New McLaren Speedtail(bp23)


Simon

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Feb 19, 2013
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Houston
[video=youtube;ufSZSi2vM_M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufSZSi2vM_M&t=445s[/video]

Shmee are your getting one?
 

jaxgt

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Jul 12, 2006
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I am a fan of cars in general, and love many marques. Ford is always my favorite, but I love McLaren, Porsche, Ferrari, Cadillacs etc...

I hate to say it, while the technology and performance of the "Speedtail" is surely going to be amazing, it is shockingly unattractive IMHO. I thought the Senna's looks were iffy (though admittedly growing on me a little in certain colors and from certain angles) but this thing is plain awful. Yikes.
 
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GKW05GT

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May 28, 2011
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Fayetteville, Ga.
That will take lots of growing on me to not be butt ugly.
 

2112

Blue/white 06'
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Fugly :frown
 

ChipBeck

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Feb 13, 2006
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Ah.....no.

Gentlemen,

I don’t even know where to begin here. In 1982 early in my two decade stint as a Pontiac dealer we were treated to a new Trans Am with similar “Aero Disc” covers on all 4 wheels. The dealers hated the way they looked and so did customers. “These make the coefficient of drag lower” the factory rep told us. “Those ugly discs will lower the coefficient of sales even more” was my response. A year later those stupid looking wheels were discontinued. But here McLaren takes a 36 year old bad idea to a whole new level. “Let’s go with the ugly disc wheels and put one triangular cut out on the edge to destroy symmetry and then combined those fronts with two completely different rear wheels that don’t match at all.” That should go nicely with a body shape that’s about as attractive as another classic Pontiac product....the Aztec. And Voilla!!!!! For about 2.5 million dollars you can be one of 106 people with a car that has a lower top speed than a 2006 Heffner TT Ford GT that has aero proven to be rock solid at 290+mph. But let's not stop there! We'll also go with the DeLorean side windows that only roll down a tiny section at the bottom. That function killing feature is sure to thrill buyers shelling out mid 7 figure sums for this masterpiece at every drive through!

The interior is matchingly awful. Good grief. You can explain to buyers how well it manages air flow at speeds none of them will ever take it and it won’t matter as the car assaults their eyes from every angle. At least the Senna is a kick ass track car. I don’t know what this thing is supposed to be.

But then, perhaps I’m too harsh.

Chip
 

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Sinovac

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Jul 18, 2006
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I thought the Senna's looks were iffy (though admittedly growing on me a little in certain colors and from certain angles) but this thing is plain awful. Yikes.

Iffy? Get your eyes checked STAT!
 

MTV8

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Jul 24, 2010
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This is supposed to be the successor to the F1. It looks like a joke.
 

txviper

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Dec 31, 2007
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GTJack

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Yikes!!! Good memory. Those pictures cause me to wonder if McLaren did their homework......
 

FikseGTS

GT Owner
Apr 15, 2007
461
South Florida
I like the interior, very futuristic.... exterior is functional/radical/efficient, which makes the design hard on the eyes, I would personally just throw more power at it and make it look better...
 

MJSFRX

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Jul 26, 2010
813
Carlsbad, CA
Simply fugly
 

vyprgt2

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Sep 9, 2005
609
CA
I think I like the Olds Aerotech a little better, but they are very similar.

How did McLaren come up with something as great-looking as the 600LT at about the same time as bringing out this and the Senna?
 

junior

GT Owner
Mar 9, 2007
1,151
So Cal
Went to check out the McLaren 570 GT this morning at a local dealer. There was a 720S in the showroom, just beautiful (like Charlize :biggrin). There was a 570GT there and very nice looking as well, this Speedtail is hideous, what is McLaren smoking? :confused

720S.jpg

570S.jpg
 

fjpikul

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Jan 4, 2006
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Reminds me of another winner: the XJ 220.
 

SteveA

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Sandpoint Id
Chevy already built it in '86
 

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dbk

The Favor Factory™
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Jul 30, 2005
15,187
Metro Detroit
It's gonna be better in real life than the pics indicate. That may be a low bar, but it's true. There is an inexplicable tendency across the auto industry to introduce vehicles with the absolutely shittiest pictures possible, and McLaren is habitually the worst offender. Everything about these introductory images is bad - bad spec, bad environment, bad angles, no drama.

I know why they use the spec - because under studio lighting it will show well in person, but it's not good for pics. The rest is silly to me. By putting the car in a floating environment and removing all sense of scale and reference, ostensibly to highlight just the car, the car instead mainly looks a poorly proportioned amorphous blob.

I like the theory behind the car. 3 seats is cool. Long tail is cool, which does make you wonder why cars without, er, long tails, are called LT but a car with an actual long tail is called Speedtail. Not crazy about the execution. Front end isn't good. All Macs have bad, bulbous, cab-forward greenhouses. But I think it's at least more cohesive than the disaster that is the 720S, let alone the Senna. I wouldn't really call it a successor to the F1. Their biggest problem is they design cars like they are a bunch of completely unrelated companies, even though all their stuff is essentially a variation on 1 car.

With a human, removal of the front wheel disc and some contrast it has a decent sort of Group C vibe.

speedtail.jpg

2spd.jpg
 

Sinovac

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Are the side cameras legal for the US?
 

texas mongrel

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Rob Melville is Design Director for McLaren (he interned for Chris Svennson back in Ford’s JLR ownership days). Rob’s design language is totally driven by aero - they spend tons of time with CFD analysis and when the aero is right the styling begins: That’s why, e.g. the 720s looks bloated around its waist and has those hideous headlights. That’s why the Senna is so fricking ugly. And that’s why the Speedtail looks like it does. Best use of spindle-mount wheel discs goes to this car.
 

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roketman

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Im a simple guy.Im happy with my Ford GT!
 

STORMCAT

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Are the side cameras legal for the US?

nope... that's why it can't be sold here thru the normal channels..