Why Must All McLarens Look The Same?

The return of McLaren to building production cars was one of the best things that happened in recent years for sports cars enthusiasts. After more than a decade since the last McLaren F1 was produced, the company came back to building production cars with the MP4-12C in 2011.

And while some found the 12C a bit boring from a design point of view, I think it’s the best looking McLaren sports car since the F1 – and I include here everything that came after the 12C. From a design point of view, McLaren Automotive looked really promising as a company when the 12C launched.

But everything changed when the successor to the F1 appeared. As a monumental piece of engineering that it is, the McLaren P1 hypercar had to look the part – and it does. McLaren designers managed to give it an original and dramatic look. It’s the sort of car that turns heads wherever it makes an appearance and that’s exactly what a hypercar must do. But it’s not what one would call a beautiful car.

Although I’m not a big fan of its front end, it’s certain that the P1 has carved a style of its own. Furthermore, it has influenced McLaren’s following models to such an extent that now only a trained eye can distinguish it from the 650S or, more recently, the 570S.

Which is actually the car I wanted to talk about. With the risk of being labeled a McLaren hater, I have to say I’m tired of seeing the same face on each new model from Woking. As I said, I have nothing against the P1, but why did McLaren give the 650S an almost identical face?

Some may reply that it’s about brand identity, but I don’t see all Ferraris looking the same. And Ferrari is a brand with an overwhelmingly richer history of building production cars – one would say they would feel more constraint to stick to tradition. But no, it’s McLaren that does that, a brand that shouldn’t have any restrictions imposed on its designers.

I was really looking forward to seeing the new McLaren 570S, but in my view it’s a bit of a disappointment styling-wise. The P1-style face looks sadder, and the rear end also hints at the hypercar, although not in an equally obvious way.

Don’t get me wrong, I think McLaren is doing a great job building fast, desirable sports cars, but I would have loved to see a different design on each model line. Wouldn’t you?