How Fast Can a McLaren Go?

It’s no secret that the British car manufacturers produce some of the finest luxury sports cars in the world. Built for speed and comfort with over the top amenities, nothing gives you a more powerful feeling than sitting behind the wheel of a McLaren. With decades of experience in the auto and racing industry, McLaren was started by professional race car driver, Bruce McLaren. First debuting his F1 in 1966, Bruce was only the second man to ever drive his own F1 on a race track. Soon, Bruce was dominating race after race in his hyped up super car, but the racing industry weren’t the only ones to notice something special about the McLaren F1. Soon, car enthusiasts everywhere were turning their attention to these newly released racing cars, and before they knew it McLaren had taken to the everyday streets, falling into the hands of consumers for pleasure.

Any collector, enthusiast, and McLaren owner will tell you that these cars are built for speed. Being some of the fastest exotic cars on the market, McLaren delivers a driving experience to its consumers unlike any other. There is a reason people become so easily addicted to driving these gorgeous machines making them an extremely popular option amongst luxury sports car drivers. So just how fast can a McLaren go? While it depends on the make, model, and year of the McLaren, each car offers neck-breaking speed records. These are the top fastest McLarens on the market to date.

 

The McLaren Senna

First on our list is the McLaren Senna, the most responsive and direct sports car they have ever built according to McLaren. The McLaren Senna was given its name after infamous Brazilian Formula 1 driver, Ayrton Senna. This gorgeous sports car can go from 0-60 in just 2.8 seconds and eat up pavement at a top speed of a blurring 208mph thanks to its twin-turbocharged 4.0 liter V8 engine that gives us 789HP and 590lb-ft of torque. The GTR model, however, is boosted to give us an additional 25HP. While this car is considered street legal, it’s lack of cargo space and loud bellowing engine makes it clear that this car is most comfortable on the track.

This car starts at $1 million dollars with the GTR starting at $1.2 million. The McLaren Senna is said to be the personification of the McLaren DNA, truly embodying everything the monopoly car manufacturer is about, working to create pure harmony and connection between man and machine. It is the most track focused road car by McLaren and one of the most popular options among consumers. It is to no surprise that this beautiful hyper car has proven the McLaren name over and over again on the track, and has earned itself quite the reputation as well.

 

The McLaren F1

The McLaren F1 is a staple sports car in the McLaren family. The F1 features numerous luxurious designs, technologies, and amenities. For starters, it is built lighter and has a more streamlined, aerodynamic structure than most modern sports cars found on the road today. What makes this car so unique is that it is the first of the McLaren family to have three seats – yes three. The driver’s seat is located in the center of the vehicle, slightly forward than the two passenger seats on either side. This was designed to create a more symmetrical view while driving and reduce distractions – a design very outside of the conventional norm.

It also comes with a highly powerful and responsive engine. Powered by the BMW S70/s 6.1liter V12 engine, the F1 brings us 618HP and 479lb-ft of torque. This shoots the F1 from 0-60mph in only 2.1 seconds and a top speed and focused intensity of 231mph. However, on March 31, 1998 the XP5 McLaren F1 prototype was modified with a rev limiter set the Guinness World Record for the world’s fastest production car at a blurring 240.1mph. The record was previously set in 1992 by the Jaguar XJ220 at 217.1mph.

 

The McLaren P1

The McLaren P1 is a limited produced plug in hybrid sports car produced by the British auto manufacturers. The P1 utilizes the same Formula 1 technology as the McLaren F1 but thanks to its hybrid powertrain is considered to the be F1 successor although it does not include the three seat layout. It does, however, include a large mid-engine, rear-wheel drive that utilized carbon fiber monocoque – a popular material to improve aerodynamics – and a roof structure that features a MonoCage, a safety structure cage concept that McLaren chose for this model. With only 375 produced, the P1 sold out in less than a month of its release to car enthusiasts, celebrities, and collectors around the world.

The McLaren P1 comes with an impressive twin turbocharged 3.8liter V8 engines that delivers 727HP and 531lb-ft of torque. This twin turbocharged super engine can go from 0-60 in only 2.6 seconds and can reach a top speed of 217mph, making it a prime contender against the LaFerrari and the Porsche 918. When originally sold, the P1 had the attached price tag of $1.2 million dollars, an appropriate asking price for this gorgeous machine. The P1 GTR, however, came with a $3.4 million dollar price tag thanks to its engine tweaks and added horsepower.

 

The McLaren Speedtail

Last but not least in the McLaren Speedtail. This gorgeous car is a speed demon and newest addition to the McLaren family. First release in October 2018, the Speedtail in now available as of February 2020 to only 106 select few customers lucky enough to get their hands on one. This limited production hybrid car offers customers speed, luxury, class, and style all wrapped up into a lightweight, aerodynamic, almost futurist McLaren Speedtail. Very similar to the F1, the Speedtail also has three seats, with the driver’s seat being at the center of the cockpit slightly forward from the two passenger seats on either side. It is complete with carbon fiber monocoque and a sleek sinister-looking design.

What is so impressive about the Speedtail is that it is an upgraded version of the McLaren 720S’s M840T engine. This twin turbocharger, 4.0liter, V8 engine brings as an astonishing 1,036HP and 848lb-ft of torque making it the fastest McLaren in the family to date. It can reach 0-60mph in only 2.5 seconds with a top speed of 250mph. However, due to its lack of side mirrors and side airbags, the Speedtail is not street legal in the United States unless under “Show or Display” laws.