Hyundai unveiled the 2018 Hyundai Veloster N at the North American International Motor Show.
The 2018 Hyundai Veloster N has broken cover at the Detroit Motor Show and you know what? It looks alright.
Building on the (critical) success of the i30 N, the Veloster will also have an N badge slapped on the rear. If it’s half as good as the N appears to be (we’ve not yet driven the i30, but watch this space), the Veloster N will be the complete package.
The N features Hyundai’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder with 202kW (275bhp) and 353Nm. Alfred Biermann’s M N team did the chassis work in various places around the world, inevitably calling the Nurburgring home. Those numbers will be familiar to fans of Hyundai’s i30 N.
As it stands, only the US market is confirmed and various sources are suggesting it won’t be UK-bound and maybe not even Europe-bound. Produced in Hyundai’s Ulsan plant, the Veloster will go on sale in the second quarter of 2018.
Like the i30, the Veloster is a front-driver with a six-speed manual. The N also scores the red accents of the i30 and an all-round lift in visual aggro.
The less sporty models should be alright too, with a decent pair of 2.0-litre and 1.6-litre turbo engines, again lifted straight from the i30 range, available with manual or automatic transmissions. The 2.0-litre is a torque converter and the 1.6 turbo the dual-clutch semi-auto.
Hyundai clearly has more in store for the N brand, including for both the i30 and the Veloster. You don’t poach half of BMW’s M division for a couple of 200kW front drive hatchbacks…
See more of the 2018 Hyundai Veloster N in the full gallery below.
Hyundai Veloster v1.0
I have, in the past, called the first-generation Veloster “a Frankenstein car”, which it was. Cobbled together from a few different Hyundais, it was nevertheless a very, very cool car. Not many manufacturers would have the guts to spend the money on an asymmetrical design.
For those who don’t know, the Veloster is a four door hatchback. As in, three passenger doors and the liftback door. The driver’s side has just one long, coupe-style door for the coupe cread. The passenger sid has a shorter front door and a semi-concealed rear door for practicality.
Unlike the lazy sods at Mini who just left the suicide door on the “wrong” side for right-hand drive markets, Hyundai made the Veloster properly no matter which side the steering wheel is. It seems that from now on the extra expense for right-hand drive markets is a bridge too far. There’s no official word on that, but it’s unlikely right-hook production is going to happen.
The early cars certainly looked good but they weren’t brilliant to drive. The Turbo was a laugh but the obstructive clutch in the manual along with a slightly dodgy gearbox meant it wasn’t really a sports car. It also spent a little more time than was absolutely necessary bouncing off the stops when thrown through corners. But I really liked it.
Having said that, it was still a lot of fun to drive and it really did look good. Over the years it evolved and in Australia at least, the ride and handling had the magic of the local suspension team applied. This was a good thing and the cars on sale today are pretty good.
Along with the improvement in ride and handling, the looks picked up some aggression and the engine and transmission packages regularly received attention, with the dual-clutch transmission joining the six-speed manual. It wasn’t the last word in dynamism – and goes up against the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ in a lot of markets despite them being conceptually different cars – but kept selling well anyway.
The modders love them and it doesn’t seem to matter how old you are which gender – everyone loves the Veloster. Or hates it. Nothing in between.
US fans can click here for more info on the Hyundai Veloster N.
Jaguar’s F-Type SVR feels like it’s the end of a story fifty-odd years in the making. With the incredibly beauty of Ian Callum’s roadster crammed with go-faster goodness from Jaguar Land Rover’s SVO team, it feels like it’s full of 1950s Le Mans excitement.
The F-Type SVR is one of the fastest Jags ever put on the road and we had time on some fantastic winding roads to stretch its claws.
History
The F-Type arrived in 2013, based on the rather successful XK. The XK was also designed by Callum, fresh from Aston Martin and another arm of Ford’s Premier Automotive Group (PAG). PAG was bad news for any brand involved, with the possible exception of Volvo. The Blue Oval certainly brought in some great people to design the sheetmetal, but underneath wasn’t particularly premium, and buyers knew it.
Jaguar was also struggling with a line-up that was pastiche rather than homage. The XK was Callum’s first move to modernity, but looking back, it was clear he wanted more. The X-Type was a sales disaster, a Mondeo in daggy Jaggy clothes.
In 2007, Ford sold Jaguar. In the American giant’s hands, the company never made a profit and it was considered a bit of a basket case. India’s Tata took on Jaguar and Land Rover and the rest, if you know anything about cars, is history.
Within a year, the gorgeous new XF went on sale (that was obviously started under Ford), the XJ and then the F-Type.
Mythology
For many years, Jaguar traded on the glory of the E-Type. Enzo Ferrari famously called it the most beautiful car in the world. The other famous Jag, the Mk II, was also a favourite and so Jaguar kept trying to recapture that spirit.
The E-Type’s lustre was elusive, however. The XJS didn’t quite get there, the XK was more of a luxe-barge than a sports car and then, after years of false starts with concept cars that promised much but delivered little, 2012’s Goodwood Festival of Speed saw the debut of the new F-Type.
First available with a two supercharged engines – a V6 and a V8 – the F-Type was the complete package. In 2017, in an effort to broaden its appeal, four-cylinder turbocharged engines became available.
But just before that, Jag went the other way. In 2016 at the Geneva Motor Show, the F-Type SVR wowed the Geneva crowds before it even turned a wheel. It looked great, the F-Type R already sounded great and with a chunk of weight lopped out, it should go like the clappers.
Project 7
Jaguar Land Rover’s SVO operation’s work had mostly been with go-faster Range Rovers. The F-Type was ripe for a kick and the US market begged for a really fast version of the car. Based on the same aluminium chassis as the standard car, the skunkworks immediately went to work knocking weight out of the F-Type. The first fruits of that work was the super-limited run of the Project 7.
The name came from the classic D-Type racer and the car even included the single hump behind the driver’s seat. It was a short run of just 250 cars, selling in the UK for a whopping £130,000. With more power and a much more aggressive chassis tune, even Jaguar conceded owners would only do between 3000km and 4000km (2000-3000 miles) per year, some of those on track.
F-Type SVR
The Project 7 was wildly successful, so the SVR was the next logical step. With the charismatic supercharged V8, a more road-friendly suspension tune and seats that could fit a wider range of humans.
The SVR went on sale in 2017 and was an immediate smash hit. Inheriting bits of the Project 7 but without the massive price-tag, it’s a halo model for the road.
Supercharged V8 Engine
Jaguar’s supercharged V8 engine – as seen in the brilliant XF-R and XJ-R – isn’t the same as the F-Type R. For a start, it has more power and torque and a lot more noise.
