McLaren's Next Supercar Is The 809 HP McL 820, A Not So Little Bird Told Us

McLaren has already confirmed that the 750S end production in 2027, but enthusiasts won't have to wait long for its replacement. We might already know the name of the 750S' replacement and its expected horsepower, and it's all thanks to a sculpture of a bird on display in a busy London shopping district. The kiwi bird is McLaren's traditional mascot, a nod to founder Bruce McLaren's New Zealand roots, and the automaker recently placed a huge orange and black kiwi sculpture in London's Covent Garden.

But eagle-eyed Autocar spotted the lettering "McL 820" printed in orange text on the artwork, leading the UK magazine to deduce that it must be a teaser for next year's 750S replacement. If it's right, that could mean the next supercar has 809 horsepower, assuming it follows McLaren's current badge numbering system, 809 hp equating to 820 metric horses. That would put it within 10 hp of Ferrari's 819 hp (830 PS) 296 GTB, though we expect McLaren to make its power using a twin-turbocharged V8 engine, rather than a V6 like Ferrari employs. It would also make the McL 820 70 hp (70 PS) stouter than the 750S it replaces.

The numbers aren't all that's new in that name. It looks like the 750S replacement will get the "McL" prefix introduced on the McL 6GT earlier this year. The McL 6GT is a limited series $1.5 million supercar with McLaren's first manual transmission since the game-changing F1 of the 1990s. But we can't help wondering if the name will trip a few people up. In terms of pronunciation for the McL name, expect to hear a mixture of "Em-Cee-Ell" and "Muckle" references sprinkled into conversations at Cars and Coffee meets starting next year.

There's more going on at McLaren though than simply a new supercar and minor badging tweaks, though. The brand is now under the ownership of Abu Dhabi investment fund L'imad, and overhauling its entire operation and philosophy. That shift will result in McLaren finally building an SUV to rival musclebound utilities such as the Lamborghini Urus and top-spec Porsche Cayennes. McLaren is also building a second factory in the UK, and will soon assemble its engines in-house, after years of subcontracting to Ricardo.