Currently reading: McLaren’s Andy Palmer on the new Senna hypercar
Vehicle line boss reveals what clues the Senna offers for McLaren’s future and why its doors have clear panels

McLaren’s hotly anticipated P15 hypercar has now been revealed. It’s name? The Senna.

We speak to McLaren’s vehicle line chief Andy Palmer about the new 789bhp Ultimate Series model. For the full reveal story, click here.

Does this car carry clues to future McLarens?

“We discover things all the time. We’ve made a lot of things lighter and our knowledge of aerodynamics keeps progressing. And our suspension is a development of the P1 set-up. This is a very special car, but there’s still no doubt some of what you see in this car will make it into the next.”

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There’s another Ultimate Series model around the corner, right?

“We’ll launch BP23 – the central-driving-position three-seater we’ve talked about – in 2019. It’ll go in a very different direction from this one. The price will be £1.6 million plus taxes, we’ll build 106 units as a homage to the F1, and those cars are already three times oversubscribed.”

Tell us about those glazing panels in the Senna’s doors. Don’t they add weight?

“They do, a little. The lightest iteration of the car will have carbon panels there. But the glazed panels you see are made from very thin, very durable Gorilla Glass. The extra view of the road they give is amazing. I can’t think why we didn’t do it before.”

Did McLaren do a deal to use the Senna name?

“We have strong links with the Senna Foundation, run by Ayrton’s family, which, I understand, works to help underprivileged children in Brazil. I believe there’s a kind of royalty connection.”

Opinion: Is McLaren readying the Senna for Le Mans?

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Steve Cropley

Steve Cropley Autocar
Title: Editor-in-chief

Steve Cropley is the oldest of Autocar’s editorial team, or the most experienced if you want to be polite about it. He joined over 30 years ago, and has driven many cars and interviewed many people in half a century in the business. 

Cropley, who regards himself as the magazine’s “long stop”, has seen many changes since Autocar was a print-only affair, but claims that in such a fast moving environment he has little appetite for looking back. 

He has been surprised and delighted by the generous reception afforded the My Week In Cars podcast he makes with long suffering colleague Matt Prior, and calls it the most enjoyable part of his working week.

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Bangbox 10 December 2017

What's in a name?

For a while I was getting very confused there wih Andy Palmers pulling the strings  both at Aston Martin and McLaren.  It seems that there are two of them though.

 

Symanski 10 December 2017

Glass doors.

Gorilla glass - famous for being on the iPhone.

 

Would love to try and see for myself what difference they make.

Thekrankis 10 December 2017

Just drive your own car....

...with the doors off.....

Symanski 10 December 2017

Glass doors.

Gorilla glass - famous for being on the iPhone.

 

Would love to try and see for myself what difference they make.