Power, pace and peerless quality, the legendary McLaren is a technological masterpiece. For many, the greatest supercar ever built.
Power, pace and peerless quality, the legendary McLaren is a technological masterpiece. The fastest production car of its time. The finest sports car of its generation. For many, the greatest supercar ever built.
One of the most creative and collaborative environments in automotive history, our design process distils 50 years of racing heritage and top secret Formula 1™ technology to create the most innovative and exhilarating supercars in the world.
McLaren Technology Group exists to win, and it is this philosophy that has driven the company to its current position as one of the world’s most illustrious high-technology brands. Surviving, and succeeding, at the pinnacle of motorsport for this amount of time has required total dedication, and has instilled in the company a set of values that have become engrained in our way of doing things.
‘That biomimicry philosophy means our form language isn’t inspired by the latest fad, but by the correct conditions to keep the air attached
or detached to the car for the best possible performance. It’s a privilege to work for McLaren, where those are the values – it’s a purist’s
approach that will stand the test of time and won’t just follow trends. There are no arbitrary lines on a McLaren.’
How is the McLaren philosophy reflected in the design?
‘With every McLaren, we aim to capture and visualize our philosophy, to show the way airflows around our cars. Strong horizontal lines at the
front highlight where the air is split over the top and the bottom. The layered panels on the sides help control the air and remove weight from
the vehicle, and the door ducts are there because that’s the optimum place for them. Towards the rear we expose our technical detailing, and
the way the bodywork is sliced away helps yaw control and stability.
‘The idea is that all the body panels and aerodynamic fairings fold and layer over the carbon fibre chassis at the centre of all our vehicles. The
body panels over which the air flows are fluid and smooth and painted, whereas the technical areas for heat soak, air intake or evacuation,
or where we’re generating high-downforce loads, are darker and more graphical. It’s a juxtaposition between fluid and slippery areas, and
technical and hard zones, both of which are functional. Like a tailored suit, the more you look at one of our cars, the more detail you’ll detect.