You can now buy a brand-new McLaren for just US$7,950! We should point out that the vehicle is not a supercar but an electric mountain bike – one of four models that the British automaker has just announced. Another in that lineup is said to be the most powerful of its kind.
First of all, a prestige car brand branching off into bicycles isn't a new idea.
In recent years, we've seen bikes made by (or with) marques such as Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Porsche. McLaren itself has even previously teamed up with Specialized to produce not one but two non-electric road bikes.
The automaker's new line of eMTBs consists of two main models – the full-suspension Extreme and the hardtail Sport – which are in turn both available in 600- and 250-watt variants. Designed by McLaren engineers, all four bikes feature full carbon fiber frames along with a control screen "whose graphics mimic those of the cars’ driver displays." That screen is integrated into a one-piece carbon handlebar.
Sitting at the top of the pack, the $11,950 Extreme 600 is claimed to be the world’s most powerful trail-legal electric mountain bike. Its mid-mount 600W motor delivers 161 Nm (119 lb ft) of torque and 852 watts of peak power, along with a top electric-assisted speed of 20 mph (32 km/h). Like the other models, it offers four electric assist modes: Off, Eco, Trail, Sport and Race.
Power is supplied by a down-tube-integrated 48V/14.5Ah/720Wh lithium battery. There's no word on charging or run times.
The bike comes stock with a SRAM XX Eagle AXS 12-speed electronic-shift drivetrain; a RockShox Lyrik Rush RC fork with 160 mm of travel; a RockShox RS Deluxe Select+ rear shock with 145 mm of travel; SRAM G2 RE 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes; plus custom carbon-rimmed wheels (a 29-incher in the front and a 27.5er in the rear) clad in Pirelli Scorpion Enduro tires.
It also features an integrated 1,550-lumen headlight, which perhaps unnecessarily adds a bit to the bike's weight. Speaking of which, weight figures haven't been provided for any of the models.
Along with the $8,950 Sport 600's lack of rear suspension, some of the other features that set it apart from the Extreme 600 include a SRAM GX Eagle 12-speed mechanical-shift drivetrain and a RockShox Pike Rush RC fork with 140 mm of travel.
The $10,950 Extreme 250 and the $7,950 Sport 250 models are spec'd almost identically to their more powerful siblings, the obvious difference being their less powerful but more energy-efficient 250-watt motors.
All four bikes are available now in "limited numbers" via the McLaren website.
Source: McLaren