It is allegedly known within McLaren by the code name ‘P13′ and is the entry-level Macca that will take on the Porsche 911. When McLaren decided they were going to straddle their F1 efforts and build a few road cars on the side, they said they would derive half a dozen cars from the architecture of the McLaren MP4-12C.
So far, since 2010, we’ve had the 12C Coupé, the 12C Spider, the top-dog P1 hybrid supercar and now the squawkings about the future, entry-level P13, which will no doubt have a convertible version as well. Talking at the New York Auto Show, McLaren Automotive’s director for North America, Anthony Joseph, admitted the Surrey-based manufacturer is already working on the P13.
“We do have plans for other variants of the 12C model in the $165 000 price range”, Joseph said. Joseph also revealed the company’s cheaper supercar won’t be released until at least 2015.
The entry-level model will be powered by the familiar 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine from other McLarens, except speculation says it will be detuned to approximately 335 kW. McLaren will also fully utilise the carbon fibre MonoCell chassis and a dual-clutch, 7-speed, gearbox.
The 12C received a power increase on October last yeat from 442 kW to 460 kW. The McLaren P1 is delivering as much as 670 kW, so the gap between each of McLaren’s models will be more than sufficient. The company predicts they will be able to sell up to 2 000 units year, when the P13 does go on sale around 2015.
