Supercar Blondie answers your most Googled questions on McLaren

McLaren is a name synonymous with motoring royalty and Formula 1 success.

Originally founded as a Formula 1 racing team, McLaren built its first road car in the 1960s.

The brand, based in Woking, England, is forever dovetailed with success on and off the track.

This is your Supercar Blondie guide to all things McLaren.

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Who is McLaren named after?

That would be the legend himself, Bruce McLaren.

Born in 1937 in Auckland, New Zealand, Bruce moved to England to pursue his dream of competing in the Formula 1 World Championship.

Competing in Formula 1 from 1958 – 1970, Bruce would win 13 Grand Prix races, as well as finishing runner-up in 1960 with the Cooper team.

McLaren was also part of the legendary Ford team that won the Le Mans endurance race in 1966, beating Ferrari.

Bruce tragically lost his life at the Goodwood Circuit on June 2nd, 1970.

All McLaren road cars bear his name in his honour.

When was McLaren founded?

McLaren was founded in September 1963.

The company was founded as Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd.

Since 1963, Bruce McLaren’s team has won nine World Constructors’ Championships and 12 Drivers’ Championships.

It also remains the only Formula 1 Team to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport.

Where are McLaren supercars built?

The supercars are built in Woking, England.

In case you’ve never heard of it, Woking is a town in north-west Surrey.

It is around 23 miles from Central London.

The brand has been based in its Woking headquarters since 1981.

How many supercars are built per year?

Overall, it is estimated that McLaren builds around 5,000 cars every single year.

Which are the most famous supercar models from McLaren?

Now we’re getting into the good stuff.

The F1, first built in 1992, was arguably the world’s first hypercar.

Now, 25 years later, the F1 is still not out of place among the world’s hypercar club.

The BMW V12-powered behemoth set a Guinness World Record for the world’s fastest production car, hitting 240.1mph on March 31, 1998.

Then, there is the P1.

Considered the natural heir to the F1’s crown, this hybrid hypercar was first built in 2013.

It is still one of the most brilliant cars ever made.

The 3.8 liter, twin-turbocharged V8 hybrid produces utterly nonsensical performance, and is still as mind-bendingly fast as it was the day it was released.

Another truly rave moment of success for Woking’s finest was the 675LT.

The track-focused version of the 650S, the 675LT was considered the moment that the company’s F1 genius met their road-crafting abilities in some beautiful, weird car-building supernova.

It is still considered, despite only being built from 2015 – 2017, one of the best cars that the company have ever built.

What is the most expensive McLaren you can buy?

If you happen to have some spare cash stuffed down the back of your couch, then you have some real options with Woking’s finest supercars.

At the moment, the most expensive Woking-based supercar is the Speedtail, of which only 106 have been made.

The 4.0 liter, twin-turbo V8 comes with a chorus of electric motors to produce over 1000bhp.

The end result? A top speed somewhere beyond 250mph.

How much will this thrill cost you? Around $2.5 million.

What is the cheapest you can buy?

At the time of writing, that would be….the 600LT Coupe.

The 600LT Coupe costs around $195-200,000.

Back in 2015, it would have set you back around the $150,000, with the 540C.

That would be because the 540C is the cheapest car that the Woking brand have ever produced.

What is the fastest McLaren supercar ever?

Now, this question opens up a very interesting debate indeed.

Officially (and in our minds), the crown still belongs to the F1 of the 1990s.

That is because the F1’s top speed has literally been recorded by the people from Guinness World Records, with the clipboards and everything.

However, the debate comes because of the Speedtail (remember that most expensive option?)

The reason for the controversy is because the brand itself has claimed a top speed north of 250mph for the Speedtail.

We’re not doubting it, either.

The Speedtail has an incredible, sleek design. Couple that with over 1000bhp, and the Speedtail might actually lift off.

Despite that, we haven’t actually seen the Speedtail go that fast.

So for that reason, the crown officially stays with the F1.

Which concept car should you know about?

McLaren doesn’t really do concept cars – it decides what it wants to build, and builds it.

However, we have seen an extremely cool concept that will actually be brought to life, the Solus GT.

There will only ever be 25 made.

It genuinely looks like a car from Gran Turismo merged with an F1 car.

We don’t know all of the details yet, but it looks fun. Very fun.

And there you have it! That is your official Supercar Blondie beginner’s guide to all things McLaren.