McLaren Archives

Jenson Button to race NSX-GT in Super GT Series

This past few months have shown that Jenson Button is one driver who will step up to the occasion when and where he is needed. Recently, he stepped in for former teammate, Fernando Alonso for the McLaren Honda F1 team at Monaco. Unhappy with the team’s current fortune in F1, McLaren decided put Alonso’s talents to better use in the InyCar racing series for the prestigious Indy500 race.

Despite showing promise throughout the race weekend, Alonso’s F1 misfortunes followed him to IndyCar too, where he suffered engine malfunctions, which led to his retirement. During that same period, Jenson Button, who retired from F1 last year, rose to the occasion and stepped in for McLaren Honda at Monaco with Alonso’s car.

Unfortunately, Button too suffered similar misfortune on behalf of Alonso during the race. He caused a bizarre crash with Sauber’s Pascal Wehrlein during an overtaking maneuver. Neither driver suffered serious injury but any hope of Button being McLaren’s saving grace were dashed with that particular incident.

On the upside though, Honda has agreed to allow him to participate in a one-off race in the Super GT racing Series. He will be competing in a NSX-GT in the GT500 category at the Suzuka circuit. Button will begin testing the car in Japan with Team Mugen from 6th to 7th June.

Speaking of his participation, Button said, “I am delighted to have the opportunity to race a NSX-GT at the prestigious Suzuka 1000km. Last year in December, I really enjoyed driving the NSX Concept GT at Honda Racing Thanks Day, and since then have been itching to drive it in a championship race. Thankfully when I approached Honda to race in SUPER GT they thought it was a great idea. I am grateful for this opportunity and am very much looking forward to racing in front of my Japanese fans again. See you guys at Suzuka in June!”

The International Suzuka 1000km is the longest running car race in Japan and has been held annually since 1966. His participation will mean that the team will be fielding three drivers for this particular race, two of the regular ones, Hideki Muto and Daisuke Nakajima as well as Button.

McLaren elects new Design Director

McLaren Automotive has decided to elect Rob Melville as its new Design Director with immediate effect and will report directly to Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Jens Ludmann. He will be responsible for further the developing the company’s design strategy, philosophy and principles as wells working with the engineering and manufacturing functions and customer insights team.

Speaking of his promotion, Melville said, “I am thrilled to be given the title of Design Director for McLaren Automotive. I remember when I got the call to come and join McLaren back in 2009 and the joy I felt then is the same today. We have developed a fantastic design team and have integrated a design philosophy that I feel passionately about. I have always believed that great design tells a great story and that is what we do here at McLaren. I’m incredibly proud.”

Melville started his career as a designer with Jaguar Land Rover where his sketches influenced designs that eventually turned into the Evoque production car. Later on, he joined GM as Senior Designer and was responsible for evolving and realizing the Cadillac design principles and philosophy.

Melville joined the supercar maker in 2009 as a Senior designer but it was only in 2014 that he was promoted to the position of Chief Designer. Since joining McLaren, he was worked on a number of amazing projects which include the McLaren P1, evolution of the 12C, 650S and 675LT as well as the company’s Sports Series.

He led the design of the 720S, which happens to be the first model in the second-generation Super Series. McLaren will be launching 12 new vehicles in the near future as part of the Track22 business plan.

McLaren 720S now available in LEGO form

McLaren’s 720S, which was unveiled at the Geneva Motorshow last month, has been immortalized in the form of a LEGO® miniaturized model. The car joins its its bigger brother, the McLaren P1 in the LEGO® Speed Champions range of model cars that are available for purchase.

Named the LEGO speed Champions McLaren 720S, in the box you get the usual bits that make up the car as well as a car designer mini figure and design studio desk, which comes complete with a coffee cup and original design sketch of the car.

Aimed at supercar enthusiasts aged 7 and up, the model will give young minds some understanding into complexity of assembling a vehicle of this nature. LEGO says that the task of recreating the actual car into a LEGO based model was quiet complex especially when it came to mimicking the actual vehicle’s aerodynamic and svelte body shape. It took a LEGO designer a year to prefect and freeze the design – a lifetime by any kid’s standards.