A range of changes contributed to the power hike. Larger air intakes swallow more air, there’s a bigger charge-air cooler and a chunkier cooling system handles the extra heat.
Power is up to 423kW (575PS) and torque rises by 20Nm to a nice round 700Nm. The 0-100km/h (0-62mph) drops by nearly half a second to 3.7 seconds. With 19 fewer kilowatts (25PS), the R hits the same mark in 4.1 seconds.
The exhaust is largely responsible for the rise in noise and a big chunk of the weight loss. Weighing in 16kg (35lb) lighter than the R’s unit, it’s made of titanium and Inconel. Inconel is a alloy of nickel and iron, if you’re wondering.
The exhaust also includes a now very-common bi-modal system. Activated by switching to Race mode (or with a separate exhaust button on the console), the noise is obnoxious, anti-social and bloody brilliant.
F-Type SVR Chassis
Amazingly, not a lot has changed from the R AWD. The all-aluminium double wishbones stay, with a slightly softer front end and a stiffer rear, both five percentage points different. The eight-speed automatic transmission comes from ZF and I’ve never driven a car where it’s a dud. An automatic that shifts like this one is a rarity and it seems it can cope with enough torque to drag the Empire State Building to another neighbourhood.
As usual, the internet got itself into a lather about the all-wheel drive chassis. Most of the time, it’s rear-wheel drive. Rear-wheel drive is good. All-wheel drive in something like this, is better. With all that power and grunt, you want something to catch you if something goes wrong. Yes, it’s 1820kg (4004lb), and part of that is the extra gear to drive the front wheels. But as we discovered in the Aventador and Huracan, all-wheel drive, when done right, is good.
So in a heavy bruiser like this (it’s an easy 300kg heavier than it should be), all-wheel drive is perfectly fine. The active rear diff means that the fronts are a last resort.
Obviously with a more performance and sometime-trackday focussed buyer, tyres are an important factor. SVO fitted 20-inch lightweight alloys with 265/35s up front and 305/30s at the rear.
Driving
Jaguars are always something special. Even in the supercharged V6 (we haven’t driven the 2.0 turbo yet), the F-Type is really something. Everybody loves a Jag. The only car that pulled a bigger crowd than the F-Type was the BMW i8. People knocked on our front door for both of these cars asking about it (that’s fine), asking if they could have selfies (er…okay) and could I take them for a drive (uh, no).
If I did take them for a drive, they would have loved it. The convertible really is the must-have. I am normally a coupe guy, and I definitely prefer the F-Type in coupe form. But to get the coupe is rob yourself of the wonderful noise this car makes.
Stick it into Race and leave it there. It’s still perfectly fine around town in that mode, with plenty of aggression in the throttle and suspension but without ruining it. Even though we drove the car a long way from home base, it was wonderfully quiet and happy on the freeway with the roof up.
When we got to the good bit, though, the roof came down. Few things are as wonderful as cranking up the F-Type SVR under a canopy of trees on a nice sunny day. Dappled sunlight, the wind in your hair and oh, my goodness, a noise that sounds like it’s straight from Le Mans.
I found myself slowing down way too early before corners, speeding up again and then slowing down, just for the huge baritone sound. The belligerence of the exhaust is addictive.
Added to that, it’s an extremely handy thing even on bumpy, jumpy roads. We were able to fire down the lumpy tarmac without fear, the suspension soaking up the worst of the depressions and compressions with ease, letting me get on the with the job of braking, accelerating and steering.
The front end is amazingly agile despite the hefty number of kilos it lugs about behind it. It never feels like the front wheels are taking any drive, it takes a very heavy downpour before you feel anything.
The driving position is just right, with plenty of adjustment. It’s got a decent sound system and a user interface that’s getting there (after quite a few attempts). The cabin still looks great five years on, the only thing I don’t like being the off-centre steering wheel with the oversized airbag boss.
The SVR isn’t the best fast drop-top but it’s certainly one of the great performance cars when it comes to the overall experience. It’s a car that makes you feel good, makes you feel happy that you’re behind the wheel. Other people absolutely adore it, too, and begged me to take them for a ride. And I mean total strangers. My friends were suddenly not busy that weekend. If you owned one, there would always be somewhere to go…
Okay, yes, that’s a weird headline and it does feel a little like BMW M5 day here at The Redline given this morning’s M5 drifting-related news. But I quite liked this story for two reasons.
I like BMW M5s
I like Heritage Fleets
Heritage fleets aren’t anything new. I was lucky enough to visit the Ford Heritage Collection in January 2017 and oh my giddy aunt, I thought I was going to pass out I had so much fun. The Ford fleet is packed full of goodies, right from the Model T through to present day shenanigans such as the Focus RS. I even got to drive an Escort Cosworth for CarsGuide.
Heritage fleets in Australia are new, though, and BMW is slowly building its own collection right here in the middle of nowhere. Today the company announced its most recent addition, an E34 M5.
BMW E34 M5
This isn’t just any old E34 M5. One of 14 Australian-delivered Alpine White M5s (out of a global total of 90 cars), the old girl is a piece of history. The E34 was the first M5 officially sold by BMW Australia and was the last car hand-built by BMW M’s division.
It was also the last car to carry the the 3.5-litre straight six that could trace it roots back to the iconic M1 supercar and was the last M5 to roll out with that many cylinders in that arrangement. The E39 went to V8 and the E60 to that glorious dubstep V10 before the F10 switched back to a V8 with a couple of turbos bolted to it.
In the E34, the 3.5-litre engine produced 232kW (318bhp) at 6900rpm and 360Nm at 4750rpm. Drive was, naturally, to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual. The 0-100km/h is a still-quick 6.3 seconds, had a top-speed limited to 250km/h (155mph) and it has a limited slip diff (25 percent locking for the LSD fiends).
What’s the point?
Heritage fleets are great because it means the car’s original manufacturer owns the cars and looks after them in a way most of us can’t. Ford’s fleet is amazing and contains oddities such as an egg-yolk yellow Escort Cosworth that was used to test the paint process. While Australian heritage fleets can’t get their hands on that kind of fun (except maybe Holden and Ford), it does mean that fans of the brand and the cars themselves can get a look at them.
BMW Australia’s fleet is pretty tasty, including a 1938 BMW 327 Cabriolet, a 1989 BMW Z1, 1999 BMW Z8, a 1999 Mini Cooper S, a 2003 BMW E46 M3 CSL and the 2016 BMW M4 GTS.
We’ll beg to see which ones we can get a go in for your enjoyment.
Like the BMW M5? Want to see one drifting for eight hours? Click here.
