McLaren Special Operations has unveiled plans for a three-seat successor to the legendary F1. Details about the BP23 Hyper-GT are scarce at the moment, but McLaren has let enough tiny morsels of information slip for us to know it will be something seriously special.
It seems every man and his dog is working on a special, top-secret hypercar project at the moment. Aston Martin and Red Bull have teamed up on the stunning AM-RB001, and Mercedes-AMG is also working on a Formula 1 inspired race car for the road. Cars like this are usually once in a generation prospects, the type of cars that make people weak at the knees.
The original McLaren F1 was one of those cars when it launched in 1992, and its reputation has only grown in the intervening years. Evoking its spirit, let alone borrowing its unique seating layout, is a seriously big deal – and a decision McLaren wouldn't have taken lightly.
Although the F1 was an outright supercar, we're not sure how hard-edged the BP23 will be. Company CEO Mike Flewitt is calling it a Hyper-GT, capable of taking passengers on long road trips in comfort, but also able to deliver the knockout performance punch modern McLaren road cars are known for.
"A hybrid powertrain will make [the BP23] one of the most powerful McLarens yet created but the car will also deliver the highest levels of refinement, enabling significant journeys to be undertaken with up to three people aboard," says Flewitt.
Just 106 examples of the BP23 will be built, the same number of F1s built between 1992 and 1999. It's already sold out, and each one will be utterly bespoke thanks to a close partnership between owners and McLaren Special Operations.
Source: McLaren
