McLaren: è iniziata la produzione della 720S[:en]McLaren 720S: the first unit is here!
UNA SCALINATA PIU’ IN ALTO. LE CATENE DI MONTAGGIO DI WOKING HANNO INIZIATO A SFORNARE LE NUOVE MCLAREN 720S DA 720 CV, 0-100 IN MENO DI 3″ E 341 KM/H. FINISCE, UFFICIALMENTE, IL PROGETTO P11 E PARTE IL PROGETTO P14. LA 720S E’ IL PRIMO DI 15 NUOVI MODELLI CHE VEDRANNO LA LUCE ENTRO IL 2022.
Con la produzione del primo esemplare della 720S, una vettura di colore bianco ghiacciaio soprannominato Job#1, inizia un nuovo capitolo nella storia della divisione “produzione” del brand McLaren.
Il progetto “P14” entra nel vivo e inaugura la nuova generazione dei modelli Super Series. Contemporaneamente, viene consegnato alla storia il progetto “P11”, corrispondente alla MP4-12C e alle sue evoluzioni successive, la 650S e la 675LT.
La 720S è inoltre il primo modello del programma Track22, che entro il 2022 porterà sul mercato 15 nuovi modelli. La 720 S è più leggera, più performante e più efficace dal punto di vista dinamico della 650S che va a sostituire. Il suo nuovo V8 biturbo da 4 litri sviluppa 720 cavalli ed è capace di spingerla sullo 0-100 in 2″8 e sullo 0-200 in 7″8. Secondo McLaren la velocità massima raggiungibile è di 341 km/h.
Il prezzo “base”, stabilito per il mercato inglese, è di oltre 208.000 sterline, pari a circa 245.000 Euro.
MCLAREN P11: MP4-12C, 650S E 675LT SONO GIA’ STORIA
Era il 2009 quando la MP4-12C veniva presentata al pubblico dando nuova linfa alla produzione di vetture stradali, ferma alla straordinaria F1 dei primi Anni 90 progettata da Gordon Murray. Lanciata nel 2011, la MP4-12C portava nel segmento della produzione di supercar in (relativamente) grande serie un nuovo telaio monoscocca in fibra di carbonio, normalmente riservato solo alla nicchia delle hypercar (Ferrari Enzo, Porsche Carrera GT, Bugatti Veyron, Maserati MC12). Nel 2010 la gamma si ampliava alla MP4-12C Spider, sviluppata sulla stessa infrastruttura e, perciò, non fu necessario operare rinforzi alla scocca sebbene si trattasse di una carrozzeria spider.
Infine, la MP4-12C dimostrò tutte le potenzialità del suo progetto con l’ingresso in pista in versione GT3. Da quella versione ne fu ricavata una piccola serie, la Can-Am Edition, destinata unicamente al collezionismo e alle sedute private in circuito.
Nel 2014 (al Salone dell’Auto di Ginevra) la gamma Super Series si ampliò alla 650S, coupé e Spider, sviluppate sul modello esistente ma con alcuni aggiornamenti provenienti dalla hypercar P1 da 916 cavalli. Nell’estate del 2014 fu la volta della 650S GT3 da competizione, debuttante nella stagione di corse del 2015 e vincitrice del Blancpain Endurance Series 2016.
Al Salone di Ginevra 2015, infine, un ultimo upgrade: la 675LT ispirata alla rarissima F1 GTR Longtail degli anni 90: peso ridotto di 100 chili e potenza aumentata a 675 Cv. Le reazioni della clientela non si fecero attendere e, in meno di un anno, ecco apparire la 675 LT Spider, sold out in pochi giorni dall’annuncio ufficiale.
A NEW CHAPTER BEGINS. THE FIRST MCLAREN 720S ROLLS OUT THE PRODUCTION LINE AT WOKING FACILITY. SO THE P14 PROJECT OFFICIALLY BEGINS AND P11 PROJECT’S MODELS ARE OFFICIALLY CONSIGNED TO HISTORY.
With the completion of the ‘Job#1’ car, finished in Glacier White, McLaren Automotive is today celebrating the beginning of full production of the new 720S. The second generation of the Super Series – codenamed ‘P14’ – replaces the first generation, ‘P11’ model family that encompassed the original McLaren 12C and subsequent derivatives, as well as the McLaren 650S and 675LT.
The new 720S is the first of 15 new McLaren models confirmed for introduction by the end of 2022 under the company’s Track22 business plan.
It is powered by a 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged engine that produces 720 horsepower and it’s lighter, faster and even more dynamically capable than the McLaren 650S it replaces. The result in performance terms is astonishing, with acceleration from 0-60mph achieved in just 2.8 seconds and 0-124mph (200km/h) taking 7.8 seconds. The maximum speed of McLaren’s new supercar is 212mph (341km/h), available to order now from McLaren retailers and costing from £208,600 (UK).
“The new McLaren 720S entering volume production is a momentous occasion for McLaren Automotive, marking the first time since the company was formed in 2010 that we have replaced a model family with an all-new generation,” commented Mike Flewitt, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Automotive, speaking at a short ceremony at the McLaren Production Centre to mark the completion of the Job #1 car. “Customer interest in the new McLaren 720S following its unveiling in March at the Geneva International Motor Show has significantly exceeded our expectations and we are bidding farewell to the first-generation Super Series in the knowledge that we have a successor that raises limits in the supercar segment to new heights.”
THANK YOU MCLAREN P11!
The story of the model line carrying the internal McLaren designation of ‘P11’, began in 2009 when the 12C was first unveiled and subsequently launched in 2011. With a carbon fibre, composite MonoCell chassis and twin-turbocharged, mid-mounted V8 engine, the first new McLaren model for almost two decades instantly presented an alternative for serious supercar buyers.
Just one year later, the 12C Spider was unveiled in the United States at Pebble Beach featuring a retractable folding hardtop roof that could be raised or lowered in less than 17 seconds. It notably did not require any of the extra strengthening usually required for an open-roof car, thanks to McLaren’s carbon fibre chassis technology. From the road to the track, the path was brief: in 2012 McLaren introduced the terrific 12C GT3, which featured a host of aerodynamic upgrades and weight-saving measures to compete in the FIAT GT3 category. From the 12C programme emerged the GT Can-Am Edition, the first of the new generation of road-going McLarens designed to be the ultimate ‘track-day’ car.
The P11 family enjoyed significant growth in 2014, with the launch of the 650S and 650S Spider at that year’s Geneva International Motor Show which incorporated design and engineering features inspired by the flagship McLaren P1. Following the 12C GT3’s on-track success, it seemed only natural for the 650S to receive the same motorsport treatment: revealed at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the 650S GT3 featured improved aerodynamics as well as enhanced refinement and driver comfort
A lightweight, track-focused addition to the range was debuted at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show named 675LT in tribute to the famous ‘Longtail’ F1 GTR racers of the late 1990s: 100kg less than the 650S, 675 hp. , less than a year later at the end of 2015 an open-top version of the 675LT was announced with production once again limited (the full series of cars was sold in the space of just two weeks).