New McLaren Sports Series 911 rival – exclusive pics

McLaren’s Porsche 911 rival, called the Sports Series, will be launched in spring 2015 – here’s how the car could look

McLaren has named its Porsche 911 rival, and confirmed its launch for the second quarter of 2015. Previously known only by its codename ‘P13’, the new, more affordable model will be badged the McLaren Sports Series. Our exclusive image shows how the finished production car could look.

The first official image of the Sports Series model was revealed for the first time on McLaren’s official Facebook page and that picture helped our designers come up with the exclusive Auto Express image above. Looking past the camouflage on the official picture, it appears that the car will take styling inspiration for its front end from the P1 hypercar.

Referred to as a “pure McLaren” in the official release, the Sports Series will join the range below the 650S supercar and bring “McLaren credentials and exclusivity to the sports car segment for the first time”. It will compete in an increasingly competitive market against the new Mercedes AMG GT and the top end of the Porsche 911 range, with prices expected to start from around £120,000.

Technical details are scarce at this stage, but McLaren has confirmed that it will follow in the 650S and P1’s footsteps with “a carbon fibre chassis and mid-mounted V8 engine”. A version of the 650S’s carbon tub, modified for a shorter wheelbase, is expected, as is a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 with upwards of 450bhp. Plus, the Sports Series should be the lightest car in its class.

Source: www.autoexpress.co.uk