Naked new mclaren

It seems only yesterday that McLaren Automotive launched its brand new MP4-12C with a relatively un-tattooed Lewis Hamilton and a near retirement age Jenson Button at the wheel. However, a lot has happened in Woking since 2011, with the MP4-12C’s carbon tub and turbocharged V8 engine spawning not only the 650S and 675LT but also the P1 above it and the various 570s below it (not to mention numerous race cars and track specials). So now, six years on it’s time for a Super Series (as the middle strata of McLaren’s three tier range is called) revamp and McLaren has released the first images of the foundations of the new car.

The new carbonfibre ‘Monocage II’ body structure is visibly more complex than the MonoCell it replaces. It is obviously incredibly rigid, yet McLaren says that it is also lighter than the equivalent carbon and metal cockpit architecture of the first generation (the MonoCell on its own weighed just 75kg). The new car will have a dry weight of just 1283kg, which McLaren says is 18kg lighter than a 650S in similar spec. That figure looks even more impressive, however, when compared to the dry weight of a Ferrari 488 GTB, which the Italian manufacturer claims is 1370kg – some 87kg heavier than the McLaren.
On of the criticisms of the old Super Series cars was that they were a little tricky to get into thanks to the high sills of the tub. This was partially rectified for the Sports Series cars with a lightly redesigned monocoque affording lower sills in the 570 models. However, McLaren says that the new Monocage II offers both a wider entrance and lower sills. Certainly the portion of sill nearest the footwell looks to be lower, but everything will become clearer once doors and bodywork are added into the equation.

The original carbon tub didn’t rise above the scuttle line and the windscreen frame was metal, whereas the new cage is, well, an overarching cage of carbon rather than just a tub. It also extends further back over the engine and there will be a ‘Visible Monocage’ option for owners, allowing them to leave the carbon inside the A-pillars exposed. The biggest question about the new Monocage is how it will be adapted to the inevitable Spider variants. One of the Super Series’ strengths has been that the open-top versions are as structurally rigid and dynamically capable as the coupes. This looks like it will be harder to achieve with the new car as the (presumably structurally important) roof spine will have to be removed. Intriguing stuff.

The new model has been referred to so far as P14 but is likely to get a different name when it’s unveiled, fully clothed, at the Geneva Motorshow in March. McLaren Automotive has come a long way in a very short time and it will be fascinating to hear some more figures and see what’s revealed when the covers come off.