McLaren

Venge Bicycle by S-Specialized + McLaren

Bicycles are one of the oldest forms of mechanical transport we have. So surely there's not much new that can be done with it, right? That's what we thought until we saw the Venge racing bike.

Tags: bicycle, bike, mclaren, mclaren applied technologies, specialized, specialized bicycle components, venge

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EXCLUSIVE: Ralph Lauren to Exhibit Car Collection Classics for the First Time

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Events, The Classicist, Architecture & Design

Ralph Lauren to Exhibit Car Collection Classics for the First Time

Images exclusive to Luxist, courtesy of Ralph Lauren; click for high-res gallery

Some of the most precious gems in famed fashion designer Ralph Lauren's incredible car collection will be exhibited for the the first time ever in Paris this spring. Lauren's collection, in our opinion the finest one in private hands on the planet, features impeccable examples of the rarest and most valuable vehicles in the world. We can reveal exclusively that four of his exquisite automotive works of art, which have never before been seen in public, will be on view at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris from April 28 – August 28: a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM; a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Scaglietti; a 1956/1958 Jaguar XKSS; and a 1931 Alfa Romeo Monza 8C 2300.

13 other Lauren cars will also be on display during the exhibit, entitled The Art of the Automobile: Masterpieces from the Ralph Lauren Collection, including an amazing 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa (above), a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, and a 1938 Bugatti 57 SC Atlantic Coupé. The last two alone are worth about $30 – $40 million each, and are among the world's most expensive cars. The Paris exhibit will focus on European models created between the 1930s and the 1990s, "illustrating the evolution of car design in the 20th Century." They were selected by curator Rodolphe Rapetti and will be arranged by scenographer Jean-Michel Wilmotte, with the "kinetics" and sound of the vehicles conveyed by means of various films and recordings. The museum will also be producing a luxe book to celebrate the occasion.

Gallery: Ralph Lauren's Cars Headed to Paris

Tags: Alfa Romeo, Bentley, billionaire, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Bugatti, car collection, car design, celebrity cars, classic cars, designer, exclusive, exhibit, exhibition, fashion design, fashion designer, Ferrari, Ferrari 250 GTO, ferrari+250+gt, ferrari250gt, France, Jaguar, McLaren, mens style, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, museum, museum show, Paris, Porsche, Ralph Lauren, ralph+lauren+car+collection, ralph+lauren+cars, ralph+laurens+car+collection, ralphlaurencarcollection, ralphlaurencars, ralphlaurenscarcollection, supercars, The Classicist, worlds most expensive, worlds most expensive car, worlds most expensive cars

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TAG Heuer Carrera MP4-12C for McLaren

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos

McLaren and TAG Heuer have a longstanding history. Never mind that the F1 team's drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are both brand ambassadors for the Swiss watchmaker. Heuer took the TAG name when Mansour Ojjeh's Techniques d'Avant Garde – onetime supplier of McLaren's turbocharged Porsche F1 engines and still a part owner of the racing team turned automaker – took it over in the pre-LVMH days. TAG Heuer crafted special watches to accompany both the legendary McLaren F1 and the subsequent Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, and has now returned for a new watch to compliment the new MP4-12C supercar.

Based on the Carrera model, the MP4-12C edition features a carbon fiber dial with a large window to see the movement and a big orange zero where the 12 should be (to make it look more like a speedometer), housed in a sandblasted titanium case and affixed to the wrist with a perforated Alcantara strap. The orange detailing reflects McLaren's traditional color, and the 47-jewel Dubois Depraz Calibre 4900 fly-back chronograph movement features a perpetual calendar display. Only 1000 examples of this exclusive timepiece will be made.

Tags: heuer, mclaren, McLaren MP4-12C, tag, tag heuer, tag heuer carrera, tag heuer carrera mp4-12c

McLaren Puts a Price Tag on the MP4-12C

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

If you've been waiting for your opportunity to order the latest supercar from McLaren, you can start setting aside the cash now, as the British racing team turned exotic automaker has announced pricing for the new MP4-12C.

Although the cost with options and add-ons is sure to climb, the 12C will retail for a base $229,000 – pitting it squarely against the $225,000 Ferrari 458 Italia and the $237,000 Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4.

Gallery: McLaren MP4-12C

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Tags: mclaren, mclaren mp4-12c, mp4-12c

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Edition

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

It's been a while since we've brought you news on the Mercedes-Benz SLR Mclaren. And with good reason: it was discontinued a year ago, and the two companies behind it have since gone their separate ways. But busy as McLaren is with its own new line of supercars, they've found enough time to bring the SLR back out of retirement for an encore.

