McLaren P13 set to arrive in 2014

The next new car from McLaren – codenamed P13 and set to take on the Porsche 911 and Audi R8 – now looks set to arrive in 2014.

McLaren’s plans for a new range of road cars have been in play for a number of years, and we initially expected the 12C to arrive first to take on the Ferrari 458, which it did, followed by a cheaper McLaren set to take on cars like the Porsche 911 and Audi R8.

We got the McLaren MP4-12C (which McLaren now like us to call the 12C) followed by the 12C Spider – just as we first thought - but it seems McLaren was under pressure from its new dealer network to get the replacement for the legendary F1 out next, so McLaren switched tack and delivered the new McLaren P1.

But, however successful the 12C and P1 may be, they are never going to sell in sufficient numbers to hit McLaren’s target of 4000 cars a year by 2015, so a car to sit below the 12C is now the imperative for McLaren, and it looks like it’s going to arrive in 2014.

The McLaren P13 (the 12C was the P11 and the P1 was codenamed P12) will be a more ‘practical’ supercar from McLaren, probably featuring a de-tuned version of the 3.8 litre V8 that sits in the 12C and P1 and offering something closer to 500bhp, rather than the more than 600bhp the 12C now has. Although we have heard rumours McLaren are going to deliver a V6 derived from the 12C’s V8 instead.

Perhaps we can think of the P13 as McLaren’s California, but we’re still expecting it to be mid-engined and more overtly ‘sporty’ two-seater than the Ferrari entry-level model, and in terms of price it will be a lot closer to £100k than the 12C – right in the firing line of the top end Porsche 911s and Audi R8s – and undercutting the Ferrari California, just as the 12C undercuts the 458 (just) and the P1 LaFerrari.

In terms of styling, the P13 is said to be more like the P1 than the 12C; more organic and less generic than the 12C.

With the McLaren 12C selling around 1,000 cars a year so far (although the 12C Spider will have added to that) the new McLaren P13 is going to have to sell at least 2500 a year to hit McLaren’s 4000 sales a year target.

With the P13 now set to arrive next year it seems likely we’ll soon be getting some drips of solid information coming in as McLaren have to get the new mini-Mac out on the road for testing.

By Cars UK