In a frustrating effort to ‘keep the world guessing’, McLaren has revealed only a sliver more information about its upcoming model, believed to be the ‘570LT’.
Despite the badge suggesting a 419kW output, rumours have the twin-turbo V8 of the next model putting out around 447kW.
An image of the car’s rear was posted last week, with exhaust exits missing, which prompted some punters to worry McLaren was working on an electric supercar.
A video posted that same day then revealed that the ‘570LT’ would indeed have a petrol engine, with sounds of revving emanating from an unseen car.
Today, McLaren has confirmed it does indeed have exhausts, in the form of top-exits. Another video also followed, though not much more information can be drawn from it.
Though it’s set to be revealed on June 28, its public debut is to be at Goodwood next month.
“The car, which will be driven up the famous Goodwood Hill Climb for the first time on Thursday July 12, will be the fifth model to be announced under McLaren’s Track22 business plan.
“It will benefit from increased power, minimised weight, optimised aerodynamics and enhanced driver engagement. It will also deliver track-focused dynamics.
“And like the McLaren Senna, the most recent model revealed by the Woking-based company, it will be limited to the few.”
How many those ‘few’ amount to is not yet known, McLaren’s website has a page set up for potential buyers to register interest, suggesting there should be enough to go around.
THE latest issue of WHEELS magazine is now on sale, with the July issue headlined by our celebration of Porsche’s 70th anniversary. We’ve marked the birthday with three different covers, all available for public sale and each with its own hero car and colour palette. Inside, you’ll also find a mix of adventure drives, comparison tests and opinion, with the magazine available not only in print but digitally on your smartphone or tablet.
The digital edition of Australia’s leading motoring magazine can be delivered straight to Apple and Android devices. If you want early access, a digital subscription is priced at $49,99 for 13 issues.
To subscribe to Wheels in digital format, print or even both, pick from the links below or head to www.magshop.com.au/wheels
In the July 2018 issue of Wheels…
• Porsche turns 70 – Celebrating seven decades of sports car brilliance
• The Incredibles – We gather the 959, Carrera GT and 918 Spyder here in Australia
• Night at the Museum – It’s a lock-in at the shrine of Porsche heritage: the company collection in Zuffenhausen
• All-new 911 GT3 RS unleashed on the Nurburgring. Four litres of fury on the F1 circuit.
• The backstory on Volkswagen’s all-electric assault on Pikes Peak
• Pedal to the metal in Ford’s Fiesta ST, the car that’s spearheading the baby hot hatch revival
• Mercedes-AMG’s ballistic new G63 AMG – 375kW and a ladder-frame. Gnarly
• Stinger vs Mondeo vs Optima vs Camry vs Calais – for when an SUV isn’t the answer to every question
• Retro – BMW’s lithe and lovely 3.0 CSL. Why the Batmobile still matters
• The most incisive opinion from Inwood, Stahl and Carey plus special guest contributions from Walter Rohrl and Mark Webber
• Garage – Suzuki Swift Sport and Peugeot 3008 arrive in the Wheels garage, joining our imperious Volvo XC60 T8 and semi house-trained Kia Stinger GT
• Ferrari 488 GTB Spider, Audi R8 V10 Spyder, Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster: three diverse superstar drop tops. Are they better than their coupe siblings?
A week out from the reveal of the new 2019 Volvo S60, the brand has announced for the car a performance pack from its Polestar arm.
Called ‘Polestar Engineered’, the pack increases the performance capabilities of the T8 plug-in hybrid version of the S60.
The T8’s ‘Twin Engine’ system – expect a four-pot helped by an electric motor – will produce a combined 298kW and 640Nm, while the Polestar Engineered pack brings that up to 309kW and 670Nm, as well as improving automatic gear selection.
But it’s not just a power boost, as the pack also increases performance through handling with upgraded Ohlins shock absorbers which, with the strut bar, were designed for the Polestar 1, the first car to come entirely from Volvo’s performance arm.
Brembo mono-block brake callipers – painted gold – are also added to the S60 with the Polestar Engineered pack, along with pads and discs designed to further reduce heat build-up.
2017 Volvo S60 Polestar review
Surrounding these will be unique lightweight wheels, while black chrome exhaust pipes and golden seat belts will further differentiate the Polestar Engineered cars.
Volvo says the pack will also be available on the V60 estate (wagon, to us) and XC60 SUV, though it’s not yet confirmed which models will be available in Australia.
We’d be surprised if the XC60 doesn’t show up, and the S60 should arrive here too given Australia was the ‘test’ market for the first S60 Polestar.
Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson says the Swedish brand, and its performance arm Polestar, are firmly planted in the proliferation of electric vehicles.
“Electric cars are our future,” says Samuelsson
“Today starts a new era of Volvo electrified models enhanced by Polestar’s performance engineering prowess.
“This strategy is firmly grounded in our shared belief in an electric future for the car industry.”
The S60 is set to be built in Charleston, South Carolina, the first time a Volvo has been produced in the US.
Pakenham, just south-east of Melbourne, could become the newest host to a racetrack in Australia if a new proposal gets off the ground.
If given the ‘green light’ by the local council, the Cardinia Motor Recreation and Education Complex will join the growing list of racetracks being developed in Australia.
With plans for a main racing circuit plus a skid pan, kart track, and even a clay shooting range for firearms, the complex would be able to host a variety of events.
A spokesperson for the proposal tells MOTOR that if any changes were made to the plan, it’d be the addition of more facilities rather than the removal of those initially planned.
“This complex will be designed to host local, state, national and international events – for all sporting disciplines facilitated within the complex.
“Specific events will be released at a later date once the final master plan for the complex is established.”
Apex Circuit Design is behind the planned circuit layout, a 3.7km track with apparent elevation for an overpass across a service road.
Apex’s resume includes Sydney Motorsport Park and the Seppang International Circuit, as well as some Rallycross tracks and street cicuits. It’s also behind a long-running proposal for a motorsport park at Avalon, Victoria.
The Bend confirmed for Supercars 2018
“Our track layout design will be finalised by our automotive design consultants Apex Circuit Design, so the final track layout will be put through their simulation programs, designed to FIA Grade 2 and FIM Grade B and have multiple configurations available,” the Cardinia proposal spokesperson tells MOTOR.
As the name suggests, the complex is intended as both a motorsport precinct and a driver training centre, with the split expected to be about 50:50.
“Honestly it’s going to be almost an even split between both as they are both are very important focuses for the complex.
“Our vision is to have the motor race track operating for race days and events simultaneously while the drift pan, classrooms and pit facilities are being utilised for educational training.
“The chance to facilitate a complex such as this is an exciting and unique opportunity, and we are very passionate about creating a world class facility which will not only enable further sporting and educational opportunities for people in the local and wider community, but will also benefit the local economy with an increase in job opportunities, infrastructure and tourism.”
As with any motorsport facility, however, a few concerns have been raised regarding the potential for noise complaints to end or limit the track’s development.
The spokesperson, however, has confirmed that the developers are well aware and cautious of the matter.
“Acoustic reports have already been conducted on the site, with findings showing that noise will be within the required normal dBA levels for surrounding housing estates.
“In addition the facility design will also include noise control features to ensure noise is within the required levels.
“Future growth in the immediate surrounding properties is predicted to be only industrial or rural for the areas currently zoned as green wedge, due to the new bypass being constructed in the near future next to the site.”
The next step before the proposal can be green-lit is the decision made by the Cardinia Shire Council, before which support from the public can be submitted for consideration.
“The Cardinia Shire Council is currently accepting submissions of feedback regarding their intended plans to support the development of the site into a motor recreation and education complex.
“Submissions close on the 28th of June, and from there they will then meet in July to decide if they give the green light for the complex.
“So we are currently trying to gather as many submissions of positive support to ensure this exciting new complex will get the green light of approval.”
Submissions of support for the project can be hand delivered to the Council’s Office at 20 Siding Avenue, Officer, Victoria, or posted to Cardinia Shire Council, PO BOX 7, Pakenham, VIC, 3810.
Online submissions of support are also accepted via a very short online form, accessible here.
FORD has filed a patent in the US for an intriguing new light-emitting innovation that hides vehicle markings within the bodywork of a car, but then flashes them into sight at the flick of a switch.
The patent drawings discovered by carscoops.com show the system applied to Ford US law enforcement vehicles, allowing a Police Interceptor to masquerade as a standard Taurus full of civilians, until someone breaks the law, at which point the vehicle transforms into a fully illuminated cop car, ready to bust some asses.
It works by having a printed light-emitting layer in the shape of the police signwriting concealed beneath an etched silicon layer, which both matches the vehicle paint as well as the original body panel shape.
When the LED layer is energised, light passes through the top layer, displaying the shape beneath – in this case the police banner, but there’s nothing to suggest other designs can’t be accommodated.