The SLR McLaren Edition is a kit to be mounted on existing models, giving the exotic a revised suspension, steering, aerodynamics and interior. Only 25 examples will be offered, making this even more exclusive than the five different variants on the theme offered previously. No word on pricing, but if you already have an SLR sitting in the driveway, something tells us cost will be no object.

Tags: 2010 essen motor show, essen, essen motor show, mclaren, mercedes, mercedes-benz, Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Edition, slr, SLR McLaren Edition

Lord Foster Designs $70 Million Factory for McLaren's New Supercar

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Architecture & Design

Famed British architect Lord Norman Foster has designed a stunning new $70 million Production Centre for McLaren where the legendary racing marque is busy assembling their wicked new MP4-12C supercar. The sleek new facility is an adjunct to McLaren's Technology Centre at the UK HQ, which Foster also designed and built for the company. Every aspect of the the Production Centre, a shrine to the ultimate in automotive technology and car design, is "clean, clinical and present for good reason," Wallpaper notes. The Production Centre is a low energy, eco-friendly structure with a roof designed to collect rainwater and a displacement ventilation system. It's connected to the Technology Centre by an underground walkway for ease of communication between McLaren's design and engineering teams. The overall effect is straight out of a James Bond film with its all-white interior, ceramic tiled floors and all-black technician's outfits; the only splashes of color come from the cars themselves.

Gallery: Lord Norman Foster for McLaren

[via JamesList]

Tags: architect, architecture, car design, design, Foster + Partners, Lord Norman Foster, McLaren, McLaren MP4-12C, Norman Foster, supercar, UK

The McLaren MP4-12C Finally Comes to America

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Almost a year after the last Mercedes McLaren SLR rolled off the production line, McLaren has shown its MP4-12C to our corner of the world during Pebble Beach weekend. It is the first in what will be a range of McLaren sports cars, and the MP4-12C is the baseline – they will only get faster and more expensive from here.

The raw specs: mid-mounted 3.8-liter twin turbo V8, 600 horsepower, 442 pound-feet of torque. The compelling details, however, are underneath and even beyond the metal bits: McLaren's mission with the MP4-12C is to make technologies usually reserved for Formula 1 cars and Pagani Zondas accessible to those on less-than-Zonda budgets.

The carbon fiber tub, the monocell, is molded in one piece, a first for a production car. The body panels are tuned to aero purposes only – none of them need to do duty as structural members. The electrohydraulic suspension can be locked out for track blasting, then switched to four-wheel-independent urban duty for a "3 Series or 5 Series ride." It's lower and shorter than a Ferrari 458, but it has a longer wheelbase and it weighs about 160 pounds less. Oh, and it's got the biggest trunk space in the segment. That isn't terribly difficult when supercar trunks are better at stowing leaflets than luggage, but still, feather, meet McLaren cap...

Said McLaren's head of PR, "If you look at our competition, they are the best cars ever made in that segment." We look forward to finding out if the McLaren is even better, because while we walked around the car at Pebble we kept imagining it saying, "If you see the Ferrari 458, tell it I'm here."

Gallery: McLaren MP4-12C at Pebble Beach

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Tags: mclaren, McLaren MP4-12C, mercedes, mercedes-benz, MP4-12C

$220 Million London Penthouse Now World's Most Expensive

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Real Estate Developments, Wealth

A six-bedroom penthouse at London's posh One Hyde Park development (above) has just sold for a record-breaking £140 million, or about $220 million, making it the most expensive piece of residential real estate in the world (in terms of current listings and sales). The massive deal eclipses the paltry $150 million asking price for The Manor, Candy Spelling's monstrous mansion in Holmby Hills, California, previous holder of the World's Most Expensive title. While the identity of the buyer remains a closely-guarded secret, speculation is centering on oligarchs and oil sheikhs, the London Telegraph reports. The palatial penthouse stretches across two floors and boasts bullet-proof windows, a panic room and stunning views across the Serpentine lake in Hyde Park.

The new owners will also have access to 24-hour room service from the neighboring Mandarin Oriental hotel, spas, squash courts a private wine-tasting facility and protection from security guards who are former members of the SAS, the UK's elite special forces unit. One Hyde Park, which boasts 86 properties starting at around £20 million, is comprised of four hexagonal tower blocks due to be completed by December. Back in 2008 when the project was in its infancy my colleague Deirdre Woollard reported that Sheikh Hamad, the foreign minister of Qatar, had agreed to purchase an apartment there for a rumored £100 million, or around $196 million. More recently we revealed that British supercar maker McLaren will open a luxe new showroom in the development as well. Take a look at the images after the jump.

