High-Speed Runs Finish McLaren Speedtail’s Development

Zero-300km/h (0-186mph) achieved in less than 13 seconds? Part of the weight savings is the owner’s newly lightened wallet/purse.

In the obvious because “it wouldn’t have been released if it failed  department,” McLaren says that its GT prototype ‘XP2’ concluded high-speed validation by achieving 403km/h (250mph) more than 30 times during tests at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

The engineering exercise concluded high-speed runs carried out at multiple test facilities worldwide, including Idiada in Spain and Papenburg in Germany. In Florida, McLaren chief test driver, Kenny Brack was at the wheel.

Build of the first of 106 Speedtails that will be hand-assembled to customer order has now commenced at the McLaren Production Centre in Woking, UK, with deliveries scheduled from February 2020.

At ~5.2 meters long, the carbon-fiber-bodied three-seat GT is said to be the most aerodynamically drag efficient McLaren ever and a “showcase for the brand’s expertise in lightweight engineering.”

The Speedtail’s gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain delivers the greatest power and torque – via press release anyway – of any McLaren road car, with a combined 1,070PS (1,055bhp) and 1,150Nm (848-lb. ft.). The straight-line acceleration and maximum speed of the car set new benchmarks for McLaren, with 0-300km/h (0-186mph) achieved in less than 13 seconds and the Speedtail able to reach 403km/h (250mph).

The McLaren-developed battery pack has a power density of 5.2kW/kg, which at the moment is the best power-to-weight ratio of any automotive high voltage battery system. The batteries constantly self-charge when the Speedtail is driven – there is no ‘plug-in’ element – however, a wireless charging pad that trickle-charges and maintains the battery’s status when the vehicle is not in use is also included as standard. If you have to ask, you can’t afford…

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