This should be interesting once it hits the market. Wonder through which outlets McLaren will attempt to market this.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8238430.stm


Raises a lot of other questions as well.........with whom is this intended to compete.

Porsche: McLaren considerably more expensive than most 911s
Audi R-8: McLaren even more hi-tech ( full carbon tub )
Audi R-8 /10cyl: Yes, I can see that
Ferrari 458: Probably the most direct competitor, and Ron Dennis
hates Ferrari and wants nothing more than to bury
them.....if not on the track, then in the showroom.
Aston-Martin: They don't really compete in the price range nor do
they have a model to directly compete with this
Mercedes-Benz: They really aren't in that slice of the market...and
the McLaren built SLR is $450,000 + and dead
Who else is there: God knows the Japanese haven't come up with
anything worth looking at in true sports cars

This type of sports car (not-quite-a-supercar ( whatever the Hell that means anyway) but a lot more interesting and capable than anything else you can buy now, full Carbon fiber chassis / body, no more third pedal - paddle shift exclusively, single wire harness, KERS, extreme driver / driving experience focus, etc.) probably represents the future of technology and standard offerings in the true / pure sportscar market of the next 10 years.

Sort of reminds me of the introduction of the 911 RS. Light ( from an absolute standpoint and also in lbs/ per HP terms ), fast, simple, not too high-tech but using only the best, most relevant materials and technology the times have to offer, but most importantly, slotted into a price bracket which isn't in the nose-bleed supercar category ( which would condem it to extremely limited production) but yet attainable with a little stretch to the true enthusiast if he really wants it. How I wish I were thirty years younger !

JZG