Senna [Official] McLaren Senna (P15)

[Monster]

I remember reading an article where it was hinted that it would the first road car have enough DF to be able to drive upside down. And the "nuts" bit that i was talking about was the "faster than a gt3 class racer" bit.
From C&D:

I wonder at what speed will the car be able to generate the maximum down force.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

Funny. Brace yourself for more more aesthetically challenged car designs going forward. We have reached the points where there is more performance to be gained from aero than power output. Even the 812 Superfast has holes and vents where the F12 and 599 have tidier looks.

Given how brilliant the 720S is, the McLaren Senna will have absolute demonic performance. Mark my words.

Having slept on it, my criticism has cooled just the slightest. There's a bit of Can Am racer look that I could see appealing to some. It still ain't pretty and I feel no desire to own one even if I had the means to own one.

 

[martinbo]

McLaren have managed to make a dramatic hypercar look remarkably unattractive. Hell, she ain't pretty.

 

[Centurion]

McLaren have managed to make a dramatic hypercar look remarkably unattractive. Hell, she ain't pretty.

Does it remind you of dinosaur caucus?

 

[manuelf]

And the "nuts" bit that i was talking about was the "faster than a gt3 class racer" bit.

Thus is indeed a big Statement! The remaining/interesting question would be: both on their "natural" tires (Trofeo R vs slicks)?
This I cant imagine. In this case the McL Senna would do a Nürburgring Nordschleife laptime (sport auto setup) of around 6:15 then!!! Current top GT3 cars in VLN are tracking the whole track including the GP course section in about 7:55, while GP section takes them about 1:40.
Thirty seconds faster than the current record holder 911 GT2RS??? I can't imagine this. This is almost Stefan Bellofs all-time-record!

 

[A.P.]

Worst design of this year goes to this thing hands down.

I wonder what's the point of an LT version of the 720S, when you have this now. 500 isn't extremely exclusive too. They may deny it, but this smells like a hardcore 720S underneath, essentially a body kit with more.

Guess they learned from Lamborghini, add more HP, Aero and do some other stuff that makes it look "cool" and charge way more for it.

I don't blame them, they are a young company and they have to cash in, just like Lamborghini did. Sure it will be mind blowing fast, but for me it's not special. Neither does it hit the most important part for a supercar, the looks.

 

[Laurent T]

Worst design of this year goes to this thing hands down.

I wonder what's the point of an LT version of the 720S, when you have this now. 500 isn't extremely exclusive too. They may deny it, but this smells like a hardcore 720S underneath, essentially a body kit with more.

Guess they learned from Lamborghini, add more HP, Aero and do some other stuff that makes it look "cool" and charge way more for it.

I don't blame them, they are a young company and they have to cash in, just like Lamborghini did. Sure it will be mind blowing fast, but for me it's not special. Neither does it hit the most important part for a supercar, the looks.

Said differently... if you look at the progress made between P1 & 720S, I feel that a well executed 7xx LT in a few years could well surpass this Senna... with a better look ! With the cash, I wouldn't buy this !

 

[Centurion]

Guess they learned from Lamborghini, add more HP, Aero and do some other stuff that makes it look "cool" and charge way more for it.

Lamborghini started this trend with the Reventon. Slap a big bodykit on an existing car and stick a million dollar price tag on it.

According to Shmee, all 500 have been sold.

 

[WBarnes]

I actually like the side view.

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[KiwiRob]

I can’t help thinking that if Ron Dennis was still in charge this ugly duckling would have been strangled at birth.

 

[KiwiRob]

There’s some Gumpert Apollo in the design as well, or am I just seeing things?

 

[M.N.D]

At first I thought that it is a rendering of some sort, then I thought it is a concept to preview their upcoming central seat car, but then I realized it is a special edition that is based on the 720S.

This reminds me of Ferrari's special editions that are based on their road cars such as the models that were based on the 458 Italia.

Anyway, there is an interesting discussion regarding this Senna version to be quicker than a GT3 car...

(LONG POST BELOW - COULD BE BORING!! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED )

I'm a big fan of GT3 racing and follow a number of their championships (Blancpain GT, ADAC GT Masters, GT Open). To give an idea of the difference between the performance of a GT3 racing car and a road going supercar / hypercar, taking a look at tracks that provide a timed lap for both the race cars and the road going cars might help. Here is a list of some tracks (the times of the race cars are qualifying laps):

Sachsenring (3.645 km):
Road car: 1:26.77 / Porsche 918 Spyder / Auto Bild
Race car: 1:17.33 / Mercedes-AMG GT3 / ADAC GT Masters 2017 season

Hockenheimring GP (4.574 km):
Road car: 1:48.00 / Radical RXC Turbo / (Hockenheim GP lap times - FastestLaps.com)
Race car: 1:37.51 / BMW M6 GT3 / ADAC GT Masters 2017 season

Spa Francorchamps (7.001 km):
Road car: 2:32.14 / Koenigsegg One:1 / (Spa Francorchamps lap times - FastestLaps.com)
Race car: 2:16.82 / Lexus RC-F GT3 / GT Open series 2017 season

Circuit of the Americas (5.513 km):
Road car: 2:17.5 / McLaren P1 / Jason Hart
Race car: 2:04.26 / Lamborghini Huracan GT3 / Pirelli World Challenge 2017 season

Bear in mind that performance of a GT3 race car (or race cars in general) depend on the setup, so there is a difference in performance on similar race tracks between different championships, due to a different Balance of Performance (BoP), and a different rubber compound (though I'm not sure if this is true, so correct me if I'm wrong).