Tags: Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills, Hyde Park, London, Mandarin Oriental, McLaren, One Hyde Park, penthouse, Qatar, real estate, The Manor, worlds most expensive

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McLaren to Open Showroom in London's Luxe One Hyde Park

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Real Estate Developments, Architecture & Design

Famed British race-bred auto marque McLaren has announced plans for a luxurious new London showroom at the base of the posh One Hyde Park development, currently under construction between Harrods and Harvey Nichols in the swanky Knightsbridge neighborhood. The premises (rendering above) will serve as the flagship for the company to flog its wicked new $250,000 MP4-12C supercar, a carbon fiber rocket with a 600 hp twin-turbo V8 engine. One Hyde Park, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners, is due to open in late October with the McLaren showroom slated to follow early next year. As well as its supercar, the showroom will display a selection of McLaren's Formula 1 race cars.

[via Auto Express]

Tags: British car, Formula 1, Harrods, Knightsbridge, London, McLaren, One Hyde Park, retail, showroom, supercar, UK

Larry Ellison's McLaren F1 Up for Auction at Pebble Beach

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

It's not every day that a McLaren F1 becomes available for purchase. After all, only a hundred were made. But that day is coming up, and coming up soon.

At the fast-approaching Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Gooding & Company will auction off one very desirable example of the supercar that's still trouncing the competition a dozen years since it ceased production. This particular example, in silver with black interior, once belonged to Larry Ellison, whose company Oracle sponsored the McLaren racing team, and stands as one of the few ever registered for use in the United States. Pre-sale estimates place its value at around $3 million... give or take $500k.

[Image: Paul Litwinski © 2010 Courtesy of Gooding & Company]

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Tags: f1, gooding, Gooding and Company, gooding co, gooding company, larry ellison, mclaren, mclaren f1, monterey, pebble beach, Pebble Beach Concours dElegance

McLaren Art Car by César Tipped to Top €2 Million at Auction

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

When automobiles break the seven-figure mark at auction, they're usually pre-war or even post-war classics. But a sportscar from the 90s? This one is an exception.

As it is, the McLaren F1 remains a highly coveted collectors item, pristine examples still commanding seven-figure price tags in their own right. A race-spec McLaren F1 GTR is an even more sought-after rarity. But even in this field, this particular example is rarer still.

After racing it at Le Mans in 1994, French industrialist Jean-Luc Maury-Laribiére handed his McLaren over to famed artist César. The result has a similar effect as BMW's own art cars, which makes sense considering that the McLaren is powered by BMW engines and enjoyed factory backing in its motorsport exploits. This one-of-a-kind example is set to cross the auction block during the Le Mans Classic on July 9, where auctioneers Artcurial Motors anticipates it will fetch between $2.5 and 3 million.

Gallery: McLaren F1 GTR art car by César

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Tags: art car, art cars, artcurial, artcurial motors, bmw art car, bmw art cars, césar, cesar, f1, f1 gtr, le mans, le mans classic, mclaren, mclaren F1, mclaren f1 gtr

McLaren Celebrates 20 years from the Conception of the F1 Supercar

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

McLaren F1s gather for a party – click above for high-res image gallery

Twenty years ago this spring what is considered by many to be the greatest supercar of all time was conceived. The McLaren F1 may not have the shear power and technological prowess of the more recent Bugatti Veyron, but the product of ex-formula one designer Gordon Murray's fertile mind was vastly more elegant from a pure engineering standpoint. While the Veyron throws in everything but the kitchen sink with four turbochargers on its V16 engine, all-wheel-drive and active aerodynamics, the F1 relied on a lightweight carbon fiber chassis and a highly tuned normally aspirated V12.

Engineering and design work began in March of 1990 and the first prototypes rolled out of the McLaren factory two years later. The first production example was delivered to a customer in late 1993. Customers soon decided they wanted to race the F1 and the factory prepared five cars for the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. Aside from a front splitter, rear wing, and requisite racing safety gear, the F1 GTR was almost stock and the engine was actually restricted compared to the road version. Those five cars finished 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th first time out.

Ultimately, McLaren built 100 F1s including 72 for the street and 28 race cars along with six prototypes. Of those 21 returned to the factory last month for a celebration to mark 20 years as well as the launch of the new MP4-12C.

