McLaren to revive ‘F1′ hypercar, this time could pack 799 bhp

McLaren MP4-12C and the legendary F1

There have been numerous instances in the past where I have talked about the McLaren F1 and how it was a revolutionary car that became a template for future 200 mph plus hypercars. Now, the world has changed from what it used to be back in the 90′s. The bar has been raised by cars like the Bugatti Veyron and Koenigsegg Agera. The McLaren F1 was the first car to breach the 240 mph mark. Hypercars of the present age do upwards of 253 mph, that’s more than 400 kph, mind you.

McLaren-F1

A decade has passed since, the F1 first arrived on the hypercar scene. Now, there are reports of a replacement for the F1 and is dubbed as ‘Mega Mac’ for all the right reasons. This is a car that will be designed to take on the likes of the heavyweights (not literally) The Woking factory will this time have the Veyron in its sights. The ‘Mega Mac’ is expected to be built around a carbonfibre monocoque similar to one seen on the MP4-12C supercar. Engine too could be a 5.0 litre twin-turbocharged V8 tweaked to produce close to 800 bhp. The engine, developed with Ricardo and mated to a Graziano seven speed dual-clutch transmission would be enough to catapult the new lightweight hypercar from standstill to 100 kph in 2.8 sec. Mclaren are targeting 20 sec to reach 200 kph.

McLaren-F1 hypercar

Now, unlike the Veyron, the Mega Mac will be two-wheel drive and hence could be a tad slower to 100 than the big-bug. But in terms of sheer speed, McLaren would have the Veyron’s 253 mph in sights. The Veyron with its four-wheel drive system does the sprint from 0-100 kph in 2.5 sec and mind you this behemoth is all aluminium. The Koenigsegg Agera with its carbonfibre construction does the same sprint in 3.0 sec and produces 940 bhp from an engine similar in configuration with the Mega Mac. Aerodyamics will play a crucial role if the Mega Mac is to beat the Veyron and the Agera and with the best sort brains working on their Formula 1 car, this shouldn’t be an uphill task for McLaren.

McLaren-F1

Coming to the price which will be close to a figure that most billionaires won’t have a problem shelling out for a car that will make a statement when they arrive at a casino in downtown Monte Carlo. Secondly, only 600 will be ever made making it one of the most exclusive purchases. So if you’ve got all that spare cash lying around and want a really fast car that will blow your mind when on the road and turn eyeballs when you arrive anywhere, then wait till 2014 when the Mega Mac goes into production.