A GT3 race car usually weighs between 1200~1320 kg / 2710~2865 lb, with a range in engine output between 500~550+ HP. Combining this with the high level of downforce (I'm not sure of the exact number, but I think it's about or above 680 kg / 1500 lb at around 200 KPH /125 MPH) a high drag ratio, and the gearing ratios, the GT3 racer can reach a top speed between 270~278 KPH / 138~173 MPH, and their acceleration is believed to be around 3~3.5 sec in 0-60 MPH.

These cars gain their time in the corners due to the mechanical grip from the racing slicks and the aero grip from a splitter, dive planes, flat floor, diffuser, and a wing.

Saying that this P15 Senna will be faster than a GT3 race car is impressive if true, but I think it'll be difficult to shed more than 11 seconds on the Sachsenring for example (11 seconds to beat the 918 as a road car and to be faster than a GT3 racer), unless racing slicks will be used. There are some advantages that the McLaren enjoys, such as a superior power to weight ratio (668 HP/ton for the P15 against 416 HP/ton (on avg.) for a GT3 racer), a higher top speed, and an active aero mechanism, so I could be wrong.

Thus is indeed a big Statement! The remaining/interesting question would be: both on their "natural" tires (Trofeo R vs slicks)?
This I cant imagine. In this case the McL Senna would do a Nürburgring Nordschleife laptime (sport auto setup) of around 6:15 then!!! Current top GT3 cars in VLN are tracking the whole track including the GP course section in about 7:55, while GP section takes them about 1:40.
Thirty seconds faster than the current record holder 911 GT2RS??? I can't imagine this. This is almost Stefan Bellofs all-time-record!

A comparison to a GT3 car (if it happens) on the Nurburgring Nordschleife is not completely logical in my opinion, since some portions of the track favor high power and brutal acceleration, such as the Döttinger Höhe which is the longest straight. As a result, some of what a GT3 gains in the corner will be lost on the straights (The 991.2 GT2 RS reaches a top speed of around 305 KPH on the Döttinger compared to 270 KPH for a GT3 racer).

 

[tristatez28lt1]

Interesting Mclaren has been unusually silent on the Nurburgring lap time prediction.

Hasn’t McLaren always been quiet about the nring? Except that one time with the P1 and that turned out to be a bit of a disaster as they couldn’t come close to the 918.

 

[sako97]

Hasn’t McLaren always been quiet about the nring? Except that one time with the P1 and that turned out to be a bit of a disaster as they couldn’t come close to the 918.

Rough paraphrasing to 5 years ago - "The new P1 will be the fastest car on any circuit in the world".... What nonsense.

 

[Bucketslash11]

At first I thought that it is a rendering of some sort, then I thought it is a concept to preview their upcoming central seat car, but then I realized it is a special edition that is based on the 720S.

This reminds me of Ferrari's special editions that are based on their road cars such as the models that were based on the 458 Italia.

Anyway, there is an interesting discussion regarding this Senna version to be quicker than a GT3 car...

(LONG POST BELOW - COULD BE BORING!! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED )

I'm a big fan of GT3 racing and follow a number of their championships (Blancpain GT, ADAC GT Masters, GT Open). To give an idea of the difference between the performance of a GT3 racing car and a road going supercar / hypercar, taking a look at tracks that provide a timed lap for both the race cars and the road going cars might help. Here is a list of some tracks (the times of the race cars are qualifying laps):

Sachsenring (3.645 km):
Road car: 1:26.77 / Porsche 918 Spyder / Auto Bild
Race car: 1:17.33 / Mercedes-AMG GT3 / ADAC GT Masters 2017 season

Hockenheimring GP (4.574 km):
Road car: 1:48.00 / Radical RXC Turbo / (Hockenheim GP lap times - FastestLaps.com)
Race car: 1:37.51 / BMW M6 GT3 / ADAC GT Masters 2017 season

Spa Francorchamps (7.001 km):
Road car: 2:32.14 / Koenigsegg One:1 / (Spa Francorchamps lap times - Fas...

how does the AMG Project 1 and the Aston Martin Valkyrie compare to GT3 cars?

the claimed downforce of the Valkyrie is 4000lb and it weights a bit over 2200lb (1 metric ton) while it has a rumoured power to eclipse 1 to 1 hp/kg

 

[A.P.]

Rough paraphrasing to 5 years ago - "The new P1 will be the fastest car on any circuit in the world".... What nonsense.

This, I take their statements with grains of salt.

At the same time, it looks like a fully blown GT3 car, just for the road. GT3 cars don't have 800+hp either so their claim makes sense in theory.

I hope the 3 seater will look better.

 

[sako97]

So extra:
.

 

[kingjr9000]

Doesn't sound that bad.

 

[WBarnes]

Does it really make stuff at the side of the road explode as you drive by?

 

[StartYourEngines]

I have to honestly say that in darker color it looks much, much better and surely menacing as hell.

Another one here full carbon (courtesy of Mikeyb at McLarenLife.com):

I remember reading an article where it was hinted that it would the first road car have enough DF to be able to drive upside down. And the "nuts" bit that i was talking about was the "faster than a gt3 class racer" bit.

From C&D:

Well yes, the Valkyrie should push the boundaries of aero that far.
Regarding the Senna being supposedly faster than a GT3 racer, of that yes I would surely agree with you: definitely nuts.