McLaren is working on a replacement to its radical Senna hypercar to sit at the top of its Ultimate Series product line-up. Spy photographers have snapped a camouflage-covered car undergoing testing near the firm’s headquarters in Surrey, suggesting that development is already well underway.
Dubbed the Sabre, the camouflaged hypercar looks even more radical than the Senna it’s set to replace. The front end sports a similar look to its predecessor, albeit with even more winglets and two distinct aero devices either side of the bumper. Moving further back, the Sabre features more complex winglets sculpted into the skirts and vast air vents either side of the engine that are separated by another aero device.
But it’s the rear end that’s really striking. A shark fin runs from the top of the cabin, down the centre of the engine cover and connects to the top of the rear wing. And speaking of that rear wing, it’s absolutely gigantic and sits above a vast diffuser that’ll no doubt generate a heap of downforce. The wing and diffuser assembly looks similar to that of the track-only Senna GTR, proving how radical the Sabre will be.
Coming to think of it, the Sabre test mule looks a bit like a racing car for the road. Could it be that McLaren is building a track-focused model to enter into the FIA’s new hypercar class that will debut at Le Mans next year? The British marque has stated multiple times that it’s eyeing a Le Mans entry and all signs point to the Sabre being the car that spearheads the company’s return to endurance racing.
Don’t expect a fancy new engine or manual gearbox, mind. It’s likely McLaren will stick with its tried-and-tested 4.0-litre V8 that powers most of its current line-up, aside from the 570S and 600LT.
We’ll have more details on the Sabre in the coming months.
Keyword: McLaren Sabre 2021: will the Senna replacement race at Le Mans?