McLaren Special Operations (MSO) has created its wildest car yet.
The 2021 McLaren Sabre will be built in extremely limited numbers, with just 15 set for production. All of them will be headed to the USA.
With 615kW of power and 800Nm of torque on tap from its twin-turbocharged V8 engine, it’s the most powerful non-hybrid road car McLaren has made.
Topping out at 351km/h, it’s also the second fastest car McLaren makes behind the ultra-aerodynamic Speedtail.
The brand says it’s made changes to the Sabre that are only allowed in the USA, fitting “ideas and innovations that global homologation would not permit”.
Each of the 15 owners worked closely with McLaren to develop the Sabre, and each car will feature bespoke exterior and interior finishes in keeping with its ultra-limited billing.
Externally, the Sabre appears to share its bones with the wild, track-focused Senna.
Down back, there’s a larger wing integrated with a prominent fin, making the Sabre look part road car, and part Le Mans prototype.
The nose appears longer than that of the Senna, with slimmer headlights and unique fins where the front fenders would usually sit.
Although it’s an eye-catching supercar, the Sabre isn’t the new McLaren we’re most excited to see. That honour belongs to the hybrid Artura.
Previously referred to as the High-Performance Hybrid, the Artura will go on sale globally in the first half of 2021.
Local launch timings have yet to be confirmed.
It’ll debut the new McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA), developed and manufactured at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre in Sheffield.
MCLA, designed from the ground up to accommodate hybrid powertrains, will underpin other hybrid supercars “over the coming years”.
The hybrid supercar will be powered by an all-new twin-turbocharged petrol V6 engine and will offer a pure EV drive mode suitable for “everyday emission-free urban journeys”.
As for the meaning of the name, a McLaren spokesperson told Automotive News it’s a newly created name that “represents the art of design and future technology”, though scores of women throughout the world named Artura will be surprised to hear that.
