McLaren Sports Series Arrives in 2015, Sits Below 650S

We’ve known about McLaren’s plans for a new Porsche 911-fighting sports car for a while, but until now we only referred to it by its internal codename “P13.” McLaren confirmed today that this new model will be called the McLaren Sports Series, a surprising choice given that all existing McLarens use alphanumeric names like 650S, P1, and 12C.

Though our previous prediction that this car would be called 500S turned out to be incorrect, we have plenty of other information on this upcoming model that sits below the 650S and targets higher-end Porsche 911 models like the GT3 and 911 Turbo. The McLaren Sports Series is built on the same carbon-fiber chassis as other McLarens, and will feature a mid-mounted V-8 engine. This powertrain will likely be the same 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-8 from the 12C and 650S (pictured here), but detuned to about 500 hp in this application.
The Sports Series should also be a more livable sports car than the more hardcore 12C and 650S, as McLaren has reportedly modified the chassis to give the Sports Series a roomier cabin and more storage space to make it as practical and usable as a 500-hp sports car can be. The Sports Series is set to be offered in three versions when it arrives in the second quarter of 2015: a coupe, a spider, and a lightweight, track-oriented GTS.
As the McLaren Sports Series will enter into a contentious class of sports cars including not only the Porsche 911 but also the new Mercedes-AMG GT, the next Nissan GT-R, and the upcoming Maserati Alfieri, price will be an important consideration. One McLaren spokesman told us earlier this year that the new car would be two-thirds the price of a 12C, which suggests a starting price of around $189,000.
Stay tuned for more information on the McLaren Sports Series as we near the production debut of this all-new model. Until then, take a look at the company's official teaser video below.