Reportedly, the British automaker is planning an open-top roadster slotted into the Ultimate Series, next to the Senna and Speedtail. And like both, the car will explore a unique side of McLaren’s supercar architecture.
The news comes from Autocar who tapped an informed source. McLaren initially refused to comment, but later confirmed to The Drive that they are:
“speaking to potential customers about a new McLaren Ultimate Series model that shares some attributes with the car that Autocar describes.”
Although there are plenty of Spider models in McLaren’s portfolio, if these rumors are true, the open-top roadster will be a first for the Woking-based automaker.
Supposedly, the roadster will be designed to evoke pure driving joy – a car for having fun on the open road. The origin of these renders is unknown, but they depict an elegant vehicle with graceful flowing lines.
It’s an exact opposite of the hardcore Senna, which trades everything in favor of track performance. And while the new roadster will not be setting any lap records, it will be sufficiently fast and engaging.
Likely, the new car will retain the familiar powertrain – a mid-positioned 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8 and double-clutch transmission driving the rear wheels. Autocar suggests the engine will produce less than the Senna’s 789 horsepower, but still a worthy amount for an Ultimate Series car.
However, because it has no roof and minimal aerodynamic elements, the roadster may actually end up weighing even less than the Senna’s 2,641 lb.
If the project reaches the production stage, it will be a direct competitor to Ferrari’s Monza SP1 and SP2 models.