McLaren doesn’t make a lot of cars, but it always makes sure it’s a classic when it is. Since the British brand unveiled its first street car in 1990 – the iconic F1 – it has established itself as one of the top models Supercar Manufacturers of the world who compete against legendary brands such as Ferrari, Aston Martin, Bugatti and Lamborghini. The latest addition to the McLaren range is the impressive Speedtail.
When McLaren unveiled the Speedtail in 2018, every transmission was in awe. The car is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful sports cars of all time and features some of the most advanced technologies, many of which have been used by McLaren motorsport teams for years. Read on to find out why we think the Speedtail is McLaren’s best car yet.
10
It’s a hybrid
via YouTube, RoCars
When hybrids hit the market in the 2000s, they hated most gearheads and viewed them as cars for pesky nerds who didn’t know what real cars felt like. Fast forward to today and automakers have discovered how to build some incredibly powerful hybrid supercars – the Speedtail is one of them.
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The Speedtail is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 paired with a 230 kW electric motor. A total output of 1,035 hp makes the Speedtail one of the most powerful production cars of all time.
9
The Speedtail is the fastest McLaren ever
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McLaren claims the Speedtail can accelerate to 60 mph in just under 3 seconds and reach a top speed of 250 mph. The fastest McLaren before the Speedtail was the legendary F1, which held the speed record for production cars in the 1990s.
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However, in order to reach the top speed of 250 mph, the Speedtail must be in what McLaren calls “Velocity Mode”. In this mode, the car is lowered while the reversing cameras are retracted to make it as aerodynamic as possible.
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The Speedtail has a jet-inspired interior
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Anyone lucky enough to sit in the cockpit of the Speedtail will feel like they are in a fighter jet. For starters, the Speedtail has a peculiar three-seat arrangement with the driver’s seat in the middle and two passenger seats behind it. The central driving position is fantastic, but takes some getting used to.
via car magazine
The other jet-inspired Speedtail feature is that some key controls – like the start button and ride modes – are placed right above the rider’s head.
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The Speedtail is equipped with electrochromic glass
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One of the simplest, yet most important pieces of equipment in a car is a sun visor. No motorist wants the sun to shine on their face and distract them, especially when they are driving a multi-million dollar speed machine.
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In contrast to other cars, the Speedtail does not have a conventional sun visor. Instead, it’s equipped with electrochromic glass that darkens when the driver presses a button. The electrochromic glass is also used in other parts of the Speedtail, including the roof, doors and rear window glass.
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The Speedtail is one of the most aerodynamically efficient cars of all time
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When McLaren developed the Speedtail, one of the main goals was to make it as aerodynamic as possible so it could break the F1 speed record. For starters, the low tear-drop design is designed to allow air to flow smoothly over the Speedtail. The lack of conventional mirrors also reduces air turbulence, especially in velocity mode when the rear-view cameras are retracted.
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The Speedtail does not have a rear wing, but the shape of the trunk lid and the adjustable double ailerons can provide sufficient downforce if necessary. The front wheels also have carbon fiber covers that reduce air turbulence around the wheel arches.
5
It’s extremely easy
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The Speedtail was designed to be the fastest McLaren car ever, which means it had to be as light as possible. However, McLaren did not want to do without amenities such as air conditioning, high-quality loudspeakers and storage space and therefore decided to save weight in other areas, especially in the body.
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The entire body is made of carbon fiber, as is the massive rear diffuser and the front wheel covers. The result is a weight of just over 3,000 lbs, which is impressive considering the Speedtail’s hybrid drive.
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It has retractable rear view cameras
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Side mirrors have played a critical role in vehicle safety for more than a century. However, as technology advances, some experts believe that they will become extinct in the coming decades and will be replaced by rear view cameras. The Speedtail is the latest vehicle to replace traditional side mirrors for cameras.
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McLaren didn’t just leave out the mirrors to please tech-savvy transmissions, however. It was a calculated move to make the car as aerodynamic as possible. Because they are smaller, rear view cameras create less turbulence than conventional mirrors.
3
The Speedtail is charged wirelessly
via roadandtrack
Unlike the P1, the Speedtail cannot be driven electrically on its own. The batteries still need to be charged, however, and McLaren has come up with a clever way to do it. Since the Speedtail is not a plug-in hybrid, it can only be charged using the wireless charging pad supplied – similar to smartphones, but larger.
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The driver only has to drive the Speedtail over the charging pad and position it perfectly to start the charging process. McLaren offers an app that tells the driver exactly where to move to get the car into position.
2
You have to be a multimillionaire to afford one
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McLaren doesn’t make cheap cars as all of its cars typically cost at least six figures. The Speedtail is the most expensive McLaren ever as it had an MSRP of around $ 2.4 million.
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That sounds like a lot of money, but many gearheads would argue that it is worth every penny. The design, technology and performance of the Speedtail are in a class above other hypercars. The Speedtail will also be one of the rarest sports cars, as McLaren has announced that only 106 copies will be built. Unfortunately, even if you have the money, you can’t get one as they have all been sold.
1
The Speedtail is not street legal in the USA
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As mentioned earlier, the Speedtail has a central driving position (which doesn’t allow side airbags) and uses rear view cameras instead of traditional side mirrors. For these reasons, the Speedtail is not street legal in the USA.
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American gearboxes can still buy the Speedtail thanks to the “Show or Display” law. The law exempts “historically or technically significant” cars from NTHSA safety standards. However, owners are not allowed to drive the Speedtail for more than 2,500 miles in 12 months.
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About the author
Martin Peter
(112 published articles)
Martin is a seasoned content creator who has been writing about cars for over a decade and has fallen in love with them even longer. Growing up, Martin was surrounded by driven people who gave him a deep love and understanding for cars from an early age. He loves to learn and write about all developments in the automotive industry – especially in the field of electric vehicles. When he’s not writing about cars, he enjoys spending time with his wife, children, and fur baby.
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The post 10 reasons why the Speedtail is McLaren’s greatest creation first appeared on monter-une-startup.