Not sure about the whitewalls…Well, it is nearly 30 years old.Such a recognisable shape.Functional. I like it.Sweet, sweet straight sixSo. Much. Alpine. White.Classic shape
Some mad BMW chaps decided they were going to break two world records – drifting and refuelling. As surely as night follows day, if you drift a car for long enough, even at low speeds on a wet skid pan, you’re going to find yourself needing to top up the tank.
But you can’t break a world record drift attempt (eight long hours was the target) if you have to stop to refuel. So, just like an Air Force tanker refuelling fighter jets mid-mission, these madcap Germans devised a system to refuel the M5 mid-drift on the skid pan.
As the video shows, the geniuses installed a filler neck that punched a whole in the rear window. A second M5 carried extra fuel to pump into the drift-wagen while in flight. Now I’ve seen mad people on the internet but the chap hanging out of the refuelling rig to slam the pump home must be one of the braver people on earth.
Just like a drift battle, both cars had to be on the move in a slidey kind of way, preferably not touching and crushing the brave refueller. And they didn’t just do this once. They did it again…and again…and again.
The Cars
Keen spotters will notice that the refueller car is the older F10 M5. The newer cars have a carbon fibre roof, so the older car with the metal roof and a sunroof was chosen so the refuelling bunny could hang off the car. I half-expected him to start slapping the car’s flanks with a cowboy hat to urge the driver on.
One wonders how either driver didn’t spend the whole day puking their guts out. Perhaps the next attempt will involve a driver change. The attempt would have been more boring than a Lars von Trier marathon, just to really hammer home how committed the drifter was.
Two Guinness World Records?
Yep. We won’t spoil it. Watch the video for the slightly harrowing results…
The Lamborghini Huracan Spyder LP580-2 is Sant’ Agata’s “bargain” drop-top.
Right up front I’m going to tell you that I don’t like convertibles very much, even if it’s a Lamborghini Huracan. As a driver’s car, Lamborghini’s most affordable car is among my favourites, partly because of the generous racket it makes when you open up the throttle. Problem is, convertibles and my ridiculously fast-burning skin do not match. Every convertible I’ve ever reviewed has left me burnt and hot. And miserable.
However. I may be coming around a little bit. You see, most convertibles I’ve driven aren’t as good to drive as the fixed-head version. And not all convertibles have a Lamborghini V10 in the back…
History
The LP610-4 Coupe
The Lamborghini Huracan is the little brother to the madcap Aventador S and successor to the wildly popular Gallardo. The Huracan first saw light (officially) at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show to the usual mix of rapturous delight and idiots whining that Lamborghini had been too scared to design something crazy. It’s pretty crazy-looking if you ask me, especially in black. We got an accidental look at it in 2013.
The Lamborghini Huracan went on sale later that year as the LP610-4. LP stands for Longitudinal Posteriore, the engine mounted north-south behind the cabin. 610 tells us how many metric horsepowers and -4 tells us it’s all-wheel drive. In 2015, Lamborghini presented us with the Spyder at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with sales starting the following year. Alongside the 610-4 variants came the 580-2, a rear-wheel drive version.
Critical acclaim followed the Huracan wherever it went but the usual “it’s all wheel drive so it understeers” malarkey came with it. In 2016, slightly unexpectedly, Lamborghini gave us the 580-2, a rear-wheel drive classic supercar. Partly to quieten the peanut gallery but partly so dealers could offer a Huracan at a substantial discount to the LP610-4.
So we’ve got a two-for-one here – the 580-2 and the Spyder.
Lamborghini Huracan Spyder 580-2
There is nothing to fear from the loss of thirty metric horsepower. Ditching rear-wheel drive has saved a few kilograms but the reinforcements for the lack of roof weight more. A 610-4 Spyder weighs in at 1542kg (3392lb) while the 580-2 is 1509kg (3320kg). So it’s 30 horses down and 33kg (72lb) lighter. Hmmmm.
Lamborghini avoided disaster by sticking with a folding fabric roof. Folding hardtops are often disgracefully ugly – Ferrari need three goes before it got it right with the Portofino – and are heavy. The bodywork required some surgery but the effect is impressive – while there isn’t one of those dodgy springy windbreakers on the windscreen header rail, the cabin is quiet even at decent speeds.
If you look back to the Gallardo Spyder, the Huracan is forty-percent stiffer and that’s largely down to the aluminium and carbon space frame chassis. The interior is the same as the Coupe’s which is to say it’s a bit over the top and not ageing as well as it might.
Under the bodywork are a few detail changes. Springs and dampers are ten percent softer and the standard brakes are steel. The 580-2 isn’t just about delivering a classic supercar – it’s about making the Huracan cheaper, too.
Drivetrain
Powering the Huracan is the same 5.2-litre V10 from the 610-4, just with some software changes to reduce the power. That’s basically the sum total of the changes.
The cylinder bank angle is 90-degrees and sticks with the dry sump – there’s no other way the engine would fit. Irritatingly, you can’t see the engine in the Spyder, it’s sealed away. The only bit you can get to is the oil tank.
The same seven-speed twin-clutch transmission changes the gears, though, meaning rapid-fire upshifts and downshifts along with a delicious exhaust crackle. 0-100km/h is barely slower than the Coupe at 3.6 seconds. And if I was a betting man, I’d say that figure is a little on the conservative side.
It’s a brilliant engine, there are no two ways about it. Rev-happy, loud and obnoxious, it fits the Lamborghini bill. Here in the Huracan it’s great to listen to, with a messy bark on the downshift that sounds like a pre-ceasfire flurry of gunfire. As many of you know, this same engine rides in the back of the Audi R8 (in basically the same chassis) but it’s not nearly as much fun to listen to. Still fun, just not this much fun.
The rear wheels get their power through what Lamborghini calls “doppio frizione”, which sounds theatrical but just means twin-clutch.
Chassis
Aluminium and carbon fibre feature heavily in the Huracan’s space frame chassis, delivering a prodigiously stiff and strong car. Under here it’s not just a Huracan – it’s an R8 and the GT3 and GT4 race versions of both of those cars.
You can choose from three chassis modes – Strada (street), Sport and Corsa (Race). Some mode switches don’t mean much, but here in the Lamborghini Huracan, you’d have to be pretty thick not to notice.
Between the rear wheels is a mechanical limited slip differential. Those rear tyres are monsters, with standard 19-inch wheels (we had the gorgeous 20-inch wheels on our car) have 305 Pirellis while the fronts are rather more restrained 245s.
Lamborghini’s driving dynamics system has another cool-sounding name – the piattaforma inerziale – which translates to “inertia platform.” Someone described it to me once as 3D dynamics – it reads what the car is doing in three dimensions rather than the more usual two.
