Not wanting to be left out of a week of astoundingly big numbers - we've had round two of the '11,500lb ft' Hummer and bold claims for the GT3 from Porsche - McLaren has supplied us with a raft of new stats emanating from the Artura. We now know that the incoming 680hp hybrid V6 sports car will be capable of a 0-186mph sprint in just 21.5 seconds, which, for context, is 1.1 seconds quicker than the heavily aero'd 675LT can manage. Not bad for a plug-in hybrid.
Elsewhere, McLaren has confirmed that it will hit 60mph in 3.0 seconds dead, and is apparently accumulating speed so quickly at that point that you'll need a stopwatch with two decimal places to note a difference in time for the 0-62mph dash, which is also listed as 3.0 seconds. 124mph comes only 5.3 seconds after that, helped by the slipperiness of the Artura's new skin.
Meanwhile a standing quarter mile time of 10.7 seconds, places McLaren's entry-level supercar (the cheaper GT is, of course, considered to be a grand tourer) within six tenths of the 720S. True, the V8-powered Super Series machine does beat the Artura to 186mph by 1.8 seconds. But given the V6 hybrid's lower ranking - not to mention the fact it's said to be the most rounded McLaren supercar made yet - it is mightily impressive nonetheless. Don't forget, this is a car that can run in pure-EV mode for 19 miles and average 50mpg on a WLTP run.
There are fascinating details beyond the performance numbers, too. Like, for example, the thought that McLaren considered developing the all-new M630 twin-turbo engine as a 180-degree flat-six - before opting for a 120-degree split to lower the crankshaft and accommodate the turbochagers with the vee, which permitted the use of a straighter, freer-flowing exhaust layout. On its own, the 3.0-litre produces 585hp, 15hp more than the 570S's 3.8 V8, while being 49kg lighter.
It also redlines at 8,500rpm, and is said to sound purer and more characterful than the V8. It represents a big technical leap, with a head and block made from 3D printed cores, allowing engineers to achieve what would have been impossible only a few years ago, with 2mm cooling passages located between the cylinders like capillaries. The block has directly coated parent bores rather than separate coated liners, too, into which fuel is injected at 350bar. The exhaust system is obviously fitted with the latest in WLTP filters, but the Artura's cabin will hear pure intake and exhaust noise thanks to some clever pipework.
McLaren adds to its claims for the hybrid system's axial flux electric motor, too, describing it as being similar in size to a McLaren brake disc and just 15.4kg in weight. So, it's barely any heavier than a conventional iron disc, yet it injects 95hp and 166lb ft into the Artura's driveline. Regenerative technology also reduces the workload on the actual brakes. As previously revealed, McLaren's Sheffield Composites Technology Centre provided the battery-integrated Lightweight Architecture (MCLA), meaning the whole car weighs 1,395kg dry, or 1,498kg with fluids and a fuel tank filled to 90 per cent. McLaren also announced a five-year vehicle, six-year hybrid battery and 10-year body warranty, as well as a three-year service plan, for the Artura last month. Smaller numbers perhaps - but no less vital to the hybrid's charm offensive.
1 / 7
