McLaren’s fastest supercar ever will be called ‘Speedtail’

McLaren’s next fastest car has a name. The car so far only known as BP23 (Bespoke Project 2, 3-seater) will be called the McLaren Speedtail.

Evocative name, isn’t it? Rather 1930s classic streamliner-sounding, we think. And interestingly for McLaren, it’s not an alphanumeric number-jumble (like 675LT, P1, 720S) and doesn’t reference a great racing driver, like the Senna.

The Speedtail will be capable of a higher top speed than the McLaren F1’s 243mph, thanks in part to slippery, long-tail bodywork referenced in the name, in the ghostly teaser image above, and this sculpture made available to all 106 buyers. Every single build slot for the £1.6m-plus-tax special was snapped up before the car was officially announced earlier this year.

McLaren bills the Speedtail as a ‘hyper-GT’, featuring a petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain for massive straight-line performance, but a three-seater cabin with a central driving position, mooted to be the most luxurious McLaren road car yet. It’s the antithesis to the Senna, which is a brutally lightweight downforce special interested chiefly in lap times.

We’ll see the Speedtail revealed before the close of 2018 – after all 106 customers have clapped eyes on it first, in secret previews. In the meantime, you can find out how Top Gear got on sampling the Speedtail’s central driving seat set-up in our test mule drive feature here.

Now then, this Speedtail badge. Thoughts on the name?