taking a power lap in mclaren’s latest mechanical marvel
The McLaren Senna is a combination of two of the most iconic names in motor racing history, so a car with that appellation must be something special. The undeniably brilliant Ayrton Senna was one of McLaren’s most successful drivers, winning the F1 driver’s championship three times with the British manufacturer, in 1988, 1990 and 1991.
It is fitting, then, that the McLaren Senna was built with lap times in mind. It certainly looks the part, in that it does not look particularly pretty — it has a rather bulbous profile, full of aggressive cuts and vents and massive rear spoiler. The entire package screams (‘screams’ feels very much like the correct verb) ‘function’ rather than ‘form’. It ticks a lot of checkboxes for the modern hypercar — active aerodynamics, liberal use of carbon fibre, and cutting-edge braking and suspension systems — and is powered by McLaren’s most powerful engine ever: a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that puts out a whopping 789bhp. The 0-100km/h sprint is accomplished in just 2.8 seconds, no doubt aided by the featherlike dry weight of 1,198kg.
Despite this, the Senna is apparently a road car, albeit one with dedicated helmet storage. We will find out how nominal that designation is 2019, which is when it is expected to hit the highway. Its price has been reported to be about £750,000 (RM4 million), and the production run of 500 is said to have already been sold out.