Driving
The Lamborghini Huracan is a terrific car. I’ve been lucky enough to drive it a few times before – on track and on the road – and every time I’ve come away loving it again. Let’s knock over a myth or two:
Myth 1: The Lamborghini Huracan Understeers
Yes. And no. Almost all road cars understeer, heck the Ferrari California T and 488GTB each has a smidge of turn-in understeer. I can tell you right now that both of those cars are brilliant and that the understeer is mild. So too is the Huracan’s. Now, not everyone gets to drive these, but internet and enthusiast wisdom tells you that understeer is always bad. It isn’t. If you need to swerve to avoid something – in low cars like this you have to do that a lot – turn-in oversteer is deeply undesirable. It’s how you back into hedges and it’s what made old Porsche 911s famous for backing into hedges and fences and deep ravines.
Does the LP610-4 understeer? Yes, and more so in Strada mode. But it’s controllable, consistent and very, very easily sorted. Does the Huracan LP580-2 understeer as much? We’ll soon see…
So if you’re one of those people who says the Huracan understeers, you can either stop or you can accept the realities of making a car fit for the road. Feel free to argue with me in the YouTube comments.
Myth 2: It’s just an Audi R8 in drag
Yes. And no. While it’s true that the fundamentals of the Huracan and R8 are near-identical, it’s actually very difficult to put these two cars back to back and honestly say they’re the same car. The Huracan benefits greatly from Audi’s input into onboard electronics, switchgear and even sat nav, but that’s about it.
It feels like a Lamborghini, it feels related to the Aventador whereas the R8 really, really doesn’t. And that’s a great thing for everyone, because despite them being the same platform, they feel different because they are different.
Myth 3: The Huracan’s interior isn’t as good as the R8’s.
Yes. Guilty as charged. It’s not bad, but the Audi’s is better for less money.
And on with the show…
The Huracan looks tremendous in bright yellow. No, I wouldn’t own a car this colour if you paid me to, but honestly, it’s amazing. Obviously, without a roof, it’s much easier car to live with as far as getting in and out goes. The doors are basically the same as the Coupe’s and it’s obvious that this car was always designed to be a Spyder.
The fabric roof folds away pretty quickly and when you’re in, you don’t feel at all exposed. Well, if you’re under six feet tall you won’t feel exposed. Much taller and you’ll be peeking over the header rail. The seats are super comfortable and those speedster-style humps behind your head look magnificent but also add to the feeling that you’re in the car and not on it.
Fire it up with the switch hidden under that ridiculous (and fabulous) red missile-style guard and the V10 shrieks into life before settling down into a quiet, if busy idle. The fully digital dash actually arrived before Audi’s Virtual Cockpit and for the most part, it’s good if a bit crowded when you’re doing things other than threading it down your favourite road. And the (optional!) reversing camera, which costs an extortionate amount of money in my home country Australia is better only than the terrible McLaren one. And that McLaren reversing camera is the worse in any car I’ve ever driven.
The steering wheel is lovely to hold and like a Ferrari’s, holds the switches for indicator and wipers on the face of the spoke rather than on stalks. The paddle shifters are the best in the business – big alloy units (don’t ever specify carbon fibre shifters, they feel nasty), they’re fixed to the column. Without stalks, they’re easy to reach and don’t suffer from clutter.
The driving mode switch is on the lower spoke.
Strada is, in short, pretty awful. The throttle is too sloppy, the noise is close to non-existent and in cars with the magnetic suspension, it’s just too soft. Along with light steering, it’s best avoided. So I did. Probably drove it for five kilometres to make sure it was as I remembered it. People sniffily denounce the Spyder as a poser’s car, but even in this version, you don’t want Strada.
Corsa is all about getting the car straight and going very fast around a race track. Some people really like this mode – it’s stiff, focussed and delightfully noisy while searingly fast. It’s not as fun as Sport.
Sport mode. Yes.
Sport. Yes. That’s where the sweet spot is. Along with the road and the crackle, the rear wheel drive really does suit this car so much better. There’s little wrong with the AWD versions, but seriously, this is the one to have. It’s just that little bit pointy, the weight is not only a touch lower, but it’s in a better place. The understeer is gone with the flex of a toe.
Like the Toyota 86 and Mazda MX-5, Sport allows a bit of body roll, which means you’re more involved. The traction and stability systems are less interested in getting you straight and hooked up, keen to let you wag the tail and enjoy yourself. All the while that engine – so charismatic, operatic, symphonic – is delivering a metric ton of punch, with 540Nm ready and willing to fry the rear tyres if you punch the button to shut out the nannies. It is a spectacular car.
What’s eve better about this particular car is the fact that you can hear the engine so much more, almost feel the heat and pop-pop-pop of the exhaust against your ear as you hustle it through the corners. Straights are boring, the Huracan loves corners and is happy on bumpy roads, especially in Sport mode where the extra softness compared to the -4 irons out the imperfections a little better.
Most of all, this car will make you feel like a hero. The electronics are perfectly settled for the road, dealing with pretty much anything a bad road can throw at you. The steering weight is just about perfect – never too heavy but with plenty of feel, you know what those tyres are doing. And because those fronts aren’t stupidly wide, it doesn’t get dragged into ruts. Heck, you can even do a U-turn in one of these on some roads without causing a traffic jam.
Is it my favourite Huracan?
Well, that’s a good question. See that video up the top? Watch to find out…
The Lotus Evora is the forgotten supercar. Launched in 2008 and on sale since 2010, it’s a car that has been critically-acclaimed everywhere it goes. Thing is, that’s not enough in the performance car realm. With Audi, BMW and Mercedes expanding their ranges and sales of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches going mental, you can’t trade on F1 glories from Seventies.
It also has to battle badge snobbery and not just the one on the nose. Every Lotus for the last thirty-odd years has had an uphill battle and it just doesn’t seem fair. Everyone craps on about loving the underdog, but when push comes to shove, the badge is the first thing they look at.
History
For some reason, the Evora was known as Project Eagle inside the Hethel factory where it was born. In 2008 it first appeared blinking under the spotlight (okay, it didn’t blink) as the Lotus Evora. Probably due to some sense of patriotism, Lotus chose the British International Motor Show to present the new car rather than the sane, logical choice of the Geneva show.
The usual idiots complained about its 3.5-litre supercharged Toyota V6, deriding it mercilessly. When it finally hit the road two years later in 2010, it did so in a blaze – it was good. Plasticky, yes. Not as good an interior as a Porsche, sure. But everybody raved about the steering and the chassis balance.
In 2015 the Evora underwent a facelift and became the Evora 400. The 410 joined it and then in 2017 the hard core GT430 made it three.
Some think the Evora is spun off the Elise platform, which is fair given that every car since 1995 shares the undergubbins of that lightweight wonder. The Evora, however, has its very own chassis that was supposed to spawn a whole new range. Before Evora there was Europa S, which was similar in concept but wasn’t particularly well-received.
