McLaren P11 news - McLaren F1 is back - 2008

Ron Dennis today announced that McLaren will launch its P11 supercar, the successor to the awesome F1 (pictured), in 2011.

Speaking at the team’s Woking HQ, Dennis confirmed that he is to end all involvement with McLaren’s F1 squad in order to concentrate on its new sports car business, McLaren Automotive.

The P11 – a mid-engined rival for the Ferrari F430 – will be the first product of McLaren Automotive, and indeed the first all-McLaren car since 1992, as the British firm is cutting ties with Mercedes.

Dennis said that the McLaren range of ‘super sports cars’ will start at around £100,000 – though the P11 is expected to cost nearer £130,000 – and will include a 2+2 seater as well as the two-seater P11.

He has lofty ambitions for his fledgling company: McLaren Automotive expects to build 1000 cars in its first full year of production from a new UK-based factory, rising to 4000 cars by 2014 – rather more than the mere 106 F1s. Dennis said this would provide ‘the potential for up to 800 skilled jobs’.

At the moment, details of the P11 remain sketchy, but Top Gear was able to glean that the supercar will feature a cab-forward stance, retractable rear spoiler and a flat underbody. McLaren has built 36 prototypes so far.

However, we don’t know what it’ll be called: Dennis confirmed that P11 was merely a codename for the project. So, over to you: what should the new McLaren supercar be called?