McLaren Automotive ( ; formerly known as McLaren Cars) is a British luxury automotive manufacturer based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. The main products of the company are sports cars, which are produced in-house in designated production facilities. , McLaren Automotive is wholly owned by CYVN Holdings LLC, owned by the government of Abu Dhabi.
History Origin and founder McLaren Automotive replaced McLaren Cars in 2010. McLaren Cars was founded in 1985 and released the McLaren F1 in 1992. Between 1994 and 2010, McLaren Cars was registered as a 'dormant company', before the founding of McLaren Automotive in 2010. The new company was originally separate from the existing McLaren companies to enable investment in the new venture, but was brought together in July 2017 after Ron Dennis sold his shares in McLaren Automotive and McLaren Group.
McLaren's Formula One founder Bruce McLaren was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1937, and learned about cars and engineering at his parents' service station and workshop there. By 15, he had entered a local hillclimb in an Austin 7 Ulster, winning his first race in the car.From the Cockpit, McLaren’s autobiography, published in 1965 In 1958, McLaren arrived in the United Kingdom with the 'Driver to Europe' scheme, intended to help Australian and New Zealand racers to compete in Europe. His mentor, Jack Brabham, introduced him to Cooper Car Company, a small team based in Surbiton, Surrey. Auspiciously starting his Formula One career in 1958, McLaren joined the Formula One team a year later. That same year, he won the US Grand Prix at age 22, making him the youngest Grand Prix winner to that date. He stayed with Cooper for a further seven years, winning three more Grands Prix and other races, driving for Jaguar and Aston Martin, and winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 with Ford.
McLaren founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing in 1963. A year later, the company built the first true McLaren race car, the M1 (24 customer cars were produced by Elva). Its successor, the M1B, allowed McLaren into the Can-Am championship, where it dominated with 43 victories, almost three times more than rival Porsche. In 1965, the first McLaren Formula One car, the M2B, debuted at the Monaco Grand Prix.
After his victories and time in Formula One, McLaren was designing and testing a prototype M6GT-registered OBH 500H, a lightweight sports car with an estimated top speed of and zero to 100 mph time of eight seconds. McLaren died while testing a race car at Goodwood in 1970 before the prototype could be completed.
Merging, spinoff and growth In 1980, the company merged with Ron Dennis’ Project 4 Racing team. The merger brought back designer John Barnard, who was interested in using carbon fibre composite. Carbon fibre was already used in aerospace applications but had never been applied to a complete racing car monocoque. McLaren pioneered the use of carbon fibre in motor racing with its new car, the MP4/1, bringing new levels of rigidity and driver safety to Formula 1. In August 1988, Dennis, Team Principal and Gordon Murray started to develop a new car and in 1992, the F1 was launched with a total production run of 106 units.
Following a brief collaboration with Mercedes-Benz for the SLR McLaren, McLaren Automotive was re-launched as a standalone manufacturer in 2010, spinning off McLaren Racing. The company launched the 12C in 2011 and its Spider variant in 2012. The limited-run P1 went into production in 2013 and ended in 2015. After introducing a business plan to release a car or model every year, the company unveiled the 650S in Coupé and Spider models in 2014, and unveiled the new Sports Series range comprising the McLaren 570S and 540C in 2015. The company debuted a spin-off model from the P1 for children, the P1TM, in September 2016 and announced the same month that they are developing a powerful battery for Formula E. In October 2016, councillors were reported to be looking at a proposition for land opposite the McLaren Technology Centre for construction and announced the "Pure McLaren Arctic Experience" the same month, an event where a participant was trained to drive a 570S in the Arctic Circle.
On 10 December 2024, it was reported that CYVN Holdings have acquired the automotive business of McLaren from Mumtalakat, a deal which will see the high-performance automobile company weathers through the financial woes and builds its first electric supercar. The deal will also see CYVN hold a non-controlling stake in McLaren's racing business.
In April 2025, following its successful acquisition of McLaren, CYVN merged McLaren with Forseven, a British electric vehicle start-up under their ownership, with the combined companies being renamed McLaren Group Holdings. The merger is intended to give McLaren the capability to expand beyond the manufacture of mid-engine supercars and into other product categories, bringing future Forseven vehicles to the market under the McLaren name and allowing the company to compete with the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, and Bentley.
List of CEOs Current: Nick Collins (since May 2025)
Previous CEOs Mike Flewitt (2013–2021) Michael Leiters (2022–2025)
Headquarters and facilities McLaren Automotive is based at the McLaren Technology Centre, alongside the rest of the McLaren Group, and at the adjacent McLaren Production Centre. The two facilities are connected by a subterranean walkway, with the MPC built partially underground to minimise its presence.
In 2017 McLaren announced the construction of the £50m McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham. The facility will build carbon fibre chassis for future McLaren road cars. The facility aims to give McLaren greater control over the manufacture of composite tubs, providing an opportunity to increase the pace of the design and development of the tubs. Full production will begin at the MCTC by 2020. The MCTC was officially opened by The Duke of Cambridge, Duchess of Cambridge, and the Crown Prince of Bahrain in November 2018.
In September 2026, McLaren announced at £450 million investment in their technology centre. The investment is expected to create 1,000 jobs.
