The McLaren Speedtail Is Egregiously Elegant
What happens when you go too far in one direction?
Form follows function. That has been McLaren’s mantra ever since its humble beginnings less than a decade ago. If producing a supercar as your first ever car can be called humble.
They made the F1 in the ’90s and partnered with Mercedes-Benz to give birth to the SLR’s with its various editions in the early 2000s but the proper start of the organization only began in 2010, with a car name more apt for the Musk family, the MP4–12C.
However, in just 8 years the brand has gone from strength to strength. And massively improved their naming system. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the pinnacle of McLaren Automotive: the Speedtail.
The Speedtail is a part of McLaren’s Ultimate Series lineup and it’s the evolution of McLaren’s DNA which began with the 12C, followed by the 650 S, the 500 series, P1, the 720 S and the Senna. As you can see, the cars in McLaren’s lineup not only became a lot easier to pronounce but more importantly stuck to the ‘function at all costs’ dialogue. The 720 S was a ‘drag’ fighter, with aero infused bodywork in even the freaking headlights. It’s gaping holes made people think it would be shoot lasers a la Stormtroopers (except with better aim).
The Senna maximized downforce with its assortment of splitters, diffusers and a dining table-sized rear wing. So that after you were done engulfing tarmac at the ‘Green Hell’, the car could help you engulf your ‘Green’ salad.
The Woking-based manufacturer didn’t stop there, however. There were rumours of the first proper F1 successor. Ya’know..the car now worth 8 figures.
It had to have 3 seats, had to be the ultimate driver’s land-yacht and its mission statement was as simple as being the fastest road-going McLaren ever.
How simple are we talking about?
Well, when a Mr Andy Wallace, took a McLaren F1 to Ehra-Leisen, a famous track with an extraordinarily long straight, and floored it (the accelerator pedal obviously), he cracked 243 mph.
So anything above 243 is a win. But 244 just sounds like such an uneven number right? Pshh, 244. Even Corvette’s crack 200. 250 mph, however? That’s fast. Plus is just a nice round number. And well, that’s what they did. Top speed of 250 mph. Imagine driving a car with a base price of 2.1 million of sweet English money at more than 4 times the national speed limit!
You know the above would require a serious pair of cojones, and it’s not something many of it’s 106 lucky buyers would do. I’m not saying they lack balls, but most of them are probably going to stuff the car in their humidity-controlled garages. Nevertheless, the Speedtail had the makings of a next-gen hypercar. Looking at it, however, took getting used to.
It is elegant. With its sweeping tail and the seeming likeness to that of a teardrop ( or rain drop..anything short of a waterfall), it has the unmistakable aura of a refined design language. The Senna is like the brash, North Face wearing, outdoor-loving young brother to Speedtail’s diamond cufflinks and bespoke Alexander McQueen suits rocking sibling. Unfortunately, the tailors forgot to trim those ‘suit coat-tails’. It’s long. I understand that the engineers at Woking were trying to smooth the passage of air over the rear-end but this is too much. You know the saying “Too much of a good thing is bad”. If you ever want to know why butts are called Gluteus ‘Maximus’, this is your textbook example.
I have to admit, that at some angles the vehicle looks brazenly beautiful. But those angles are few and rare. The side profile is gorgeous but the rear three-quarter view above is debatable.
It’s twin-turbo V8 with electric assistance also produces only 1036 hp. I know that’s a crazy amount but one must realize that this vehicle is fighting Bugatti’s Chiron and Koenigsegg’s Jesko for outright speed. It’s not faster than either. And whisper it softly, but both the Swedish and French cars are decidedly prettier.
The car does have a saving grace in the fact that it is a techno marvel. The carbon-fibre design is space age. The weird plate thing on the front wheels isn’t an afterthought either. It’s a wheel cover designed to make the car’s passage smoother through the air. You could remove it, and maybe use it as a plate for when you dine on the Senna’s rear wing. Why stop at ceramic or glass when you can have a carbon-fibre bonanza?
The taillights are super sleek too and instead of any rising spoiler or other up top downforce enhancer, it uses aircraft style ailerons. Think Pagani Huayra-Esque flaps, except with the flaps being part of the swoopy body instead of a being a different piece altogether. It even has electrochromic glass, which controls the amount of sunlight entering your cabin.
Chris Harris loves it, and he’s usually a man who likes to speak his mind. He says it has bonkers acceleration and the stats don’t lie. Just watch his exclusive review on Top Gear’s YouTube channel.
Like it or not, McLaren makes good cars and the Speedtail is their ultimate cruiser. I may not personally like its looks, but I do like Mclaren. If form follows function so be it.
Plus which other supercar lets you seat 3 eh?
