McLaren has hinted that the successor to its 750S V8 supercar, due next year, will be called the McL 820 – and pack almost as much power as Ferrari’s V12-engined 12Cilindri.
McLaren’s first new series-production car since being acquired by its new owner, Abu Dhabi investment fund L’imad, could also be the first to follow a new naming convention established by the limited-run McL 6GT – as suggested by the firm in a central London publicity stunt today (29 October).
The brand hid the moniker on a giant sculpture of its trademark kiwi mascot, which it placed in Covent Garden as part of a new marketing campaign.
New Zealand-born company founder Bruce McLaren used the flightless bird as the logo for his racing team – which later spawned the road car division. McLaren has recently pledged to emphasise its heritage in future communications and products, and has adopted a new logo and typeface inspired by the signage on McLaren’s original workshop.
That ties in to the use of McL for the new manual-equipped 6GT supercar, and the ‘McL 820’ teaser suggests it could be carried over to the core line-up too.
The new look and naming strategy come as McLaren prepares for significant expansion. It is building a second factory in the UK, will start assembling its own engines in-house and will grow its line-up with a range of new models.
The 'McL 820' will replace the brand’s core supercar, the 750S, which will be retired next year after a decade on sale – in various forms, including the original 720S and the run-out-special 788HS. The company recently announced it was taking final orders for the model.
The new supercar will be powered by one of two new hybrid powertrains that McLaren is developing and producing in-house for the first time – likely V8 based and with its power output (in PS) signalled by its name, in standard McLaren practice.
That figure translates to 809bhp and would make the new supercar McLaren’s most potent series-production car yet – with comparable reserves to the V12-engined Ferrari 12Cilindri and Aston Martin Vanquish, as well as mid-engined supercars like the Ferrari 296 and Lamborghini Temerario.
McLaren chief operating officer Michael Straughan recently said the new engines are “obviously going to start with the current V8 products or the future generation of that”.
