McLaren really are something of a phenomenon. The F1 is generally regarded as the greatest supercar of all time. Even now, more than 15 years since the first prototypes, it is up there with the big guns. It even gives the Veyron a run for its money. McLaren, founded in 1963 by Bruce McLaren, has held a dominant position in Formula 1 for much of the last 20 years. It has partnered with Ford, Porsche and Honda (amongst others), but it’s been the partnership with Mercedes that has arguably brought the greatest success, including, in road car terms, the magnificent Mercedes McLaren SLR (although the F1 used a BMW engine).

McLaren toyed with a number of road cars, and abandoned previous projects (P8, P9 and P10), but the P11 now seems to be on target for a launch in 2010/2011, with the Ferrari F430 and Lamborghini Gallardo firmly in its firing line.

The P11 is designed to be a much more affordable supercar. The F1 cost £640,000, and you now won’t see change from £1.5 million of you want one, but the P11 is expected to be firmly sub £200k when it launches. And, even more surprisingly, there is talk of production runs of up to 5,000 cars a year, which is an incredible undertaking for a company the size of McLaren. Especially when you think that the F1 only produced 65 road going cars in its model run (plus the 5 LMs and a handful of GTRs converted to road use).

Car Magazine published the rendering you see here, and it’s clear this is an F430 competitor. It’s small and light (unlike the SLR – P7) and appears to be much in the mould of the F1. But don’t expect gold lined engine bays and all the mad bespoke elements of the F1 – this is designed to be much more manstream. With a carbon composite body and probably a blown version of Mercedes 6.2 litre V8 (mid-engine layout), this should have a stonking power to weight ratio. Easily sub 4 seconds to 60 and 200+ mph are the benchmark here, and there is no doubt McLaren will achieve that.

The world is in financial turmoil at the moment, and car makers are rushing to deliver ever more economical cars. But there will always be a place for auto extravagence, and those who can afford it will always seek out the best. And, as McLaren proved with the F1, they are more than capable of producing the best.

Can’t wait!

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We’ve known it’s been coming for a while. But now we can say it. McLaren 722s Roadster for sale. Or, if you prefer, SLR 722S Roadster. Who knows what it will get called day to day. But the official Mercedes-Benz McLaren 722S Roadster is a bit of a mouthful. But anyway, it’s a Roadster version of the 722.

The SLR has, despite the rumours, been a success. For the first time there is a Hypercar that can be used everyday. There is no other car in this league that is half as usable. Not even he Carrera GT which, like all other Porsches is pretty much bullet proof. And that, despite it being a huge plus, is actually the Achilles Heel of the SLR. It’s not perceived as ‘Special’ enough. And I can understand that. It does feel very ‘Merc-ish’, particularly on the inside. But the combination of McLaren’s magic and the re-discovered quality of Mercedes has produced a series of cars that are truly exceptional.

This is the last of the line. Mercedes are going it alone with their next Hypercar, and McLaren are busy developing a smaller car, much more in the mould of the F1, although rumoured to be more affordable and with a much bigger production run.

So what does the 722S Roadster offer? Well, a good power boost for a start, culminating in a 0-100kph of just 3.7 seconds. It’ll also do 0-200kph in only 10.6. These are seriously quick times and give the 722S a real edge over the standard car. Lowered suspension (10mm all round), ceramic brakes and liberal use of carbon fibre add to the mix, and make this the ‘must-have’ SLR.

McLaren are making just 150 722S Roadsters. Delivery is due to start in January, and if you want one we have one available then. Be quick and you can spec it!

To enquire about any car in this article, new or used, just click here

We’ve known for quite some time about the ‘Farewell’ model of the SLR, and we’re starting to get asked “Is the McLaren SLR Speedster for sale yet?”. Well, no, it’s not, but it will be soon.

There has been much written about the difficult relationship between McLaren and Mercedes. Mercedes, who own a fair chunk of McLaren, have decided to make their next ‘supercar’ in-house (the Mercedes SLC, if rumour is to be believed), and are less than happy with McLaren’s plans for a follow-up to the SLR. But all was harmony when the SLR was born and, despite some slow sales, the car has been a success. But it’s life is nearly over, and McLaren have produced something pretty exceptional as a run-out model.

The McLaren SLR Speedster (as most expect it to named) is a stripped-out, pared-down SLR. You thought Porsche and Ferrari had this off to a fine art with the likes of the Scuderia and the GT2? You ain’t seen nothing yet! The SLR Speedster manages to do without a roof, windows and a proper windscreen as well. Now that is taking weight saving to the ultimate extreme. But that drop in weight lowers the 0-60 time to just over 3 seconds, and the top speed up to 220mph, so it’s definitely worked. Expect the car to hit the streets at the end of 2008.

There are a few ‘spy’ shots of the Speedster floating round the web. But the image we have here is a superb rendering of the SLR Speedster, created by Jon Sibal. Many thanks to Jon for letting us post his work here. It’s definitely a notch or two up on my ‘VW with a Porsche Badge‘ I posted a while back!

Only 75 SLR Speedsters are expected to be made, and prices have been quoted anywhere from £450k to £750k, so it’s not going to be cheap. But you’re not going to see many of these thrashing round the Home Counties. Only 15 are destined for the UK, and most of those will probably be stored away by collectors.

Which is a real shame, particularly when this car has been built to be driven – hard.

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I really like the McLaren SLR Roadster, and we get quite a few calls at the moment asking if we have a physical McLaren SLR Roadster for sale. The answer is pretty much the same – we do. And I had cause to look the other day to see just what we had, and I realised we have a white one for sale.

As anyone who reads here from time to time will know, I do have a problem with white cars. As I’ve said before, I think it’s an age thing. If you’re beyond a certain age you grew up surrounded by white Cortinas and Austin 1100s, and apart from that a ‘posh’ white car was for a wedding. But it would appear that white is the new black in our world, and I have to admit I am starting to see it, but only on certain cars.

Audi used a special V12 Q7 recently to showcase the model at a motor show, and that was in white. And it did look good, I have to admit. And the Audi R8 looks stunning in white (and, as someone pointed out to me recently, much more aggresive). The same applies to the Gallardo, but for some reason I just don’t like it on Bentleys or Rolls Royces, or even Ferraris. So what about a white SLR?

I actually think this works. It would be better to show you a perfectly lit pro shot to see it in all its glory, but I get regular emails asking me to use more pictures of the actual car, so as we have a handy image (admittedly on a bit of a grey day) I thought I’d use it here. It will certainly stand out from the crowd, even more than a regular colour SLR. And if you imagine it flying through a verdant country scape (minus the ‘packing’ strips on the picture) I’m sure you’ll see it too!

So, if you’re looking for a white McLaren SLR Roadster for sale, at less than list, get in touch.

To enquire about any car in this article, new or used, just click here

Well, we’ve only got 3 left – for now!

The convertible has breathed new life in to interest in the SLR. Always in demand, we’re getting lots of serious enquiries for this great new model. The convertible doesn’t seem to lose anything against its hardtop brother, in fact we think it looks even better with the top chopped off! You’ve still got all the performance and handling, but you get to listen to the ‘God of War’ soundtrack at every turn. Not a cheap car (perhaps the understatement of the year!) but what a car!

P.S. Looks like one’s gone! Only 2 left!