McLaren Artura and Porsche 911 GT3 go head-to-head on launch day
McLaren and Porsche will be duking it out in the digital world as they compete for online audiences for the new Artura and 911 GT3 launches.
On Tuesday February 16 live from glamorous Woking British supercar maker McLaren will unveil its new Artura hybrid, while a few hours earlier over in Stuttgart the 911 GT3 will make its debut. (Previously, Porsche revealed a prototype 2021 911 GT3.)
McLaren is promising a close-up look at the new car, which has been teased for months, in the live stream, and says it will feature “brand personalities.” We’re hoping that means the company’s F1 drivers rather than grinning influencers. Quite how this will spectacular given Britain’s extreme coronavirus lockdown restrictions and social distancing requirements remains to be seen. Most likely there’ll be a nice video, followed by a Q&A session.
In case you somehow missed all the hype, the Artura is the first of a new breed of McLaren known as a High-Performance Hybrid (HPH) supercar. It shuns the firm’s V-8 engine for a smaller V-6 and electrification, and is built on new carbon-fiber architecture which is lighter than its predecessor. Also breaking from recent McLaren tradition is the fact that it has a name, rather than a number. In the past names have been reserved for limited-run hypercars such as the Senna, P1 and Speedtail. The new platform will ultimately replace the Sports and Super Series cars, but for now the Artura will sit between the new-ish GT and the 720S.
The next Porsche 911 GT3 is set to retain its naturally-aspirated, 4.0-liter, flat-six engine and will be available with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed PDK transmission. The PDK-equipped version is the quicker option, but both shed a little weight thanks to a vented carbon-fiber hood and lightweight exhaust system. The GT3 for 2022 has a wider track and adopts the five-link double-wishbone front suspension setup from the 911 RSR race car. It wears 20-inch rims at the front and 21-inch numbers at the rear and the brakes go up in size, in addition to be available with carbon-ceramic discs as an option.
If you want to watch the live reveals and compare these two new supercars visit the Porsche website at 9 am EST and the McLaren website at 7 pm EST on February 16.
