The Daddy Mac is back! Our spies have just spotted McLaren’s F1 spiritual successor — believed to be called the P12 – undergoing some shakedown testing.
As these spy shots show, the P12 will adopt most of its styling from McLaren’s latest MP4-12C. Out back it looks like the P12 will be equipped with a serious diffuser and a center-mounted exhaust inlet.
However, the P12 will have at least one design throwback to the F1 as this prototype looks to have a roof-mounted air intake.
The so-called mega-Mac will lean heavily on carbon fiber for most its construction and will utilize a pushrod suspension like the system first seen on the Lamborghini Aventador. Hydraulic anti-roll control, adaptive dampers and an advanced traction control system will also be part of the car’s handling package.
McLaren has apparently scrapped plans for a new 5.0L V8 as the P12 will be powered by the same twin-turbocharged 3.8L V8 used in the smaller MP4-12C. However, McLaren will pair that powerplant with a KERS energy storage system that could boost total output to as much as 800 horsepower.
That kind of power means the reborn F1 will be able to accelerate for 0-60 in 2.8 seconds and from 0-100 in just 5.5 seconds. Amazingly, the car will be able to go from a standstill to 200mph in 20 seconds.
McLaren will likely cap production at 500 units over a four-year run, with prices reflecting that exclusivity. Early estimates peg the P12′s starting price at $1.56 million.
A concept version of the car is expected to debut sometime this year, with the production version of the car slated to hit roadways in 2014.