“The LEGO interpretation of the McLaren 720S reflects the most exciting part of the design process, when a two-dimensional sketch is transformed into a physical, three-dimensional model,” commented McLaren Automotive Chief Designer, Rob Melville. “Building a model like this gives the next generation of McLaren enthusiasts a taste of just how exhilarating that moment is for designers.”

The actual McLaren 720S is a second-generation McLaren Super Series supercar that is powered by a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine that produces 720bhp. Thanks to that power, the car is able to accelerate to 200km/h from a standstill in just 7.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 341km/h.

Well, if you don’t have the means to afford such a car, you can always go for the miniaturized LEGO version and indulge in the joy of building your own McLaren with your bare hands.

McLaren offer new options for its new Sports Series models

Following in Porsche’s footsteps, McLaren too have decided to introduce a new range of options and accessories that have been developed for the 540C, 570S and 570GT.

The latest additions to the automaker’s option list are meant to provide protection to the vehicle when on the road and provide more visual appeal then when in standard form. Available for all McLaren Sports Series models, this new collection can be purchased from, and fitted by McLaren retailers.

The protection options include indoor and outdoor vehicle covers, branded floor and luggage bin mats, as well as front skid plates which are said to protect the diffusers from contact with the ground.

Apart from that McLaren is also offering a plethora of visual upgrades including a number of forged alloy wheel designs in stealth, silver and diamond cut finishes as well as a number of lightweight coloured brake calipers.

There are also three carbon fire packs to choose which come with the following:

Carbon fibre side intakes
Carbon fibre mirror casings
Carbon fibre side skirts
Carbon fibre aero blades
Carbon fibre front splitter
Carbon fibre rear bumper
Carbon fibre rear wing
Carbon fibre rear diffuser
Carbon fibre rear deck and plenum cover

McLaren says that these additions save a noticeable amount of weight compared to the trim that’s available as standard. Having said that, the supercar maker isn’t content with offering just exterior tweaks, as it is also offering a slew of interior options that are decked out in Carbon Fibre. These options include switch packs and IRIS surround, upper speaker surround, sill finisher with McLaren branding and side tunnels, all in carbon fibre.

In addition to these new add-ons, more special bits come from the McLaren Special Operations (MSO) section that have been designed and engineered by the MSO team which include a front splitter, rear wing and rear bumper. All these options as well as those mentioned earlier can be fitted to existing customers’ cars, if they so choose.

For the full comprehensive list of options on offer by the manufacturer, visit the McLaren website at www.retailers.mclaren.com/.

Liberty Walk McLaren 650S to be at London Motor Show

At the upcoming London Motor Show, which will take place from 4th to 7th May 2017, something rather special will be on display. A customized McLaren 650S built by Japanese tuning company Liberty Walk. The same car that received a lot of attention at the recent Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland.

Compared to the original, this supercar’s exterior has been extensively reworked to include unique Liberty Walk body styling and livery as well as a new front bumper, side diffuser, rear bumper, massive elevated rear wing and wide fender. Though many supercar fans might consider modifying an already perfect exterior as pure sacrilege, the new look and striking paint scheme does grab one’s attention, somewhat.

Speaking of the latest addtion to the London Motorshow, Alec Mumford, Chairman of The London Motor Show, said: “We are delighted to welcome Liberty Walk and can’t wait to see the McLaren 650S in Battersea Park in all its glory. These guys really know how to add drama to an already dramatic car, and they certainly have enough in their armory to be a star of the show. Liberty Walk will invite a new, youthful audience to The London Motor Show and we are very excited for them to set up here.”

The 650S won’t be the only vehicle representing Liberty Walk, two other models will also be on display as well as something special. Exactly what that entails is completely open to debate but to know more, we will have to wait for the London Motor Show. For more information on the show visit the London Motor Show website at www.thelondonmotorshow.co.uk.