McLaren Speedtail hits 403 km/h top speed 30 times during testing

The highly anticipated Speedtail hypercar is McLaren’s successor to their legendary, three-seater F1 from the 1990s. Similar to its predecessor, the aptly named Speedtail is built to do one thing: go fast in a straight line. Recently, McLaren completed high-speed testing of the upcoming hypercar with a near-production Speedtail prototype hitting the acclaimed 403 km/h top speed. As a result, this makes the Speedtail the fastest McLaren ever built, dethroning the F1.

High-speed testing was done at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA with the prototype, dubbed XP2, being driven by McLaren chief test driver Kenny Brack. As part of the Speedtail’s extensive engineering validation process, the XP2 managed to hit its top speed more than 30 times at the space shuttle landing runway. Aside from testing in the US, testing was also done in Spain and Germany.

“It’s fitting that the Speedtail’s high-speed test program concluded with multiple maximum-speed runs at a location strongly associated with pushing the boundaries of extreme performance and engineering excellence. The Speedtail is a truly extraordinary car that epitomises McLaren’s pioneering spirit and perfectly illustrates our determination to continue to set new benchmarks for supercar and hypercar performance,” commented McLaren Automotive CEO, Mike Flewitt.

Powering the Speedtail will be a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 combined with a hybrid powertrain producing a combined output of 1,035 horsepower and 1,150 Nm of torque. McLaren claims that the Speedtail can go from 0 to 300 km/h in less than 13 seconds. It’s also enough to push it to its top speed of 403 km/h.

Aside from the high output engine, the Speedtail’s unique design also helps it reach its top speed. The British marque claims it to be “the most aerodynamically drag efficient McLaren ever.”

Deliveries for the McLaren Speedtail is set to begin in February 2020. Only 106 examples will be built worldwide. Owners can also rest assure their multi-million hypercar can hit the claimed top speed the manufacturer said it would.