“McLaren Sports Series”; sounds exotic doesn’t it? Perhaps a rival series to something like Formula 1? But no, it’s not. Instead, it’s the confirmed name for McLaren’s next model, codename P13, due for reveal before the middle of 2015. We’d heard the rumours for a while, but last night McLaren confirmed the new sub-650S model.
Previously referred to as the P13 – its internal codename at McLaren – the Sports Series will be possibly one of McLaren’s toughest engineering tasks, as it is supposed to take on the Porsche 911 – a tough task for any manufacturer.
Due to be launched after a 13 chapter launch campaign, titled Black Swan, the Sports Series will be unveiled by the 2nd quarter of 2015.
What are we to expect from the P13 though? Well expect the usual McLaren recipe of a carbon fibre chassis a-la 650S and P1, with a sprinkling of mid-mounted V8 engine – likely a detuned version of the one in the 650S – and a splash of rear-wheel driven joy. We reckon power outputs should be in the region of 331kW from the 3.8-litre biturbo V8.
From the name, we’re also pretty sure that there will be multiple variants of the new baby-Mac. Naturally a coupe and Spider version will be offered, but we suspect a more hardcore, lightweight GTS model could be on the cards as a possible 911 GT3 rival. This is largely speculation on our part, but time will tell if we’re onto something or not.
Should the Porsche 911 be afraid?
