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John Mahoney16 Feb 2017
NEWS

GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: McLaren 720S to humble Ferrari

British supercar maker reveals 650S replacement to get larger 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo and out-perform all its rivals

McLaren has announced that its new Super Series line-up of supercars will come powered with a new twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 that provide it with unbeatable performance.

According to the Woking-based firm, its new supercar, codenamed internally as the P14, will hit 200km/h, from standstill, in just 7.8 seconds and reach the traditional quarter mile (402 metres) in 10.3 secs.

The Ferrari 488 GTB, meanwhile, takes 8.3 seconds to reach the same 200km/h.

McLaren hasn't revealed how quick its P14 is to 100km/h, but it's more than likely it will beat the 488 GTB's 0-100km/h time of 3.0secs and surpass its 330km/h top speed.

It's been long rumoured the engine that will power the 650S replacement will come with as much as 720hp (530kW) – hence the possibility it will be named the '720S'.

As part of the new revelation about its new car's performance, McLaren released a new pic of the P14's engine bay that illuminates when the car is unlocked.

While it's not seen here, a large contributor to raising performance beyond that of Ferrari's 488 GTB is a new free-flowing exhaust system that's claimed to "match the extreme performance of the engine".

Other tricks involved with boosting the new M840T V8 includes adding a pair of ultra-low inertia twin-scroll turbochargers that reduce lag and are said to boost throttle response.

Despite raising power and torque McLaren claims efficiency and emissions have been improved.

So far, McLaren has revealed the immensely strong carbon-fibre structure that all its future Super Series cars will be based on, it has previewed some of the advanced aero the 720S will come with, and even admitted it will drift for England thanks to its new trick chassis control system.

The entire car, new name, as well as all the facts and figures, will be revealed at the Geneva show on March 7.

If you can't wait until then, the 720S was leaked at the end of January at a special VIP event.

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