Poor old Lotus has developed a habit of being passed from owner to owner, a bit like Lamborghini and Maserati in the 70s and 80s. General Motors owned it and did a terrible job. Proton owned it and did a terrible(ish) job, hiring Danny Bahar from Ferrari. He promptly made a huge fuss by saying the company could produce five new cars, but everybody hated them and him. He was subsequently fired for…reasons that are still before courts. Apparently.
But now Lotus is owned by Geely who has done an absolutely tremendous job with Volvo. So things are looking up.
2017 Lotus Evora
The Lotus Evora is unlike anything else on the road today. It’s a mid-engined, aluminium space-framed car with a composite body built pretty much by hand in England. It runs either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic (famous for being used in a truck).
Its name comes from the words Evolution, Vogue and Aura, but the less said about that, the better. It’s better than Eagle and I quite like the way it rolls off the tongue. Amazingly, it’s one of just two 2+2 coupes left in the sports car world, the other being the amazing BMW i8.
Unlike the BMW, its doors are perfectly normal but are very light. Getting in is rather easier, but with a fatter sill than a normal car, it’s still not a simple step-in proposition. But you’ll work it out. No special instructions needed, just remember to keep your feet up.
I’m not going to lie, it isn’t the greatest interior in the world. It is clearly dated and produced on a budget that wouldn’t buy GM a re-profiled indicator stalk. Speaking of which, that’s where the indicator stalk is from, as well as a few other bits and pieces. In the end it all works, and if you don’t like the Alpine stereo, it doesn’t matter. You can have it out in about five minutes and replace it with something better and with proper smartphone integration. Easy.
As with any car like this, it really isn’t a problem that there are bits of other and lesser cars in here. It goes double for the Lotus because the cars it pinches the bits from aren’t in production anymore, and I don’t say that to be cruel.
The 2015 update included new aero parts for more downforce, a bi-modal exhaust and new interior bits including dashboard and centre console.
V6 Engine
Ah, yes. The first thing people who have never driven the car complain about. It’s Toyota’s 2GR-FE V6, displacing 3.5 litres and producing a nice even 400bhp (406hp/299kW). When first released, the base Evora didn’t have a supercharger and produced just 276bhp (280hp/206kW) from its 2GR-FE. Alongside the Evora was the Evora S (2011-2014), which had the same engine with a Harrop supercharger and produced 345bhp (350hp/257kW).
The 400’s supercharger is from Edelbrock and not only ups the power but the torque, also a neat 400Nm. This upgraded engine slashed half a second from the 0-100km/h (0-62mph) time, dropping to 4.1 seconds.
Mounted across the car behind your back, you can see it in the rear vision mirror and when you hit the exhaust button (or race mode), you can really hear it. Behind the engine is a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, both from Aisin.
Of course, it’s rear-wheel drive. There have been front-wheel drive Lotuses, most famously the Peter Stevens-designed Lotus Elan of the 1990s. That was when Lotus was owned by the mad, rich Romano Artioli. He was good, though – he gave the world the Elise, named after his grand-daughter. And, somehow, the Bugatti EB110.
Weighing just under 1400kg (or just over 3000lb), the Evora 400 winds out to 299km/h (186mph). That’s pretty good for a car this size, price and provenance.
Chassis
This is what Lotus is all about. Right back to the days the company ran out of some old stables behind a pub owned by founder Colin Chapman’s father, the mantra was always add lightness.
Like the Elise, the Evora is built on a bonded aluminium chassis. As always, there’s a long story attached to it, but this brand new platform was meant to go underneath three more cars. Unsurprisingly, that hasn’t happened.
Part of the strategy of this platform was to build a car taller people could actually fit in. At the time, Lotus CEO Mike Kimberley was in charge and he was nearly two metres tall (6ft 5in, 196cm) and didn’t really fit in either the Elise or Europa. While the early cars were hard to get into, the car’s facelift included a nip and tuck of the wide sills.
The 2015 update meant some serious changes for the Evora. First, the Eibach springs were stiffened up, particularly at the rear. The Bilstein dampers were refined and retuned and bigger AP Racing brakes fitted. And, wonderfully, a Quaife limited slip diff was fitted as standard, working with four selectable driving modes (Drive, Sport, Race and Off). The driving modes also operate the loud and louder settings for the new three-inch exhaust.
Weight also dropped by about 42kg (about half a standard-sized human) and the new aero produces a decent amount of downforce. More to the point, it cuts lift.
Driving
Oh my. Oh me, oh my.
Here’s the thing. One would expect a low volume sports car to be full of compromises. Goodness, even big companies punch out sporty cars that force you to put up with things you don’t want in the name of sportiness.
But Lotus is different. The compromises come in places that people like you and me try not to care about. The interior, while perfectly functional, isn’t great and would make an Audi designer blush. But you sit in one of the best driving positions known to man. You can see out. The steering wheel is in the right place and the right angle and the seats are perfect.
Twist the key, press start – I love that affectation – and that other “compromise”, the Toyota V6, barks into life. This is no meek Toyota USA boredom barge engine, it sounds like a sports car should. Tiny but raw, too. In Drive mode there’s a faint supercharger whine until you give it a bootful on those lovely aluminium pedals and it fires up. It’s not hugely loud, but pleasantly raucous.
Sport and Race ups the exhaust histrionics, with a lovely chunky blare from the central exhaust. Those two modes also mean you can have a bit more fun, with a lovely wriggle from the rear end when you’re getting on it.
The amazing thing about the Evora is that it is incredibly user-friendly. Nothing – and I mean nothing, not even cars with clever dynamic dampers – this side of a McLaren rides this well and goes this fast around corners. The Evora has always been famous for being a plush ride but this is…well, it’s black magic.
What the Evora is also famous for is its steering. Few cars can replicate the balance of communication and weight that Evora has. It’s so good to drive, with perfect weighting, near-instant throttle response (no turbos to wind up) and a chassis with more grip than a Trump-Trudeau handshake.
It’s the lightness of touch that gets me – the throttle response, while sharp, will never scare you out of a corner. It almost knows before you do how much you need and coaxes you to push the pedal where it needs to be. The brakes are super-sturdy and none of your carbon-composite nonsense. A car this light doesn’t really need all that power.
It’s probably not really a supercar in the modern sense. Some hot hatches are as quick in a straight line. But very few cars can touch the delights on offer in corners, at least not at the price of the Evora. Plenty of cars are made to drive to, on and from the track, very few of them are as capable doing all three. It’s probably in the same league as a Porsche Cayman or a 911, but there’s one thing the Cayman doesn’t have: the Lotus pedigree and spirit. Money can’t buy that, but a long history stretching back to the glory days of F1 comes with that badge.
