McLaren P13

YOU CAN CALL  not so cuddly Ron Dennis many things, but cowardly certainly doesn't apply to the McLaren Automotive executive chairman. Having taken on Ferrari’s 458 Italia and La Ferrari super sports car, Dennis’s start-up now has its sights set on flagship Porsche 911s.

Codenamed P13, the baby McLaren arrives in summer 2015. It uses the same carbon fibre construction as its 650S sibling and is very similar in size, but its monocoque is heavily modified to boost practicality. Featuring slimmer sills, a roomier cabin, additional storage space behind the seats and an even stiffer clamshell passenger cell (tub and roof are again baked as two separate pieces), the P13 is designed for use 24/7. Improved cockpit ergonomics will help, with easier to use centre stack controls and a larger, more legible touchscreen.

Sources say there’ll be at least three versions: coupe, spider and a lightweight GTS. How similar will they look to existing McLarens? CEO Mike Flewitt describes the P13’s shape as evolutionary, but design director Frank Stephenson is talking up his power to differentiate.

‘ Porsches invariably look like Porsches, but there is no fixed formula for a McLaren,’ he says. ‘ I have all the freedom I need to conceive fresh shapes with desire written all over them. We are a very small team, but the creativity is incredible about 90% NASA and 10% Disney which makes for a really exciting mix.

Economies of scale are vital to bring the P13 family within the R2. 2m-R2. 9m target price range, so the mid-engined, rear-drive sports car reuses McLaren’s 3.8-litre V8 engine. Again breathed on by twin turbos, the V8 is detuned to around 373 kW (500 bhp). Could a 500 S name be on the cards?  

McLaren is targeting the current 911 flagships, the 350 kW GT3 and the 383 kW Turbo, which currently demolishes the 0-100kph sprint in 3.4 sec and  tops out at 315 kph. Expect performance at this rarefied level, given McLaren’s aero know-how and obsession with hitting the numbers.

But Porsche won’ t let the Turbo be a sitting duck, and McLaren’s fledgling dealer network will be put under unprecedented pressure: the P13 is expected to shift 2 500 units a year, around double 650S sales. It’s a big ask. Will P13 turn out lucky for plucky Ron?