The inside story on Mclaren’s extreme £750k Senna
New 4.0-litre V8 sports car is road-legal but built for track All 500 examples of £750k model have been sold
MCLAREN has taken the wraps off its most extreme production car to date and given it one of the most iconic names in motorsport: the Senna.
It sits at the top of the company’s model range as part of the flagship Ultimate Series and has been developed to give “the most intense circuit experience of any road Mclaren”. Only 500 examples will be produced, which have all been sold already, with a price tag of £750,000 each.
Vehicle Line Director Andy Palmer said the engineers’ brief for the car was to “make it as fast as we possibly can going around a track, but also make it road-legal”. Palmer describes it as the “lightest, fastest, most engaging Mclaren yet”.
Under the skin is the most powerful version ever of Mclaren’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, which develops 789bhp and 800Nm of torque. It’s linked to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Performance figures and, potentially, lap-time data will be released at a later date. Mclaren says the latter is more important for the Senna, but we can still expect a 0-62mph time of less than three seconds and a top speed of at least 200mph.
Palmer said that hybridisation – like the P1’s powertrain – was considered, but discounted, because it didn’t sufficiently benefit lap times. The car has also been designed to deliver an even more sensory experience than previous Mclarens, with sounds from the air intakes and engine mechanically amplified for those inside.
The Senna’s carbon chassis is based on Mclaren’s RaceActive Chassis Control II system, which uses a double wishbone set-up with hydraulic adaptive dampers and anti-roll bars. A Race setting has been added to the usual Comfort, Sport and Track modes, which makes the Senna even stiffer and drops the ride height.
Mclaren claims the Senna’s braking system is the most advanced it has ever made for the road. New carbon ceramic brakes with a special ‘CCMR’ compound take seven months each to produce; they have a far greater thermal efficiency than traditional carbon ceramics for the ultimate fade-free stopping power.
Bespoke Pirelli P-zero Trofeo tyres are standard, with a tread that is road legal but primarily designed for track use. The body is made entirely of carbon fibre and has been designed for an optimal blend of aerodynamic efficiency and downforce; the car weighs only 1,198kg.
Crafted in a ‘teardrop’ shape, it features huge gulleys and louvres in the side to channel air down and over the car, plus a number of cooling vents to feed the multiple radiators. The Senna also gets twopiece glass windows, and a glass insert for the lower half of the dihedral doors can be specified to increase on-track visibility.
At the back, three exhausts sit up high and flush with the bodywork, while an enormous carbon rear wing is mounted on ‘pylons’, which rise above it and attach to the top, increasing the surface area on the bottom of the wing. Many of the mechanical elements are visible from the back thanks to a giant double diffuser, which can increase in height to boost downforce.
The rear wing is hydraulic, and tilts and adjusts to balance downforce and aero, while also acting as an airbrake under heavy braking. Aero tech at the front features movable flaps hidden in the intakes to direct cool air where it is needed.
Inside, the Senna is as minimalist as a modern Mclaren gets. Door handles, window switches and the engine start are on the roof, while the only luggage area is a space designed for two helmets.