McLaren Artura name confirmed for 2021 hybrid supercar

The all-new hybrid replacement for the McLaren 540C, 570S and 600LT will be named the McLaren Artura when it's launched in 2021.

The small McLaren Sport Series has been developed under the 'High-Performance Hybrid' (HPH) moniker, but the Woking-based road division of the McLaren F1 race team now looks set to break with its numbering convention and follow in the tyre tracks of the Senna and Elva.

McLaren has not yet offered any explanation on where the 'Artura' name comes from. It is a Celtic word that means 'noble'.

The British Ferrari F8 Tributo rival was previewed last month in full camouflage, with McLaren announcing its baby supercar will not only debut its new advanced hybrid V6 powertrain but introduce its all-new carbon-fibre architecture.

Replacing the old Monocell, the new McLaren Lightweight Carbon Architecture has been developed to package both the batteries and electrical architecture needed for the shift to hybrid power.

The new structure is set to offer even lighter weight and higher levels of rigidity compared to Monocell-underpinned supercars.

Little has been revealed about the new V6 hybrid engine, other than that the battery and electric motor on board will enable the vehicle to run for at least 35km in pure-electric mode.

McLaren claims the hybrid “retains the performance benefits of McLaren’s larger-capacity V8 engines and has the additional attraction of improved torque response at low engine speeds to deliver scintillating acceleration”.

Commenting on the new nameplate, McLaren Automotive boss Mike Flewitt said: "Every element of the Artura is all-new – from the platform architecture and every part of the High-Performance Hybrid powertrain, to the exterior body, interior and cutting-edge driver interface.

"But it draws on decades of McLaren experience in pioneering super-lightweight race and road car technologies to bring all of our expertise in electrification to the supercar class.” 

Flewitt has previously said the car-maker's first series hybrid – which replaces the long-serving Ricardo-developed twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V8 – will usher in “a new kind of McLaren for a new era, an extraordinary driver’s car that offers blistering performance as well as an all-electric range capable of covering most urban journeys”.

Until now, hybrid power has been reserved for Ultimate Series McLaren models, with the P1 the first to be introduced with an electrified V8.

Since then, the wild Speedtail has shown the benefits of hybrid power, with the 4.0-litre V8 hybrid producing a monstrous 773kW and 1150Nm of torque – enough to hurtle the teardrop-shaped hypercar to a 403km/h top speed.