McLaren Speedtail – The Luxurious Hypercar Sports Car
Introduced 4 years ago and tested right here in Florida, we feature McLaren’s Speedtail for its timeless design and limited-production. This sumptuous luxurious hypercar has a starting price around $2 million.
The hybrid sports car, manufactured by McLaren Automotive, was tested on Kennedy Space Center’s shuttle landing runways just 3-hours away from Miami. It is the fourth addition in the McLaren Ultimate Series, after the Senna, the P1, and the F1. Speedtail is the fastest ever McLaren has produced with production limited to just 106 cars.
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Specifications
The Speedtail is powered by a modified M840T from the 720S and a hybrid powertrain to generate 1,036 hp (773 kW; 1,050 PS). The Speedtail uses a carbon fibre monocoque, with the passenger seats integrated into the chassis, as well as dihedral doors like other McLaren models.
Performance
The company claims that the Speedtail has a top speed of 402.3 km/h (250 mph) and can accelerate from 0–299 km/h (0–186 mph) in 12.8 seconds.
Key Technologies
The car recharges while driving, though a wireless charging pad is included with the car, trickle-charging it when not in use. The Speedtail is fitted with electrochromic glass, which darkens at the push of a button, eliminating the need for sun visors and also incorporates LED lights in the interior.
The Speedtail does not feature door mirrors, instead of using HD cameras mounted on the front guards that pop out when the ignition is turned on, and retract inside when the “Velocity mode” is activated, which the company states are to reduce drag.
The front wheels feature carbon fibre static covers to further reduce drag. On the exterior, it features hydraulically actuated active rear aerodynamic control surfaces, which are formed in flexible carbon fibre and are an integral part of the rear clamshell.
Interior
The Speedtail has a 3-seat layout, similar to the preceding F1, which has the driver sitting at the centre of the car, and slightly forward of the two passenger seats.
The interior of the Speedtail features “directional leather finish” which McLaren says “makes it easy to slide into the seat but then subtly holds the occupant in place while they drive,” and is strong enough that it can be used in place of carpet on the floor of the Speedtail.
The interior also features “Titanium Deposition Carbon Fibre” (which is when “a micron-thin layer of titanium is fused directly onto the weave and becomes an integral part of the carbon fibre’s construction.”), as well as Thin-Ply Technology Carbon Fibre (TPT), consisting of countless 30 micron thick layers of carbon fibre.
Notable
The Speedtail is not street legal in the United States, even though around 35% of the total cars were bought by American buyers. A spokeswoman for the company stated that the car may be legal, pending approval by NHTSA, to be imported into the U.S. under the “Show or Display” law, which exempts cars that are “historically or technologically significant” from NHTSA safety standards but requires that owners not drive the vehicle more than 2,500 miles in a 12-month period. McLaren has made it clear that they will not offer assistance with importing or registering the Speedtail in the U.S.