McLaren To Debut New Sports Series Bodystyle And Give P1 A Special Farewell At Geneva

We spoke to McLaren Global Communications Director Wayne Bruce who confirmed the debut of two new models at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Beyond the first public outings of the 650S GT3 racer and the already sold out 675LT Spider, the revitalized British supercar-maker will be present at the Swiss show with two new cars.

“Look out for a fitting send-off to the McLaren P1,” Bruce revealed. “And some say there will be another bodystyle joining the Sports Series family. It’s not an SUV, before you ask. And don’t believe what you might have read elsewhere, the new bodystyle is definitely a two-seater. So it’s not a Minivan either.” Strangely, Bruce didn’t rule out a ute…

But seriously, with what we’ve seen and heard up until now, the new addition to McLaren’s most accessible line of models, the Sports Series, sounds like it could be a 570S / 540C GT with added luggage space, as the 570S Spider will not be introduced until 2017.

A couple of months ago, we spied McLaren testing a camouflaged 570S Coupe-based model (pictured here) with a fastback-style rear end design featuring a taller roof with a rear screen flowing on top of the engine bay. The thought of a very, very tight 2+2 solution had crossed our minds, but if this is the 2-seater model Bruce was talking about, then McLaren might just be looking to add more storage space behind the seats while also giving the passenger compartment an airier feel.

In regards to Bruce’s reference to a ‘fitting’ farewell to the P1, the production of which ended in December after 375 units rolled off the assembly line, it could be an MSO-prepped special edition of the P1 or the 986bhp P1 GTR track monster.

The McLaren spokesman also confirmed the rumor about their MSO (McLaren Special Operations) 675LT that surfaced yesterday, but he told us it won’t be introduced in Geneva.

“McLaren Special Operations is currently working on a customer commission based on the Super Series platform,” said Bruce. “This is a bespoke project that will not become a series production model but any more details are confidential at this stage. I can say, though, that the car will not be at Geneva. I can’t tell you when the MSO project based on the Super Series will be introduced. It’s a private commission.”

Aside from the MSO special models, McLaren has divided its lineup into three families, the entry Sports Series, which includes the 570S and 540C coupes, the Super Series, comprised of the 650S Spider, 650S Coupe, 650S CAN-AM Spider, 675LT Coupe and 675LT Spider, and the Ultimate Series which has currently been left with the P1 GTR.

Earlier this year, the Woking-based manufacturer announced the recruitment of 250 employees and the addition of a second shift this month to its production line to cope with “unprecedented levels of demand for all of our cars, especially the new Sports Series, for which we are currently holding more than six months’ worth of orders”. McLaren, which sold 1,654 cars in 2015, expects to almost double its sales this year to around 3,000 cars.