Gallery: McLaren F1 20th Anniversary

[Source: McLaren]

Tags: mclaren, mclaren automotive, mclaren F1, mclaren f1 20th anniversary, McLaren MP4-12C

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Steinmetz Encrusts McLaren Gear with Diamonds for Monaco Grand Prix

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Luxury Cars & Autos, Sports

In the fast-paced, weight-obsessed, space-age world of Formula One racing, there's not much room for ornamentation. Except maybe in Monaco, the most glamorous race on the calendar. That's where the F1 circus is heading this weekend, and it's also where Steinmetz Diamonds will be unveiling a unique tribute to the McLaren team and its world champion drivers.

Steimetz has taken the helmets and steering wheels of both Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, and embellished them with Forevermark diamonds. The pieces were unveiled at Villa la Vigie – once owned by Karl Lagerfeld and now the home of the Steinmetz Salon Privé – on Wednesday. Both world champions – Button 2009 and Lewis 2008 – will be sporting their diamond-encrusted helmets and steering wheels at this weekend's grand prix, where Hamilton, for one, hopes to recreate his 2008 Monaco GP win, where he also wore Steinmetz diamonds on his helmet.

Gallery: McLaren helmets and steering wheels by Steinmetz

Tags: diamonds, f1, formula 1, formula one, grand prix, jenson button, lewis hamilton, mclaren, monaco, monaco gp, monaco grand prix, monte carlo, steinmetz, villa la vigie

McLaren Focuses on Efficient Sportscars, Hybrids Possible

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

McLaren MP4-12C – Click above for high-res image gallery

McLaren seems to think it's possible to have your cake and eat it too. Judging by the company's past and present performances, we wouldn't doubt them. Managing Director Anthony Sheriff sat down with Inside Line at the company's official launch, and plenty of interesting information was gleaned. For instance, McLaren has committed itself to producing the lowest carbon emissions per horsepower of any car on sale.

In order to promote both efficiency and performance, McLaren has set its target on reduced weight. Says Mark Vinnels, McLaren Automotive's program director, "Weight will always be the fundamental enemy of what we're trying to achieve. Our focus will be on achieving the best lightweight solutions at the given price point." That likely means that future models from the sportscar manufacturer will use exotic materials, possibly including heavy doses of carbon fiber and composites in structural areas.

Powertrains won't be neglected when it comes to efficiency either. Last summer, McLaren posted an ad looking for a hybrid powertrain engineer. Sheriff wouldn't rule out hybrid drivetrains, but was coy about their future applications. "We're about applying high technology to make our cars faster and more efficient. And we may make things in a different way to what you expect," he said.

Gallery: McLaren MP4-12C

Tags: hybrid, hybrid mclaren, hybrid supercar, HybridMclaren, hybrids, HybridSupercar, mclaren, mclaren F1, mclaren hybrid, McLaren MP4-12C, McLaren p11, MclarenF1, MclarenHybrid, MclarenMp4-12c, MclarenP11

McLaren Automotive Officially Launches Itself into the Automotive Stratosphere [w/Video]

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, 10 Luxuries

McLaren MP4-12C – Click above for high-res image gallery

This morning McLaren Automotive held a press conference at its technology center outside London England to officially unveil itself and its first new product to the world. An off-shoot of the McLaren Formula One team, the new automaker picks up where the previous efforts that produced the F1 of the mid-1990s and the more recent Mercedes-McLaren SLR left off.

Chairman Ron Dennis discussed the philosophy of passion behind the new enterprise while Managing Director Anthony Sherriff went over the MP4-12C in some detail. The over-arching design goal was performance through efficiency. By keeping size and weight down, the car is able to achieve extraordinary levels of performance. McLaren has developed an all-new bespoke powertrain consisting of a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 with 600 horsepower and a lightning fast dual clutch transmission.

Sherriff promises a compliant ride for everyday driving with handling that will top anything in the world. McLaren is currently in the process of appointing 35 dealers in 19 countries to sell its cars when they start production in 2011. First year production is pegged at 1,000 cars with that number rising to 4,000 annually by 2015 as at least two additional models are added. Pricing and final performance figures will be announced later this year. Check out Autoblog for more technical details on the McLaren MP4-12C. There is a video of McLaren formula one drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton testing the 12C after the jump.

[Source: McLaren]

Tags: mclaren, mclaren automotive, McLaren MP4-12C, mclaren-mercedes

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