Unlike electroluminescent panels that sit on top of the panel and paint, and can be seen when not illuminated, the Ford concealed light emitting idea is apparently invisible and that has obvious advantages for law enforcement agencies.
Vehicles can remain inconspicuous until it’s time to bang on the blues and twos, after which there is no mistaking the car that’s pulling you in for jumping a red.
Its likely Ford is pitching the idea as an advantage over arch rival GM, which also supplies vehicles to various law-enforcement agencies in the US.
At this stage it appears from the patent drawings that only the police application is under consideration, but depending on the lighting effect, Ford could choose to apply the unique technology to its road cars in the future and even advance enough to turn racing cars into scrolling electronic billboards.
While many manufacturers pump development cash into organic LED and laser technology, Ford’s latest innovation could one day spawn tail lights and indicators that are completely invisible until illuminated. That’s a pretty cool future Ford we’re imagining.
Infotainment appears to be the new battleground in the premium hatchback market and Audi is the latest brand to weigh in. The German car maker has revealed its next-generation A1 will feature state-of-the-art in-cabin tech to rival the new, technologically advanced Mercedes-Benz A-Class.
A teaser clip on its social media pages shows the 2019 A1’s large MMI Touch infotainment system, first seen in the bigger Audi A6 and A8 models, embedded in the dashboard.
The brief clip shows a passenger using their finger to pen “Barcelona” on the screen, which is a nod to Catalonian capital where the A1 will be revealed later this year, and to the nearby SEAT plant in Martorell where it will be built.
The image doesn’t show if the instrument cluster features the fully digital Virtual Cockpit system, which, like MMI Touch, is only expected to be standard in the higher-spec variants.
Other take outs from the image are the climate-control buttons and dials in place of the touchscreen panel included in the bigger models, while the yellow trim surrounding the air vent suggests some kind of interior customisation package has been optioned, similar to the Audi Q2.
Audi’s smallest model will share the MQB A0 platform with the Polo and SEAT Ibiza, but with more advanced multi-link chassis and sportier chassis tune. It will also be bigger than its relatives, with a longer wheelbase and wider body.
British Car restorer and McLaren specialist Lanzante has teased that it’s working on a McLaren P1 GT Longtail.
With only the caption ‘Coming Soon, McLaren P1 GT Longtail,’ the Instagram post gives little away except who its owner is.
One of the Instagram accounts tagged by Lanzante in the post is speedy_gonzales999, a car collector who has remained largely anonymous despite garnering a following of over 15,000 Instagram users.
Speedy, as we’ll call him, is seemingly based in both the UK and Dubai and, among many other cars, owns a Singer Porsche and a McLaren P1.
Speedy says the car will stay in the UK once it’s ready (he also reveals that the car is ‘almost there’ in a comment), and it seem that it’s a one off for now.
It’s not the first ‘Longtail’ version of a McLaren supercar that’s been created, the Woking carmaker built three McLaren F1 GTs in the late 1990s to homologate the F1 GTR racer, though the GT was meant to be a one-off.
Nicknamed ‘Longtail’, after its track-bound sibling, it inspired the creation of the 675LT (no prizes for guessing what the ‘LT’ stands for) almost two decades later, which McLaren recently bestowed with a Gulf livery, in turn, inspired by the original GTR Longtail.
Lanzante has also been involved in the creation of another P1-derived car, the P1 LM. It was the road-legal (and more extreme) version of the P1 GTR, which set the fastest time at the Goodwood Hill Climb in 2016.
It also boasts a Nürburgring lap time of just 6:43, with former IndyCar driver Kenny Bräck at the wheel.
If you thought there was already plenty of performance SUVs on sale, you haven’t seen anything yet.
MOTOR’s European Editor, Georg Kacher, has informed us Audi is preparing to unleash a performance SUV onslaught over the next three years, which will give every current and future high-riding model a fast halo variant.
First up are the four-cylinder models, using variations of the 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder and quattro underpinnings from the S3. By the end of this year we should see a 200kW SQ2 and 240kW SQ3 and SQ4, the latter pair based on the overdue all-new Q3, which will sit on the latest VAG MQB platform.
Those who need to have five cylinders will need to wait a little longer for the RS Q3 and RS Q4, powered by the all-alloy 2.5-litre turbo five which produces 294kW/480Nm under the bonnet of the RS3 and TT RS.
The V6 petrol SQ5 hasn’t proved as popular as its diesel predecessor, but perhaps punters will be enticed by the swoopier SQ6, scheduled to arrive in 2019 using the same 260kW/500Nm 3.0-litre turbo V6. An RSQ5/Q6, using the 331kW/600Nm 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 from the RS4/RS5? Possible, but unconfirmed.
