McLaren developing F1 replacement

McLaren's Special Operation division (MSO) has begun working on an all-new replacement for the original F1 supercar, it has been revealed.

The new hypercar, codenamed BP23, has been created to pay homage to the F1 and is said will steal style and design cues from the original McLaren hypercar that first went on sale back in 1992.

Features like the unusual centrally-mounted driving position, that's flanked by a passenger either side will be incorporated into the new design, as will a pair of dihedral doors and a roof-mounted air intake snorkel that channels cold air to the mid-mounted engine.

Where the new F1 will differ from its spiritual successor, says Autocar, that magazine that broke the story overnight, is the new car will not break any outright top speed records.

Instead, the British car magazine claims MSO has been tasked in creating a hypercar that's as comfortable to drive and ride in as a grand tourer.

This means the BP23 will sit below the current P1 in the McLaren line-up.

Autocar says the F1-replacement will be the most luxurious and refined McLaren ever made, with the firm's Proactive Chassis Control retuned to focus on ride quality rather than outright grip or performance.

Under the bonnet, sources say that the new car will come with a near-600kW version of the car maker's twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8.

Top speed will fall some way short of the original F1's incredible 386km/h max, with the BP23 only said to "exceed 330km/h".

That said, thanks to its new lighter carbon-fibre monocoque, and a better power-to-weight ratio than the 650S, the BP23 is almost certain to be far quicker than its ancestor, with a 0-100km/h time expected to be less than 3.0 seconds

Created specifically to be a road car, considering its emphasis on comfort, a track-focused GTR or LM version is unlikely, says Autocar.

What the new F1 will offer is a cosseting interior that's claimed to be "closer to a piece of art than a car" says an insider.

MSO will also aim to ensure that every car rolling off the production line will be unique - such is the huge choice of finishes and materials that it plans to offer when BP23 arrives in 2018.

Before then, the biggest challenge facing engineers with the new F1 is, according to one McLaren insider, it was not possible to modify the current P1's 'monocage' or any of the rest of the 650S or 675LT’s 'monocell' to package the centrally-mounted driver and two passengers arrangement. Instead, a bespoke monocoque was needed.

Other challenges involved not allowing the different driving position from compromising the aerodynamics of the new car and the resulting design is said to include "lots of nods to the F1" but avoids being a retro copy.

Highlights of the new design are expected to include high-mounted rear exhaust pipes that exit well above the rear diffuser to help packaging and give the new F1 a 'clean' look.

According to MSO, a three-seat replacement for the original F1 has been long-requested by customers of the brand but, until now, complexity of developing a three-seat supercar had ruled it out.

Rising profits generated from sales of the 650S and 675LT have helped establish a business case for the new model, says McLaren.

The new F1 model will be the second car made by MSO - the first model the special operations divisions created was the 2012 X-1 that was unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. That car, commissioned as a one-off by a wealthy customer, took MSO more than three years to complete.

Just 64 new F1s are anticipated to be built by MSO - the same number of original F1 road cars sold in the original six-year production run. And the cost? Around £2 million (which equates to $3.5 million our money, at today's exchange rates).

The new MSO F1 is one of just 15 new cars McLaren is planning from now until 2022.