McLaren’s next Ultimate Series hypercar spotted
McLaren’s long-awaited addition to its Ultimate Series lineup may be closer to reality than we expected. Spy photographers caught the hypercar, allegedly called the Sabre, while it was paused during testing in the UK. The up-close shots limit the camouflage’s ability to obscure the car’s aerodynamically sculpted lines, so they offer a tantalizingly accurate glimpse at the hypercar-to-be.
From the front, the car’s McLaren lineage is easy to spot. The Sabre blends the P1’s fluid sculpting with the Senna’s aggressive aerodynamics package: its upswept quarter window reflect some P1 influence, but the side window, of which just a small portion is retractable, definitely has some Senna vibes.
The rear of the car is dominated by a massive wing that’s tied to the body with a large central fin and by a diffuser that sits below a center-mounted exhaust. If you look closely at the vertical portions of the wing, it appears that the taillights will be thin LED strips. It’s a great use of the space and keeps the design focus on the functional aero bits.
The powertrain for the Sabre is rumored to be a version of the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 from the Senna. Power from the engine would go to the rear wheels, but the front would be driven by an electric motor. Combined output is expected to be in the four-digit range, would would make the upcoming model the company’s most powerful car to date and take the Sabre to the cutting edge of performance.
Expect production to be limited to just a handful of examples. A sighting of one of these extreme machines, whether on the road or the track, will be a rare treat.
