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The on-track rivalry between the Ferrari and McLaren Formula 1 teams has been one of the most intense and hard fought in the history of grand prix racing. Now McLaren wants to take that battle to the streets. If surprise plans announced by McLaren Group chairman Ron Dennis today come to fruition, within five years McLaren Automotive, the division of the Group that currently builds the Mercedes-McLaren SLR, will be a stand alone company building up to 4000 high-performance sports car a year.
Centerpiece of the plan is an all-new mid-engine McLaren sports car codenamed P11. Dennis gave no detail about the car, but it is a Ferrari F430-sized coupe. The P11's design is the work of talented American Frank Stephenson, whose credits include the new Mini and the new Fiat 500, and stints at Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo. It's a handsome, relatively conventional looking coupe that appears to feature advanced aerodynamics, including a flat floor and movable rear wing.
Given F1 division McLaren Racing's long standing engineering expertise -- the team was the first to use structural carbon fiber in a grand prix car, for example -- it's reasonable to assume P11 will feature extensive use of lightweight materials and sophisticated electronic controls. While no details of the engine or transmission have been released, sources close to McLaren say the car will offer significantly higher levels of performance than either the Ferrari F430 or the Lamborghini Gallardo.
Dennis says McLaren Automotive has been working on the P11 for more than two years. More than 20 prototypes have been built and are undergoing testing. The silver-grey coupe shown briefly to assembled media at the high-tech, high-style McLaren Technology Center in Woking, England, will be the show car. Sources say the P11 may make its public debut at this year's LA Auto Show...Continued
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