TVR is probably the only company in the world named after a bloke called Trevor (and vowel removal pioneer). What’s more, its rebirth appears to be on-track (so to speak) as the company has released a new video of the resurrected Griffith testing at Dunsfold aerodrome.
The new Griffith’s power comes from a (we think) a 5.0-litre Ford Coyote V8 supplied. As you can see in the video, there’s a chap with a Cosworth jacket on. That’s not some mad fan, he’s actually from Cosworth. The new owners seem pretty clever and have the famed engine company on the job to fettle the bent eight to produce a very handy 500PS (372kW/490bhp). Fitted with a dry sump, the engine sits low in the car to reduce its height and therefore lower the centre of gravity.
Sadly you can’t hear much of the engine over the tyre noise, but you can’t have everything.
The Griffith is said to weigh around 1250kg, but that’s likely its target rather than with fluids and bodies on board. Either way, with all that grunt from the V8 means it should hit around 400hp per tonne. The Griffith will come with a six-speed Tremec manual which can handle a truckload of torque, so expect a big number there.
With that kind of grunt, you can expect a sub four second run to 100km/h (62mph).
What is it?
These side pipes will keep pedestrians on their toes
The new Griffith is a typically mad-looking thing. You can see the moveable aero wing fully deployed at the rear and the side exhausts, long a TVR trademark, will no doubt put on a noise and light show when in the right mode.
Another TVR signature piece is the double-bubble roof to reduce the frontal area but also look seriously cool.
The car should be brilliant as McLaren F1 designer (road and race cars) Gordon Murray is on the job and he doesn’t mess about.
The car rolls on 19-inch wheels up front and 20s at the rear. Helping keep the car stuck to the ground is a giant rear diffuser and massive front splitter. Double wishbones all round promise excellent handling.
The new TVR uses using Murray’s patented iStream manufacturing method. Murray has spent years and presumably a considerable amount of money developing a small-scale production method. Made from advanced materials such as carbon fibre and aluminium, the new TVR Griffith will be worthy of its wild predecessors.
TVR Rescued
Sports car fans love TVR. Maker of kit cars then a proper manufacturer based in Blackpool, England, the company was famous for bonkers rear-drive machines. During its heyday under down-to-earth owner Peter Wheeler, the company turned out the Griffith 500, the Chimera and Sagaris. They even made their own engines for a while.
Wheeler sold up and the company ended up in the hands of a Russian kid who made a mess of it. Then the company was rescued by a company led by John Chasey and Les Edgar and here we are. Obviously it’s a bit more complex than that, but the new ownership seems much smarter…
These side pipes will keep pedestrians on their toesCheck out the harnesses…
Lamborghini’s Aventador S is probably the last of its kind. It stands as the last mid-engined V12 supercar from established manufacturers.
It’s a throwback to the past with its impractical body, tight cabin and those crazy doors. The coupe is also packed with up-to-date technology like pushrod pepension, carbon-ceramic brakes and heavy lashings of carbon fibre.
Low and sleek, the Aventador S looks like nothing else on the road.
History
The Aventador S is one of the wildest road-going Lamborghinis ever. Mid-engined V12 Lamborghinis have captivated the eight year old in us all for over half a century. The tradition stretches right back to the Miura (1966-1973) but everybody remembers the angular, alien-like Countach of the eighties.
Launched at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011, Lamborghini had twelve orders on the books even before the salon opened. Replacing the Murciélago, the Aventador sported a 6.5-litre 700hp V12. As is traditional at Sant’Agata, the car’s name came from a particularly distinguished fighting bull.
Over the first six years of its life, the Aventador sold over 5000 units alongside the wildly popular V10-powered Gallardo and now the devastatingly good Huracan. The Aventador easily outsold its unpronounceable predecessor, which just ticked over the 4000 mark.
Along the way the platform has sprouted wild special editions such as the Veneno and 2016’s tremendous Centenario.
Over the years, power grew from 700hp (521kW) for the “base car” (if you could call it that), to 720hp (531kW) for a couple of special editions. The Super Veloce Coupe and Roadster (2014 and 2015) peaked at a massive 750hp (552kW).
Much of the Aventador S spec comes from those Super Veloce cars, but in series production. Officially known as at the Aventador LP-740-4 S, most of us refer to it as the Aventador S.
Let’s break down that mouthful – L for Longitudinal, P for Posterior (where the engine is mounted), 740hp is self-explanatory and the -4 denotes all-wheel drive.
Launched in 2016, the S has already attained cult status. And for our first video, we got to drive it.
2017 Lamborghini Aventador S
The Aventador S is completely nuts. It is so low that you can barely poke a foot under the front splitter. Climbing in is like negotiating a submarine hatch and once you’re in, it’s snug. Headroom is marginal for me and I’m not even six feet (182cm) tall. Those mad scissor doors, always in our hearts as quintessentially Lamborghini, lift and lower easily. They’re almost practical given the gigantic width.
A fat-bossed steering wheel is wrapped in lovely, tactile Alcantara where your hands rest at a quarter-to-three. The interior isn’t exactly roomy and nor is it super-modern. Things have moved extremely quickly since 2011, but the digital dash saves the Aventador some embarrassment. The switchgear is pretty good and very clearly related to a B8 Audi A4. That’s perfectly fine, if a bit old. The starter button lurks under a red cover – flip it up and press start.
V12 Engine
Lamborghini’s 6.5-litre V12 is only the second all-new V12 to come out of Sant’Agata. The first was the 350GT’s, so it was a long time between drinks. Getting the green light for such an extravagant engine must have been the subject of many hours of discussion, with lots of hand-wringing at Audi board meetings.
It’s an extraordinary engine. Amazingly, it doesn’t share a single part with any engine in the rest of the VW Group. Here in the Aventador LP 740-4 S it produces 740 metric horsepower (544kW, 730bhp) and 690Nm (509ft lb).
Codenamed L539, the angle between the cylinder banks is 60 degrees and it revs to a stratospheric 8250rpm. With a dry sump and all-alloy construction, it sits low in the chassis and ahead of the gearbox.
Yes, that gearbox. Forgetting that the Aventador is a curious car to start with, the single-clutch ISR (independent shift rod) transmission is a curiosity itself. BMW, Maserati and Ferrari have long-since abandoned this clunky style of semi-automated gearbox in favour of twin-clutch setups. Porsche had already released its twin-clutch gearbox, the PDK, two years earlier.
The ISR has seven forward gears and Lamborghini claims the fastest shift takes 50 milliseconds, 10ms slower than a 2011 F1 car (and probably a 2017). Lighter than a twin-clutch unit, it was the same transmission as the Murciélago’s. So it’s not only lighter in weight but also lighter on the R&D budget. The final excuse was that the transmission tunnel is too narrow to fit a dual-clutch unit. Despite the Aventador’s width resembling that of a 747’s wingspan, the wide sills push the passengers inboard, robbing available space for a gearbox.
