McLaren has proven itself highly adept at making the most out of the same building blocks. That includes the same essential twin-turbo V8 setup across its entire lineup. But it may not stick to the eight indefinitely.
“For us, it’s all about the attributes. If we can get the performance, then it doesn’t matter if it’s 12 or 10 or eight or six,” McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt told Car&Driver. “We’re all enthusiasts, we’d love a manual-shifting V-12, but that’s 20 years out of date. So we’re not wedded to cylinder count, but we are wedded very much to performance and excitement.”
Coupled with his determination to keep any weight increase in check while electrifying more of its supercars, Flewitt's comments leads C/D to project that the company is planning a new V6 hybrid powertrain. Though unconfirmed, the setup could suit the next-generation Sports Series quite well, replacing the detuned V8 that currently powers the 540C and 570S.
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