Frank Stephenson McLaren news - The McLaren Mini? - 2008

If you weren't already convinced that McLaren is planning something seriously big - here's all the evidence you need. The Woking manufacturer has just appointed Frank Stephenson - designer of the new Mini and Fiat 500 - as its new design chief.

Stephenson boasts a CV that'd impress even Alan Sugar: he spent 11 years at BMW, designing the X5 and new Mini (the old new Mini, we mean).

He then headed over to Fiat, where he oversaw the design of the F430 and Maserati MC12, while still finding time to pen the Fiat 500 and Bravo.

And now McLaren. We know that, following the recent split with Mercedes-Benz, there's a new McLaren supercar in the pipeline, but it is believed to be too close to completion for Stephenson to have a serious hand in its design.

No, if they've got Stephenson on board, there must be some big plans down at McLaren. We can't wait to find out what they are.