Amusingly, Fiat and Citroën persist with single-clutch transmissions in dinky hatchbacks and they’re predictably awful.
The gearbox drives all four wheels through a new Haldex electronic all-wheel drive system and the three driving modes decide the basic torque split. Always rear-biased, Strada (Street) gives you 60/40, Sport 90/10 and Corsa (Race) 80/20. Of course, the split changes depending on the conditions.
0-100km/h (0-62mph) arrives in a startlingly quick 2.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 351km/h (217mph).
Chassis
The Aventador S is heavily-based on the SuperVeloce (SV) special editions. Power drops from 750hp to 740hp but the S picks up the magnetic pushrod suspension (yes, I got that wrong on the video), which at the rear is installed over the top of the gearbox. And it looks tremendous.
Remember the Honda Prelude and Mazda MX-6? The S scores that very 1990s Japanese feature of four-wheel steering. It’s a proper system, which turns the rears in the opposite direction to the fronts (up to 1.5 degrees) to improve manouverability at low speed and switches to turning them in the same direction as the fronts (up to three degrees) for high-speed cornering stability. When you get used to it, you realise just how much you can get away with and you can’t get that silly grin off your face.
The 20-inch front wheels and 21-inch rears are wrapped in massive Pirelli P-Zero rubber and the brakes are carbon ceramic monsters.
Driving
Slow driving in the Aventador S is a proper chore. There is no other way around it. Even though I’m not very tall, my cranium bounced off the roof on big bumps. And that’s a relative term. Riding barely five inches off the ground and running very stiff springs and magnetic suspension, even in Strada mode you feel every single grain of sand or dirt on the road underneath you. Up to about 70km/h (40mph-ish), it’s bouncy, clunky and with that single-clutch gearbox, a little bit embarrassing.
That engine, though. Pin the throttle and it screams. Forget Strada mode, Sport is where you will live in this car. Spitting blue flame and roaring and cackling like a crazed uncle high on crystal meth at Christmas, the Aventador S must be the most theatrical car on the road.
The V12 bellow comes out through a retuned exhaust and it’s glorious. People can hear you coming blocks away such is the sheer size of the sound. When you’re hurling it down your favourite road, that sound grows to fill valleys, escaping through the trees, shimmering across rivers and dams. This thing is like the oncoming storm.
One of the great joys of the car – apart from manhandling it down a country road – are the huge alloy gearshift paddles. Fixed to the column, they make a lovely sound both in their actuation and the enormous racket from an upshift or downshift. You’ll work these things shiny if you live in a city with lots of tunnels.
It’s properly wide, though, meaning you need to be careful – once you work out the width, you can throw it around with huge abandon. While the all-wheel drive prevents you from breaking free under hard acceleration, the chassis will dance under hard braking and if you tip it in hard enough, it will slide.
If you’re less brave, it will understeer ever-so-slightly, more for safety than through lack of application from engineers. The size and weight of that V12 could easily fling you into the weeds if you were to go without the electronics.
Nothing this side of a race car will excite you the way the Aventador can. It’s a flawed, silly car but it’s also the last of its kind. You can’t help but love it.
New to The Redline? Have a look here to see what we’re about.
Lamborghini Aventador S interior – Rhys VandersydeLamborghini Aventador S V12Lamborghini Aventador S interior – Rhys VandersydeLamborghini Aventador S – Rhys VandersydeLamborghini Aventador S V12 – Rhys VandersydeLamborghini Aventador S – Rhys VandersydeLamborghini Aventador S – comic book exhaustsLamborghini Aventador S – Rhys VandersydeLamborghini Aventador S -Rhys VandersydeLamborghini Aventador S seats – Rhys VandersydeLamborghini Aventador SLamborghini Aventador S illuminated door sills – Rhys VandersydeLamborghini Aventador SThe red flap hides the starter button – Rhys VandersydeLamborghini Aventador S V12 – Rhys VandersydeLamborghini Aventador S – Rhys VandersydeLamborghini Aventador SLamborghini Aventador S – Rhys VandersydeLamborghini Aventador S V12 with optional glass coverLamborghini Aventador SLamborghini Aventador S engine cover – you can see the carbon and pushrods – Rhys VandersydeLamborghini Aventador S – huge carbon composite brakes, Pirelli tyres.Lamborghini Aventador S – Rhys Vandersyde
The McLaren Senna has been public for barely a week. We were told when it went public that we couldn’t have one because they were all sold.
Or were they?
It turns out there was one final, “unallocated” (cough) Senna and it went to auction at an annual customer event held at McLaren’s technology centre.
The company says that bidding was “fierce” with auctioneer Max Girardo kept busy until the final bid of £2 million (almost US$2.7m) before taxes and charges.
We wondered in our launch story what the Senna family’s price was. We always knew it would go to a good cause and now we know. The proceeds of this final car will go to helping out underprivileged kids in Brazil through the Ayrton Senna Institute. Ayrton’s sister Viviane and nephew Bruno were on hand for the auction.
According to the McLaren press release the auction was a surprise, so one imagines the winning bidder has that kind of cash just lying around. Sucks to be whoever they are.
The Ayrton Senna Institute
Vivianne and Bruno Senna
Ayrton Senna was well-known for his business and philanthropic efforts. While absolutely ruthless on-track (as Alain Prost will attest), he was a thoughtful man off it. Born to a privileged family, Senna was revered for his efforts on the racetrack. The spurred him on to contribute something to his own people, many of whom live well below the poverty line.
The Institute has trained 750,000 teachers all over Brazil to improve the education of 17 million children. At its inception, the Ayrton Senna Foundation encouraged children to study and as a reward, allowed them to participate in sporting activities funded by the Foundation.
The money raised here is part of a broader fundraising effort using the Senna name, with a deal for Sony to use the name and brand in Gran Turismo, starting with Gran Turismo 6.
There you have it – there are now no longer any McLaren Sennas to buy. Bummer, eh? Console yourself with this video:
The 2018 McLaren Senna has been unveiled – with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, 800hp and 800Nm, it will be blindingly fast and earn its Ultimate Series tag.
The McLaren Senna is the newest of the British car maker’s Ultimate Series, following on from the P1. Billed as a road-legal track car, it weighs a claimed 1198kg (dry weight), lighter than most small hatchbacks and a fair bit lighter than the P1 and the lightest McLaren since the F1.
The production run will be limited to just 500 units and will come down the same assembly line as the rest of the McLaren range. And they’re all sold.
