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McLaren hints its 750S successor will be called McL 820
McLaren has teased that the successor to its 750S V8 supercar, due next year, will be named the McL 820 and produce around 809bhp, close to the output of Ferrari's V12-engined 12Cilindri.
By George Kensington · 4 min read
McLaren has hinted that the successor to its 750S V8 supercar, due next year, will be called the McL 820, and that it will pack almost as much power as Ferrari's V12-engined 12Cilindri. The name was revealed through a publicity stunt in central London, where the brand placed a giant sculpture of its kiwi mascot in Covent Garden with the moniker hidden on it.
The car would be McLaren's first new series-production model since its acquisition by its new owner, the Abu Dhabi investment fund L'imad. It could also be the first to follow the naming convention established by the limited-run McL 6GT, which uses the 'McL' initialism. The 'McL 820' teaser suggests that convention may be carried over to the core line-up. The name follows a recent pledge by the company to emphasise its heritage in future communications and products, including a new logo and typeface inspired by the signage on the original McLaren workshop.
The kiwi has deep roots in the company's history. New Zealand-born founder Bruce McLaren used the flightless bird as the logo for his racing team, which later gave rise to the road car division. The stunt was staged as part of a new marketing campaign that the brand says reflects its heritage.
The new model is set to replace the 750S, which will retire next year after a decade on sale in various forms, including the original 720S and the run-out special 788HS. McLaren recently announced it was taking final orders for the 750S. The McL 820 will be powered by one of two new hybrid powertrains that McLaren is developing and producing in-house for the first time, likely based on a V8. In standard McLaren practice, the name signals the power output in PS, and the figure translates to 809bhp. That would make it the most potent series-production McLaren yet, with power reserves comparable to the V12-engined Ferrari 12Cilindri and Aston Martin Vanquish, as well as top-flight mid-engined rivals such as the Ferrari 296 and Lamborghini Temerario.
McLaren's chief operating officer, Michael Straughan, recently said the new engines are “obviously going to start with the current V8 products or the future generation of that”. The company is also expanding significantly: it is building a second factory in the UK, will begin assembling its own engines in-house, and will grow its line-up with a range of new models.
The McL 820 will arrive at around the same time as McLaren winds down production of its other two core models, the Artura V6 supercar and the more luxury-focused GT. Plans to replace those two models remain under wraps. McLaren is not planning a 'firebreak' pause in production like the one fellow British brand Jaguar implemented. “A small company like McLaren can't afford that,” Straughan said. “But we will start to phase in new products as quickly as we possibly can – and it's not too far away, either.”
Traditional supercars will form one of three pillars of the new McLaren range. The company is also working on a front-engined SUV to rival the Porsche Cayenne, and will continue to build limited-run Ultimate Series models such as the W1.
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