Royaume-Uni
McLaren
McLaren takes its name from New Zealand driver and engineer Bruce McLaren, who founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd in 1963 in England to compete in Formula 1 and sports-prototype racing. The team, first based in Feltham and then in Colnbrook, moved to Woking, in Surrey, in 1981, the site of today's McLaren Technology Centre. Bruce McLaren died in 1970 during testing at Goodwood, but the team continued its rise and became one of the most successful in F1 history. The brand's move into road cars truly began with the legendary McLaren F1 (1992-1998), a mid-engine supercar designed by Gordon Murray that was for a long time the fastest production car in the world. After a collaboration with Mercedes-Benz on the SLR McLaren in the 2000s, McLaren launched a standalone automotive division, McLaren Automotive, in 2010, separate from the racing team. The first car of this new era, the MP4-12C, introduced a philosophy founded on light weight, a carbon-fiber chassis and a mid-mounted twin-turbo V8 engine. The Sports Series, Super Series and Ultimate Series families followed (650S, 570S, 720S, 765LT, P1, Senna, Speedtail). On the ownership side, the McLaren Group came under the full control of the Bahraini sovereign fund Mumtalakat in 2024, and then McLaren Automotive was acquired in 2025 by CYVN Holdings, an Abu Dhabi investment fund, as part of a strategic partnership with Mumtalakat. McLaren has no factory in North America but is present there through a network of high-end dealers, including a few sales outlets in Canada, and through regional offices dedicated to the customer experience.
ActiveLuxePerformanceÉlectrique / hybrideCamion / utilitaireEuropéennes
History
History of McLaren
McLaren takes its name from New Zealand driver and engineer Bruce McLaren, who founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd in 1963 in England to compete in Formula 1 and sports-prototype racing. The team, first based in Feltham and then in Colnbrook, moved to Woking, in Surrey, in 1981, the site of today's McLaren Technology Centre. Bruce McLaren died in 1970 during testing at Goodwood, but the team continued its rise and became one of the most successful in F1 history. The brand's move into road cars truly began with the legendary McLaren F1 (1992-1998), a mid-engine supercar designed by Gordon Murray that was for a long time the fastest production car in the world. After a collaboration with Mercedes-Benz on the SLR McLaren in the 2000s, McLaren launched a standalone automotive division, McLaren Automotive, in 2010, separate from the racing team. The first car of this new era, the MP4-12C, introduced a philosophy founded on light weight, a carbon-fiber chassis and a mid-mounted twin-turbo V8 engine. The Sports Series, Super Series and Ultimate Series families followed (650S, 570S, 720S, 765LT, P1, Senna, Speedtail). On the ownership side, the McLaren Group came under the full control of the Bahraini sovereign fund Mumtalakat in 2024, and then McLaren Automotive was acquired in 2025 by CYVN Holdings, an Abu Dhabi investment fund, as part of a strategic partnership with Mumtalakat. McLaren has no factory in North America but is present there through a network of high-end dealers, including a few sales outlets in Canada, and through regional offices dedicated to the customer experience.
Public founding or origin of McLaren.
Technologies
Technologies, innovations and platforms
McLaren builds every car around a carbon-fiber survival cell: the historic MonoCell, and then the MCLA (McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture), designed from the outset for electrification. The brand favors a rear-mid-mounted engine, for a long time a 4.0L twin-turbo V8, and a contained weight for sharp dynamics. Interconnected hydraulic suspension (Proactive Chassis Control) replaces conventional anti-roll bars on several models. The Artura introduces a 2.9L twin-turbo V6 paired with an axial-flux electric motor and an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, a plug-in hybrid setup offering a short all-electric range. Active aerodynamics, carbon-ceramic brakes and driving electronics are part of the lineup. Driver-assistance systems remain deliberately more discreet than at mainstream brands, true to the purist spirit of the marque. Not applicable: there is no SUV or crossover platform in the McLaren lineup. The brand limits itself to mid-engine carbon-fiber architectures, with no raised variant and no powertrain geared toward utility or family use. Carbon-fiber monocoque cell (MonoCell), rear-mid-mounted 4.0L twin-turbo V8, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, optional carbon-ceramic brakes and interconnected hydraulic suspension (Proactive Chassis Control) on the Super Series versions. MCLA carbon platform designed for electrification; plug-in hybrid powertrain combining a 2.9L twin-turbo V6, an axial-flux electric motor and an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, with a small battery offering a short all-electric range.
Brand image
Identity, reputation, strengths and weaknesses
Positioning
A British manufacturer of mid-engine supercars and hypercars, focused on carbon-fiber lightness and a Formula 1 heritage.
Reputation
McLaren enjoys strong technical credibility inherited from F1, and its cars are praised by the press for their agility, communicative steering and efficiency. Reliability is considered acceptable on the mechanical side when maintenance is kept up, but owners report above all electronic issues (infotainment, sensors, front-lift system) and a high cost of maintenance out of warranty. Resale value is the recognized weak point: depreciation of the production models often exceeds that of Ferrari, partly because of higher production volumes between 2018 and 2024. A few rare series (F1, P1, Senna, LT editions), on the other hand, are sought-after collector's items.
Strengths
Carbon-fiber monocoque chassis and an obsession with light weight that deliver benchmark dynamics; heritage and know-how derived from Formula 1; powerful twin-turbo V8 engines and now a hybrid V6; hydraulic steering and interconnected suspension highly appreciated by testers; an exclusive image and low production numbers that reinforce the unique character of each model.
Points to watch
Heavy depreciation and resale value lower than the Italian rivals; high maintenance and repair costs, especially out of warranty; electronic and peripheral-reliability issues reported by owners; a limited service network in Quebec and Canada; minimal interior space and practicality typical of mid-engine supercars; recent ownership changes creating a degree of strategic uncertainty.
Models
McLaren models
Current or active models by market
Production and compatibility
Plants, tires and wheels
Production
McLaren assembly is concentrated at the McLaren Production Centre in Woking, in Surrey (England), on the same site as the McLaren Technology Centre, where each car is hand-assembled. The carbon-fiber cells (MonoCell and then MCLA) come from the McLaren Composites Technology Centre in Rotherham, near Sheffield, opened in 2018. McLaren has no production plant in North America: all the cars sold in Canada and the United States are imported from the United Kingdom. The North American presence is limited to regional offices and a selective network of specialized dealers, including a few sales outlets in Canada, handling sales, delivery and after-sales service.
Tires and wheels
McLarens are fitted with ultra-high-performance tires, most often mounted on 19-inch forged wheels at the front and 20-inch at the rear, with a heavily staggered setup (rear tires noticeably wider than the front). The original-equipment rubber consists of Pirelli P Zero or P Zero Corsa tires developed specifically for the brand. In Quebec, where winter tires are mandatory, these cars require specific performance winter tires, sometimes offered by Pirelli, and remain poorly suited to snowy conditions. Since the sizes are rare and specific to each model, it is best to confirm the exact original bolt pattern, offset and size before any purchase.