McLaren confirms 911 rival

BRITISH supercar maker McLaren will unveil a rival for the Porsche 911, Mercedes-AMG GT and Audi R8 in the second quarter of next year with its entry level Sports Series range.

Previously codenamed P13, the new model is promised to be “pure McLaren” and is confirmed to have a carbon-fibre chassis and mid-mounted V8 engine at its core, like its 650S supercar and P1 hypercar brethren.

No other technical details have been confirmed, but the ‘series’ element of the name suggests that, like the Porsche 911, there will be numerous variants and McLaren’s omission of the word ‘turbocharged’ in confirming the V8 engine could mean there will be a normally aspirated version.

McLaren says the Sports Series will build on the “credentials” of the P1 and 650S, “bringing Formula 1 technologies and know-how to a new segment for the brand”.

Autocar reports the Sports Series will be more practical than other McLarens, with redesigned sills aiding access to the cabin, and fun but safe driving dynamics with 0-100km/h achieved in the 4.0-second range - a second slower than the 650S.

The British publication also says McLaren aims to build 4000 Sports Series models per year.

In its build up to the Sports Series unveiling, McLaren is aligning the range with game-changing moments “that have truly changed and challenged people’s beliefs”.

It will use the social media hashtag #BlackSwanMoments, referencing the discovery of black swans in Australia at a time when Europeans believed all swans were white.

In Australia the 650S costs from $441,500 (plus on-road costs) for the coupe and $486,250 for the Spider, both packing 478kW of power and 678Nm of torque from McLaren’s twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V8 engine.

Prices of the new Sports Series could start in the $200,000-$300,000 range occupied by non-turbo Porsche 911 variants and V8-powered Audi R8s.

Australian McLaren sales are on 19 units to the end of October this year compared with 20 for the same period in 2013.