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John Mahoney18 Mar 2015
NEWS

NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW: Two new McLaren Sports Series models to debut at New York

McLaren’s entry-level Audi R8 rival will be unveiled next month and pricing will start as low as $270K in the UK

British supercar maker McLaren will unveil not one, but two of its new entry-level Sports Series supercars at the New York motor show next month.

Pricing will be around £140,000 for the base coupe model, which equates to about $A270,000, although we expect McLaren might use a different calculator for Australia so expect the coupe to cost significantly more when it arrives here.

Based on a development of the carbon-fibre tub used in the current 650S, the new Sports Series range will come with a lower powered version of the company's 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8.

We initially expected McLaren's new base model it to develop around 370kW (500hp) and hence go by the name '500S' name, following the naming process seen with the current 478kW (650hp) 650S.

However, new reports suggest the Sports Series will wear the 570S nameplate, suggesting a power output of 570hp or about 420kW.

Either way, the Sports Series cars will join McLaren’s existing line-up, the Super Series (650S, 675LT) and the Ultimate Series (P1, P1 GTR) not sold here.

McLaren's discontinued 12C ($398,000 coupe, $441,780 convertible) still appears on McLaren's Australian price list, but the Sports Series should also undercut the 650S ($441,500 coupe, $486,250 convertible) as McLaren's cheapest model -- and a direct rival for the $295K Mercedes-AMG GT and top-end versions of the Porsche 911 and Audi's new R8.

Three body styles will be available for the new Sports Series; coupe, spider and a less hard-core but more spacious GT version.

Later on, a lightweight, extreme ’GT3’ is expected to join the range, developed off the back of the secret Sports Series GT3 race car that McLaren’s believed to be developing.

McLaren hopes that with the arrival of its more ‘affordable’ Sports Series global sales will grow from the expected 1700 to 1800 cars this year to well beyond 3000 and possibly even 4000 cars per year.

With production of the 375 P1 hypercars now finished, McLaren’s Woking-based factory will focus on producing the P1 GTR (just 40 of which will be built), the new 675LT, existing 650S and upcoming 570S.

Once the run of P1 GTRs comes to an end, McLaren will begin work on an all-new P1 replacement that’s said to be even lighter and more powerful, thanks to next-generation battery cells that have greater energy density.

But what isn’t heading to production, McLaren’s CEO Mike Flewitt says, is an SUV: “We have no such plans.

“We’re totally committed to making sports cars.”

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