McLaren looks set to shake the champagne flutes at Monterey Car Week by unveiling an all-new supercar with a manual gearbox. Rumours over the past few weeks that McLaren would reveal something special at Monterey included unconfirmed reports that the new car would be called P50 – no relation to the tiny three-wheeled Peel P50, of course - and an official teaser video. Now McLaren has officially confirmed it will reveal a new car on 14 August, which it says will be “inspired by our legacy”. In a social video teasing what could be the new P50, there’s a clip of the company’s founder, Bruce McLaren, being interviewed back in the late sixties. In it, he’s asked about the possibility of a future road-going car – something he didn’t experience when the legendary F1 rolled out in the nineties because he died in 1970. "Some way down the line, I think it is bound to happen," McLaren says in the teaser video. “I hope it happens. We’re dreaming about a road car”. The 1969 M6GT (pictured) was meant to be McLaren’s first road-going supercar and several prototypes were made, but only one was road legal. Coincidentally, that car has just been restored by McLaren Special Operations. It featured a 5.7-litre Chevrolet V8 and a five-speed manual transmission – and the latter is set to inspire the latest McLaren. In the teaser clip, we can see the unmistakable image of a driver manually shifting gears – although it remains to be seen whether this is through a conventional manual transmission or a shift-by-wire system like that on the new Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale. There’s also a slight glimpse of the roof and engine covering of the car. Unsurprisingly given McLaren’s back catalogue, it’s a mid-engined layout – but it’s not clear which particular powerplant it is. McLaren’s ‘high-performance hybrid’ range, including the Artura for instance, uses a twin-turbocharged V6 with electrical assistance. Considering the more purist angle of a manual gearbox, the twin-turbocharged, non-hybridised V8 from the 750S and GTS might make more sense; or, if if McLaren has found a way of making it suitable for road use, there’s also the Solus GT’s manic, naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10. We’ll find out more about McLaren’s mystery Monterey supercar later this week. Want the latest car news in your inbox? Sign up to the free Auto Express email newsletter...
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