-Seater Supercar with the Speedtail

McLaren Speedtail

Almost three decades ago, McLaren turned the supercar world on its head. Not only did the mighty McLaren F1 break what seemed like the laws of physics in terms of performance, but it gave owners the opportunity to bring along a second friend for triple-digit romps. Even though the F1’s three-abreast seating was hugely popular, the seating arrangement didn’t return when McLaren reinvented itself a decade ago. Until now. We give you the McLaren Speedtail.

The Speedtail is McLaren’s idea of a hyper grand tourer, a 1,035-horsepower, 250-mph hybrid hypercar that takes aim at the respective grand touring crowns worn by Bugatti’s Chiron and Koenigsegg’s Regera — A scalpel made of leather, carbon fiber, gasoline, and engineering. Whereas the McLaren Senna was designed to dominate every racetrack built, the Speedtail is a straight-line monster with the goal of taking the driver and their passengers from London to Lisbon in record-setting time.

Related Videos

The Speedtail is centered around the McLaren’s all-new Monocage carbon fiber monocoque chassis. A bespoke iteration of the brand’s safety cell, the new design allowed McLaren to center the driver, who is then flanked by each passenger — exactly the same method used in the original F1. Behind the cabin, McLaren hasn’t quite detailed what engine powers the Speedtail, but it’s more than likely it’s some form of the brand’s 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 found in the Senna and 720S, and a hybrid motor similar to the one found in McLaren’s P1. And, as mentioned, the Speedtail has 1,035 horsepower propelling you to truly ludicrous speeds. However, it’s most eye-watering metric is how quick the Speedtail hits 186 mph: 12.8 seconds. If proven true, and we have no reason to doubt McLaren, that would make the Speedtail literally the quickest accelerating car ever.

Now that power and acceleration are out of the way, the Speedtail is dripping with bleeding-edge tech and wild aerodynamics. First off, it has bendable carbon fiber. At the back of the Speedtail are two ailerons, the sort of kit you get with your plane. However, unlike a plane, where the ailerons have denoted shut lines and pivot points, the Speedtail’s don’t. They’re blended into the rear aerostructure and can bend thanks to a new form of pliable carbon fiber. The Speedtail also receives retractable door cameras that take the place of mirrors. As you go faster, the cameras retreat into the body structure and reduce the car’s overall drag.

Inside, that sort of 2158 A.D. tech continues with milled carbon fiber, electrochromic glass, directional leather to keep you better stabilized in the seats, and a roof-mounted starter to give you the full fighter pilot feel.

McLaren also worked with Pirelli to build a better tire, because, at 250 mph, you really want something connecting you to the road that’s not going to fail.

McLaren’s CEO Mike Flewitt stated, “McLaren has never built a vehicle like the Speedtail before. As our first ‘Hyper-GT’, the Speedtail is the ultimate McLaren road car; a fusion of art and science that combines an astonishing maximum speed with an iconic central-driving position and a truly pioneering approach to bespoke personalization. A ground-breaking hybrid powertrain sits within a lightweight carbon fiber body reminiscent of sleek ‘streamliners’ that once set world speed records, while the luxurious three-seat cockpit offers a sublime combination of an incredible driving experience, unmatched individualism and innovative materials never seen before in a road-going vehicle.”

McLaren will only build 106 Speedtails, the same number of cars the company built of the F1, and each will carry a starting price of $2.3 million. There are just a few problems though. They’ve all been spoken for and U.S. buyers will have to go through a handful of legal loopholes to get them licensed and insured as the Speedtail doesn’t quite meet U.S. regulations. That said, if you have $2.3 million to drop on one, you likely have the means to figure out how to drive it in the U.S. as well.

Editors' Recommendations

Despite its recognizable design, Mercedes’ best-seller has been fully redesigned
Everything new about the 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV
2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC front end angle from passenger's side parked in front of mountains during sunset.

It’s no secret that the Mercedes-Benz GLC is the German automaker’s most popular model. Last year, Mercedes sold 342,900 units of the compact SUV globally. A staggering figure. Things, though, don’t slow down in the luxury class and after seven model years on sale, Mercedes believes 2023 is the right time to come out with a fully redesigned GLC and has officially announced pricing for the SUV. The automaker unveiled the redesigned GLC last June, but here's a quick recap if you missed it.
It’s not entirely surprising to see Mercedes roll out a new GLC for the 2023 model year. The GLC shares a platform, tech features, and powertrains with the C-Class. Given that the two models are closely related to one another, it only makes sense to see a new GLC that’s based on the C-Class.

Previous

Read more
This is what the fastest motorcycle in the world looks like now
Do you know what the world's fastest bike is?
2021 Kawasaki Ninja H2R

Modern motorcycles have been through several advancements in design, powertrains, and electronics over the past few years. This makes the current crop of bikes some of the fastest machines – even when you include cars – on the planet. Things have been picking up speed since the 1990s and some of the fastest motorcycles of all time are modern sportbikes. A lot of motorcycle manufacturers have been simply estimating the speed of their bikes since they can’t just ask a rider to test drive their bikes at top speed. 

The reason for why motorcycles are much quicker in a straight line than cars comes down to their power-to-weight ratio. A 500-pound motorcycle with 200 horsepower will offer a similar power-to-weight ratio as a supercar with four times the amount of power because there's a good chance that it weighs four times as much. Plus, without any doors, motorcycles have a greater sense of speed than cars, as 25 mph can feel like you're doing 100. 

Read more
The Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia brings haute fashion to cars
Rolls claims that the one-off is the most complex Phantom ever made
Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia side profile in a studio with purple swirling lines in the back.

Amid the electric vehicle revolution and the introduction of more semi-autonomous technology, automakers are eager to change their bios from traditional automakers to tech companies. Rolls-Royce, well, Rolls-Royce is different. While the iconic British marque has introduced its first EV with the Spectre, Rolls-Royce really does expand its reach beyond the world of cars as a luxury marque. Case in point, the latest vehicle from Rolls-Royce is the Phantom Syntopia. It was made in collaboration with Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen and blends the worlds of high fashion and cars.
You may not think that fashion and cars belong together, but the Syntopia certainly makes a case for more collaboration across the two industries. The Syntopia is very purple and is inspired by the concept of “weaving water.” The automaker, which has created some stunning vehicles over its extensive history, calls the Syntopia a “bespoke masterpiece.” Heavy words from a brand that’s known for going above and beyond with some of the most bespoke vehicles on sale. But we believe the company certainly went to great lengths to make the Syntopia, seeing as how it took Rolls-Royce four years to perfect.

Previous

Read more