403km/h McLaren Speedtail dethrones F1

McLaren has verified the Speedtail's maximum 403km/h top speed following final high-speed tests at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the US.

Cracking an incredible 250mph (403km/h) more than 30 times using Space Center's shuttle landing runway, the validation tests were carried out using the 'XP2' Speedtail prototype driven by McLaren's chief test driver, Kenny Brack.

Now officially the fastest McLaren ever made, the confirmation of the mighty 403km/h maximum means the Speedtail finally usurps the original McLaren F1 that, back in 1998, had its rev limiter in sixth gear removed to clock 386km/h.

According to McLaren, an identical top speed for the Speedtail was also recorded during high speed testing at facilities in both Spain and Germany.

Powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 hybrid, that's combined with a small 5.2kW lithium-ion battery, the Speedtail produces a massive 772kW and 1150Nm of torque – enough for not only the towering top speed but a 0-300km/h sprint of 12.8 seconds.

To put that into context – the Speedtail hits 300km/h 0.8 seconds quicker than the base model Bugatti Chiron, but is 17km/h slower than the French hypercar's 420km/h top speed.

Clawing back an advantage over the Chiron, thanks to its lightweight carbon-fibre construction, the McLaren hyper GT is said to tip the scale at a 1430kg (dry) considerably lighter than the heavier 1996kg (wet) mass the Bugatti is said to weigh.

Of course, another key advantage the Speedtail has over its rivals is each of the 106 examples McLaren will make employs the legendary three-seat layout that provides for a central driving position.

Measuring in at an imposing 5200mm long the Speedtail, when it goes on sale in February 2020, will look like nothing else on the road.

Featuring a long tapering rear the Speedtail's distinctive engine cover area is topped with the biggest carbon-fibre panel McLaren has ever made that also neatly incorporates a pair of ailerons inspired by NASA.

The pair of small flaps fold upwards to create downforce on the rear, without the need for great towering spoilers like those on the McLaren Senna to keep McLaren's hyper GT stable at its insanely high top speed.

Commenting on the verification run, McLaren Automotive CEO, Mike Flewitt, said: "It's fitting that the Speedtail's high-speed test program concluded with multiple maximum-speed runs at a location strongly associated with pushing the boundaries of extreme performance and engineering excellence.

"The Speedtail is a truly extraordinary car that epitomizes McLaren's pioneering spirit and perfectly illustrates our determination to continue to set new benchmarks for supercar and hypercar performance."

McLaren has already confirmed at least one lucky Australian buyer has stumped up a considerable amount of cash and bought a Speedtail for a rumoured $A3.2m (before import duty and on-road costs, that will include $960k in luxury car tax alone.)