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Mike Flewitt, McLaren Automotive CEO, has confirmed that the
company will continue to pursue its engineering philosophy of reducing vehicle
weight to further enhance the performance and efficiency of its supercars.
Already evident in existing models such as the new 765LT, the ongoing drive for
weight reduction will put McLaren in the best possible position to embrace
powertrain advances such as hybridization and electrification, says Flewitt.
CEO Mike Flewitt says winning “the weight race” is a priority for McLaren
Photo Source: here
Flewitt delivered the message that McLaren’s determination to win “the weight race” remained undiminished in an abbreviated version of an address he had been due to give at the 2020 Automotive News World Congress, an automotive industry event postponed because of the Covid-19 crisis.
“Reducing vehicle weight is at the center of our strategy for the next generations of McLaren supercars. We are already class-leading and committed to further driving down weight in order to be in the best possible position to maximize the efficiency and performance of hybridized models to be introduced by 2025.
“Vehicle mass is the enemy of performance whether a car has a conventional internal combustion engine or a fully electrified powertrain, so winning the weight race is an absolute priority for us – and one of the reasons McLaren Automotive has invested heavily in the McLaren Composites Technology Centre, our own U.K. composite materials innovation and production facility.”
The commitment to continue minimizing weight comes as a new, limited-volume McLaren supercar comes to market with an 80kg* reduction integral to a lightest dry weight of just 1,229kg. The 765LT opens a fourth chapter in the McLaren Longtail story and embodies characteristics that have their roots in the legendary McLaren F1 ‘Longtail’ race cars of the late-1990s, with driver engagement, increased performance, lighter weight, track-focused dynamics and limited availability key features.
Only 765 individually-numbered examples of the new Longtail will be built to customer order globally.
