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The mini McLaren GT supercar for budding enthusiasts

Right-sized for youngsters aged 3 to 6 years, the battery-powered McLaren GT Ride-On is based on the full-size supercar

BY MARK MAYNARD

Train up a child in the way he [or she] should go — and get her or him on a McLaren GT Ride-On battery-powered minicar.

Budding enthusiasts from 3 to 6 years old can experience their very own McLaren GT in miniature. The just-announced McLaren GT Ride-On is based on the lightest and quickest accelerating vehicle in its class, the company says. See the GT here.

McLaren GT Ride-On front

The GT Ride-On is sold in six McLaren colors, including Amaranth Red. (Photos courtesy of McLaren)

The McLaren GT Ride-On is the fourth car in McLaren’s range of children’s toys. It follows the P1, 720S, and McLaren Senna.

The minicar has a functioning dashboard.

The minicar has a functioning dashboard.

‘’At McLaren Automotive, we aim to inspire the future generation of supercar enthusiasts,” Hayley Robinson, Merchandise, Licensing & Partnerships Manager, McLaren Automotive, said in a release.

“We’re proud to develop and encourage younger minds and seek to create the next generation of drivers, engineers, and automotive designers,’’ she said.

A side view of the McLaren GT minicar

The battery-powered mini McLaren is suitable for supercar enthusiasts aged 3 to 6.

Functional features

The new Ride-On has an impressive list of standard features and detailed design. The little car’s working dihedral (scissor) doors make for the ultimate entrance and getaway. In addition, the trunk with a functional lid has room for junior driving essentials.

The trunk on the GT Ride-On

The trunk has a functioning lid.

Like the real thing, the GT Ride-On has working dashboard controls including a key start. Twist the key and the car fires up with McLaren engine sounds. There also are functioning brake lights.

Youngsters can hook up their playlist through an infotainment system. It can access files from a USB device or SD card with the optional MP4 display screen.

The McLaren GT Ride-On is 42.5 inches long,  23.6 inches wide, and 16.9 inches tall. It is available in six McLaren colors of Burnished Copper, Silica White, Onyx Black, McLaren Orange, Amaranth Red, and Burton Blue.

Ride-On pricing

The McLaren GT Ride-On is sold in two rechargeable battery choices of $230 and $330. Options include an MP4 display screen and a black leather seat trimmed in red and yellow.

The GT Ride-On is available to order from select global toy retailers.

Go here for other McLaren merch.

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McLaren P1 winter testing, video and photo

McLaren will begin deliveries of the P1 supercar this summer. Its price of $1.34 million buys a car equipped for road and track, the company says, and “just” 375 cars will be built.

McLaren will begin deliveries of the P1 supercar this summer. Its price of $1.34 million buys a car equipped for road and track, the company says, and “just” 375 cars will be built.

P1 winter testing video: http://youtu.be/Hb_6pNFqqNA

 

The McLaren P1 is intended to be “the best driver’s car in the world on road and track,” the company says. Its price of $1.34 million buys a car equipped for road and track and “just” 375 cars will be built in the new production center in Woking, Surrey, UK, later this year.

The company was testing its 903-horsepower, plug-in electric supercar in northern Sweden at the Arctic Circle.

The P1, so named for “first place” or “position one” in Formula 1 racing. It’s an earned badge for the company, which in its 47-year F1 history has 182 Grand Prix victories and 155 pole positions to-date. The name also company history: the McLaren F1 was known internally as Project 1, or P1.

The powertrain is a McLaren-developed IPAS gasoline-(petrol) electric powertrain with revisions to the company’s 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8. It is coupled to a single electric motor and small but-high energy battery pack. Combined power output is 903 hp.

As important as absolute power is the electric motor’s ability to provide instant torque. 0-62 mph takes less than 3 seconds and it can be driven about 6.2 miles in electric-only mode at speeds to almost 100 mph. Top speed is limited to 215 mph.

‘It may not be the fastest car in the world in absolute top speed, but that was never our goal,” chief engineer Paul Mackenzie said in a press release. “Rather, we believe it is the fastest ever production car on a racing circuit, a much more important technical statement, and far more relevant for on-road driving.”

Its technological credentials are impressive. The car has an unprecedented amount of downforce for a road vehicle, Mackenzie said, “similar levels to a GT3 racing car and yet with even greater ground effect.”
The downforce boosts cornering and braking performance and helps balance, stability and driveability at all speeds he said.

The car’s agility is due in part to active aerodynamics and adjustable suspension, both now banned in Formula 1 racing, he said, because of the perceived performance advantage.

Air flow is optimized around the body by an active wing and underbody panels. To harness downforce, the F1 style rear wing can extend by about 4.7 inches on road and to nearly 12 inches on the track.

The hydro-pneumatic suspension – RaceActive Chassis Control – can lower the car by nearly 2 inches in Race mode, to produce ground effect aerodynamics. It also has adaptive spring rates, roll control, pitch control and damping. In Race mode, the spring rates stiffen by 300 percent, which will allow cornering grip of more than 2g.

Power is driven to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox.

IPAS (Instant Power Assist System) is a plug-in electric system. The battery is charged by kinetic energy from the engine, such as when decelerating and it can be plugged in to recharge.

The electric power assist system, developed by McLaren, can provide up to 176 hp from the electric motor, which can then be used as a boost at the touch of the steering wheel button. The nitrous-like charge operates only when close to full throttle
“It’s pretty cool to turn up, silently, in a million dollar McLaren,” said Mackenzie.

Deliveries begin this summer.

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