McLaren reveals more details of its Porsche 911 rival

New entry-level McLaren P13 will be “very engaging” but unintimidating, according to the firm’s boss, and will look to take on the best from Porsche, Audi and Ferrari

McLaren’s P13 sports car – set to be unveiled at next spring’s Geneva show with a price tag of £125,000 – will be much the same size as the £195,000 650S.

Like the 650S, it will be a mid-engined two-seater and, because it uses a modified version of the pricier car’s carbonfibre tub, similar in size.

But according to McLaren boss Mike Flewitt, it will be more practical. “It’s got to be usable, with easy ingress and egress and good storage on board,” he said.

To this end, the tub’s sills will be modified to ease access. The P13 won’t look vastly different from the 650S, because it shares the same layout. Flewitt said: “It’s difficult to style mid-engined cars to look different, not least for cooling reasons.”

Of its character, he said: “The P13 will be a very engaging car to drive. It will be fun but safe”, with unintimidating handling. 

The P13 features a detuned version of the 650S’s 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8. It should deliver a 0-62mph of about 4.0sec – about a second slower than the 650S – and a top speed of 185mph rather than 207mph.

Flewitt sees the P13’s main rivals as the Porsche 911 Turbo S and GT3, the Audi R8 V10 and the Ferrari California. It will go on sale in September 2015, with a name other than P13.

In 2017 it will be joined by the P15, which sits above the 650S at £300,000-£400,000. This car “is not a replacement for the P1”, said Flewitt.

McLaren Automotive will have progressed in 10 years to a company making 4000-6000 cars, said Flewitt, and “all models will be hybrids, even if some use a basic form of hybridisation”.

Flewitt also expects some engine downsizing. He said: “We will offer two or three mainstream cars plus some specialty models – something like the P1 or perhaps even a full electric car.”