McLaren Names Speedtail Prototype “Albert”

Also designated MVY02, the prototype will being public-road trials in December 2018. The year-long testing regime serves as the run-up to the start of production towards the end of 2019, with customer deliveries scheduled to kick off in the first quarter of 2020.

“The start of real-world testing represents a major step in the development of the McLaren Speedtail,” said Ben Gulliver, head of vehicle development. “With a huge amount achieved already, the Speedtail is well on the way to fulfilling its destiny as the greatest McLaren road car ever.”

Codenamed BP23 and featuring seating for three like the F1, the Speedtail is priced at £1.75 million plus applicable taxes. As with the V12-powered predecessor, McLaren will produce 106 examples of the breed, and each one has been allocated before the world premiere of the hypercar.

“As the first fully representative prototype, Albert will build on the invaluable work still being put in by earlier development cars, allowing us to sign-off vehicle attributes including chbadis dynamics, brake performance, damper tuning, tires, NVH, and aspects of ergonomics and comfort,” concluded Gulliver.

The ridiculous length (5,137 millimeters), aerodynamic trickery (such as the static aero-covers on the front wheels and door mirror-replacing camera system), as well as the hybrid powertrain with up to 1,050 PS (1,036 horsepower) enable a top speed of 403 km/h (250 mph). In other words, the Speedtail is the fastest McLaren entitled to wear a license plate.

Internal combustion comes courtesy of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 from the 720S and Senna, and on full throttle, zero to 186 mph (300 km/h) takes 12.8 seconds. The Bugatti Chiron, by comparison, needs 13.1 seconds to hit that speed.

 

This #McLaren #Speedtail prototype is officially designated MVY02* but echoing the naming of development test mules of its legendary forebear, the 1992 McLaren F1, it has been christened, ‘Albert’. This is a respectful reflection not only on the name of the McLaren F1 mule ‘Albert’ but also the Albert Drive premises in which the F1 was designed.

A post shared by McLaren Automotive (@mclarenauto) on Nov 9, 2018 at 5:35am PST

 

Closed-facility testing of the fastest McLaren ever is now underway; public road trials are due to commence in December 2018. What would you do if you saw a #McLaren #Speedtail on the road?

A post shared by McLaren Automotive (@mclarenauto) on Nov 9, 2018 at 5:34am PST

 

Introducing ‘Albert’, the first McLaren Speedtail attribute prototype. Soon to embark on a year long rigorous real-world testing regime, ‘Albert’ will join Speedtail prototypes running in Europe, North America and Africa, initially at bespoke automotive test facilities but later amongst traffic on ‘normal’ roads. For the ultimate in McLaren F1 knowledge, do you know why this Speedtail mule is called ‘Albert’? #McLaren #Speedtail

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