Products and strategy McLaren's first purpose-built road car was the F1, based on a concept developed by Gordon Murray that he convinced Ron Dennis to back. McLaren Cars went into hibernation following the completion of the F1's production run, and McLaren did not return to the production car market until launching McLaren Automotive in 2010, just prior to the release of the MP4-12C (eventually simplified to just 12C) in 2011.
McLaren launched its current three-tier product structure in 2015, dividing their range of cars into the Sports, Super, and Ultimate Series. Cars in the Sports and Super Series are given names based on the car's power output in PS, followed by a model designation (C for club, S for sport, GT for grand tourer and LT for longtail). The Sports Series is the entry-level tier, the Super Series is considered to be McLaren's core model range, the Ultimate Series is the high-end tier intended to be the successor to the original F1. The F1 and 12C were retroactively included in the Ultimate and Super Series, respectively. The structure was expanded to include the GT Series with the release of the McLaren GT in 2019.
Sports Series +ModelYearDescription540C2015–2020570S2015–2021Mid-engine, twin-turbo V8 sports car.570S Spider2016–2021Convertible version of the 570S.570GT2017–2021Comfort-focused version of the 570S.600LT2018–2021600LT Spider2019–2021620R2019–2021Artura2022–presentMid-engine, hybrid, turbocharged V6 sports car.
GT Series ModelYearGT2019–2023Mid-engine, turbocharged V8 grand tourer.GTS2024–presentReduced weight and higher power facelift of the GT.
Super Series ModelYear12C2011–2014Mid-engine, twin-turbo V8 sports car.12C Spider2011–2014Convertible version of the 12C.650S2014–2017650S Spider2014–2016625C2015–2016675LT2015–2017675LT Spider2016–2017720S2017–2023720S Spider2017–2023765LT2020–2023765LT Spider2021–2023750S2023–presentMid-engine, turbocharged V8 sports car.788HS Coupé and Spider2026Mid-engine, twin-turbocharged V8 sports car. McLaren's last model to be solely powered by an internal combustion engine.
Ultimate Series ModelYearF11992–1998Mid-engine, naturally aspirated V12 sports car. Retroactively added as the first in the Ultimate Series.F1 LM19955 unit limited-production version of the F1 built in honour of the five McLaren F1 GTRs, which finished the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans.F1 GT1997Homologation special for the McLaren F1 GTR.P12013–2015375 units. Mid-engine, twin-turbocharged V8 hybrid sports car. Second in the Ultimate Series.P1 GTR2015–201658 unit limited-production. Lighter and more powerful version of the P1 to celebrate 20 years since their victory in the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans.Senna2018–2020Limited-production. Mid-engine, twin-turbocharged V8 sports car. Third in the Ultimate Series.Senna GTR2018–202075 units. Track-only version of the Senna.Speedtail2020Limited-production. Mid-engine, twin-turbocharged V8 sports car. Fourth in the Ultimate Series.Elva2020Limited-production. Mid-engine, twin-turbocharged V8, open-top sports car. Fifth in the Ultimate Series.Solus GT202325 unit limited-production. Mid-engine, naturally aspirated V10, track-only sports car. Sixth in the Ultimate Series.W12025399 unit limited-production. Mid-engine, twin-turbocharged V8 hybrid sports car. Successor to the P1.
Heritage McL 6GTUpcomingUpcoming V8 sports car with a manual transmission.
Collaborations Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
In 1999, McLaren agreed to design and manufacture the SLR (also known as P7) in conjunction with Mercedes-Benz. DaimlerChrysler was the engine supplier to McLaren Racing through its Formula One partner Mercedes-Benz division. The final stages of production of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren took place at a designated assembly facility at the McLaren Technology Centre.
The SLR featured a supercharged V8 engine that produced at 6500 rpm and of torque at 3250–5000 rpm. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 3.8 seconds and 0 to 100 mph (0–161 km/h) in 6.3 seconds.
In 2006, the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR 722 Edition was announced. The "722 Edition" produced at 6500 rpm and of torque at 4000 rpm, with a top speed of — more than the standard SLR. A new suspension is used with light-alloy wheels, a stiffer damper configuration and lower body.
In 2007, the Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR Convertible was announced, which was available starting in late 2007. The car uses the same supercharged V8 found in the coupé.
A limited edition called the SLR Stirling Moss was introduced. The car was the final SLR produced and a tribute to Stirling Moss. Beneath the scissor-doors is a plaque with Moss' signature on it.
Unreleased vehicles The partnership between Mercedes-Benz and McLaren resulted in three further cars being proposed. The P9 was to be a mid-engined baby supercar with a less expensive model, with the P8 (or "SLS") competing with cars such as the Ferrari F430, Bentley Continental GT, and Aston Martin DB9. Both cars were to be powered by naturally aspirated V8 engines. The P10 would have been an SLR replacement.
All three cars were aborted in 2005, with Mercedes rumoured to have considered the projects simply too costly to turn into a solid business case, although Mercedes' AMG subsidiary produced a flagship sports car called the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The car had a naturally aspirated V8 with over ; however, it is not thought to be related to the P8 project.
Division McLaren Customer Racing