McLaren’s next vehicle takes the 720S, a keystone of the British supercar marque’s lineup, and gives it more power, updated styling and a new name.
The new vehicle, internally named 750S, will carry over the 720’s 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V-8 engine with 710 hp, but it will have an additional 30 hp, a person briefed on the matter told Automotive News.
The 750S features an exterior and interior that borrows design cues from other McLaren vehicles.
The source said the new car is the “perfect blend” of the 720S and the more powerful and lightweight 765LT.
“It’s not as extreme as 765, but it is a little more aggressive than 720,” they said.
The 750S will be the last non-electrified mainstream McLaren model. The exotic sports car maker has said future vehicles will be either hybrid or all-electric.
A McLaren spokesman declined to comment on future product.
The 750S will take over as McLaren’s flagship production model when it arrives in the U.S. in September.
“This is top of the food chain without getting into Ultimate Series stuff or bespoke commissions,” the source said.
The 750S will be available in coupe and convertible variants at launch, which is unusual for McLaren, which usually launches convertibles two years later. There will be no LT (long tail) variant.
Output will be limited but not numbered, the source said. Historically, limited production McLaren models run in the several hundred-vehicle range.
Late last year, Nicolas Brown, McLaren’s president of the Americas region, hinted at the new model, referring to it as a “refinement of 720.”
While declining to disclose details, Brown told Automotive News in December that “it’s not a next-generation, all-new, ground-up vehicle.”
The source said that the 750S should be teased in late February, with a full reveal expected in April. It is effectively sold out in the U.S. through 2023 and into 2024 from reservations placed in anticipation, the source said.
Pricing has yet to be disclosed, but the source said the 750S would carry a 10 percent premium over the 720S, which starts at $310,500, including shipping.
Production of the 720S ended last month and accounted for about 30 percent of McLaren’s U.S. sales last year.
The 750S has a similar wheelbase and wheel offsets as the 720S, which launched five years ago. The source said it features a redesigned front bumper, larger lower-side air intakes for better cooling, and a more prominent 765LT-style air brake for greater downforce.
Inside, the 750S is equipped with a new, high-definition steering column-mounted instrument cluster similar to the one in the Artura and Elva. It allows the driver to adjust the seat position without affecting visibility of key driving information.
Suspension setting and driving mode switches are relocated to the instrument cluster bezel.
The 750S is more customizable out of the gate, offering new exterior colors, interior materials and wheel designs.
“In the past, you’d have to go through [McLaren Special Operations] to get some of these things,” the source said.