Next in line is the SQ7. Despite Audi’s investment in the clever 48-volt 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 diesel , it appears the forthcoming WLTP (Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure) has forced the engine’s demise in Europe.
Expect the SQ7 to switch to a 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 at the same time as the reveal of the identically-engined SQ8, however, it’s unclear whether the diesel will continue in international markets such as here in Australia, as Audi is tight-lipped on the subject.
Last, but certainly not least, topping the range will be a monster RS Q8, scheduled for 2020, and seven-seat RS Q9, to follow in 2021. These will use the increasingly ubiquitous 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 currently used by the Porsche Panamera/Cayenne and Lamborghini Urus and set for the next-generation RS6/RS7.
Expect 465kW for the RS Q8 and a Urus-matching 478kW for the RS Q9, which will give Audi an uber-SUV to take the fight to the likes of the Bentley Bentayga and forthcoming Mercedes-Maybach GLS. Essentially, if you want to haul your family with pace, Audi will have you covered, regardless of your budget (or garage size).
Aston Martin’s ‘AMR’ badge has finally reached the Rapide, the brand’s ageing four-door.
Based on the eight-year-old car, the 2018 Aston Martin Rapide AMR will be limited to a run of 210 cars, available in a choice of three design specifications.
All three will share the same foundations, a 443kW/ 630Nm naturally aspirated 5.9-litre V12 – though the UK and Europe only get 440kW.
Aston says it’ll knock over 0-100km/h in just 4.4 seconds, shaving a few tenths off the time the Rapide S will run it in. 330km/h is the claim for a top speed.
A quad exhaust, new to the AMR, also ensures the car can’t be misheard as a standard Rapide.
The 21-inch wheels are a first for any Aston, according to the brand, and are wrapped in Michelin Super Sports. Behind these, carbon ceramic brakes measure 400mm at the front with six-piston calipers and 360mm at the rear with four-pots.
Aston Martin has also altered the Rapide’s suspension to ride 10mm lower than a Rapide S, while changing the tuning of the AMR’s adaptive dampers to be more focused and conducive to track driving.
The AMR is available in three different design packages, called ‘Standard, Silhouette, and Signature.’
Standard comes in four colours, Mariana Blue, Scintilla Silver, Lightning Silver, or Onyx Black, and has the iconic Lime accents, though Silhouette ditches the Lime for a contrasting China Grey or Clubsport White.
The Signature, Aston says, ‘draws the closest visual link to the Aston Martin Racing team and the liveries of its race cars.’ It features Stirling Green paint with Lime accents and a Lime stripe.
Aston CEO Andy Palmer says the Rapide AMR is now the brand’s most extreme four-door.
“AMR takes technology and inspiration from our motorsport programme to amplify the sporting prowess in our road cars which is clear to see in the Rapide AMR, Aston Martin’s most extreme, 4-door sports car,”
“With enhanced performance, sharper dynamics and more powerful design language, Aston Martin has taken Rapide to new and exciting extremes.”
Skoda has conformed it’s working on a go-faster RS version of its Kodiaq SUV, with a tyre-tearing track teased video starring Nurburgring ace Sabine Schmitz.
The Kodiaq RS will be the largest performance Skoda to date, but the Czech carmaker is yet to reveal any other details, beyond a glimpse of a heavily camouflaged vehicle resplendent in bright red rims.
However, it’s believed it will feature the 177kW/500Nm 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel found under the bonnet of its Volkswagen Passat 2.0BiTDI cousin, that tops the range in Europe.
That would put it right up against the Jaguar F-Pace 25d Portfolio, which has 2.0-litre twin-turbo Ingenium diesel and pushes out the same numbers.
The most powerful engine currently in the Kodiaq range is the 140kW/400Nm turbo diesel in the 140TDI and the looks-faster 140TDI Sportline.
One morsel Skoda has conceded is the Kodiaq RS will be a seven seater, which would make the third-row a pretty interesting place to be on bendy roads – you’d probably want to option extra grab handles and a bucket.
There’s not much else to decipher from the video, which is more a behind the scenes look at some kind of record attempt around the Nürburgring Nordschleife featuring Schmitz behind wheel, and Kodiaq RS project head František Drábek along for the ride.
Skoda promises to reveal more by the end of the week, though we won’t have a full picture of the 2019 Kodiaq RS until it’s official unveiling at October’s Paris Motor Show.