The predictably purple press release says that the Senna is “legalised for road use, but not sanitised to suit it.” Quite.
What is it?
The McLaren Senna is third model introduced under McLaren’s Track22 business plan and part of the top shelf Ultimate Series. Track22 will see X number of models introduced over the next few years and help build the McLaren Automotive’s volumes. The company has already blown by Lamborghini (although that might soon change with the Urus) and is rapidly catching Ferrari.
The car is named after multiple Formula 1 world champion Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian won his world championships – and built his legacy – at the wheel of Woking’s finest. A sometimes-controversial figure, he died at the wheel of his Williams FW16 at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix while in pursuit of Michael Schumacher’s Benetton.
The Senna name is inextricably linked with McLaren and the company’s racing ethos is bound up in much of what the man himself said about racing. He was a fairly complex chap and is still revered by F1 fans more than two decades after his death.
“You commit yourself to such a level where there is no compromise. You give everything you have; everything, absolutely everything.”
Ayrton Senna
The decision to call the car Senna wouldn’t have come about in an afternoon – his family fiercely protects the name. You can’t slap the iconic Senna logo on just anything.
It probably doesn’t hurt that Ayrton’s nephew, Bruno Senna, is a McLaren ambassador, but it still wouldn’t have been easy. McLaren really believes the car is worthy of the name and is at great pains to explain why. Convincing the Senna family would have meant not only lots of talk, a few runs in the prototype and most likely a sizeable portion of each car’s £750,000 (around US$1m) price tag going to the late driver’s charitable foundation.
Styling
This car is wild. It’s almost like Rob Melville’s team sent the images down a modem line and cut the transmission – none of the lines join up and it is more than a little reminiscent of a WEC racer without some of the panels fixed on.
It’s all about aero and cooling and it’s kind of a naked version of the 720S – you can see where the air flows through the car and around the teardrop cockpit shape.
The styling is linked to the 720S, with that evocative and striking eye socket for the headlights. McLaren’s signature dihedral doors are made purely of carbon fibre (Sports and Super Series cars have aluminium skins) and open up a huge (for this kind of car) aperture. The wide opening is handy because getting in and out is hard with a helmet on. And yes, they’re a bit like the BMW i8’s doors.
Like the iconic F1, the windows are split, with a small lower section that opens so you can pay the Norschleife toll but not so wide you can swing by McDonald’s. As the door is a frame, you can specify the lower half in glass for that cockpit bubble feeling. Which continues with the door releases and window switches, which are built into an overhead console.
There isn’t much else inside – the 720S’s nifty folding digital dash makes a welcome appearance as does its central console screen. What McLaren calls “visual carbon fibre” (i.e. it’s just decoration) is prominent in the cabin and you can choose from Alcantara or leather to cover the dash and airbags. Apart from that, it’s bare bones, so perhaps ask for a set of ear plugs at the dealer.
The boot has been gobbled up by moving the radiators towards the centreline of the car, so there’s just space for helmets in the cabin.
Engine and transmission
The Senna runs McLaren’s twin-turbo V8, pumped up from the Sports Series 3.8-litres to 4.0 litres. Codenamed M840TR, it develops a monster 575kW and drives just the rear wheels through the company’s seven-speed twin-clutch transmission. The gearbox will want to be strong – with 800Nm (590lb ft), there’s quite a bit of twist to deal with.
McLaren says the two twin-scroll turbos are “ultra-low inertia” and fitted with electric wastegates. The latter is meant to improve throttle response (some people call it anti-lag) – if the 720S is anything to go by, the lag should be virtually non-existent.
The technical highlights include a flat-plane crank and a dry sump, meaning engineers could mount the engine as low as possible
McLaren’s gearshift is a rocker system, meaning you can operate the gearshift with two hands or just one – you can push or pull. In the Senna, you’ve got bigger carbon fibre paddles that can be used with or without gloves.
Just for comparison, the Super Series 720S, revealed in 2017, boasts 720PS and is heavier than the stripped out Senna.
Chassis
The 720’s tub, Monocage III, provides the basis for the Senna. A super-strong carbon monocoque that weighs less than the average human male (around 80kg) forms the basis of the technical platform.
McLaren’s second-generation RaceActive Chassis Control (RCC II) makes an appearance on the Senna. Coupled with the hydraulic steering (oh, yes, it’s worth all of the extra weight), McLaren says “the car feels fully ‘alive’ well below its upper limits” which is a fun way of saying it’s going to be completely hyper.
Hydraulically-interconnected electronic dampers work with double wishbones front and rear and hydraulic anti-roll bars. All of that gear means not only can the stiffness change but so can the ride height.
Dual valve dampers allow for independent control of compression and rebound. Ride stiffness is controlled with a kinetic roll system McLaren calls the K-damper.
Drivers can choose between three settings through the now-familiar Active Dynamics Panel – Comfort, Sport and Track. The fourth mode – Race – activates from the roof mounted central console.
Race mode drops the ride height to a less road-friendly but track-loving level, the same going for the suspension stiffness.
Power to weight is a seriously impressive 668PS (491kW) per tonne. That’s better than the comparatively chubby P1 which weighed in at 1395kg dry. Some of the weight savings come from the carbon panels – the front wings are just 650g versus the 720’s 2.2kg aluminium units.
Aerodynamics
Looking at the Senna, you can see that aero, rather than smooth lines, has taken a front seat. It looks like someone has taken a vegetable peeler to the 720S. The gigantic double diffuser sucks the car to the road and is made from a single piece of carbon, stretching from the rear axle.
The radiators now live further inboard than on the 720. That means there’s no boot, but the aero path from the “socket” is now clear.
A twin-element carbon fibre wing hangs off the rear. It measures a whopping 1219mm from the ground when the car is stationary. Like the P1, hydraulic actuators tweak the wing to keep it at the right attack angle, settling the car under braking. As you’re approaching VMax, it trims the car to make it as slippery as possible.
When you switch to Race mode, the 50mm drop in ride height boosts downforce by a startling 40 percent.
Wheels Tyres and Brakes
McLaren has gone for carbon-ceramics for the Senna, there was no other choice, really. You can’t choose your wheels or tyres, at least not at the factory. The lightweight 19-inch alloys fix to the chassis with a centre-lock system. That will be interesting – some jurisdictions ban that type of carry-on but McLaren says it will available in all its current markets.
The tyres are likely to be fairly marginal for road use. Pirelli developed a set of P-Zero Trofeo R tyres for the Senna. That means you can drive to the racetrack you’re intending to use to ruin those tyres. No mention of driving home again, so that makes sense…
When?
The car will make its public debut at the 88th Geneva International Motor Show in March 2018. Production will begin in the third quarter of 2018. Expect a bit of noise around the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
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