McLaren said on October 30 that its next series supercar will be called the McL 820, and that it's coming in 2027. The number is the car's output in metric horsepower, 820 PS, which Car and Driver converts to 809 hp. The car pictured above is the 750S it follows, since McLaren hasn't shown the new one yet. The name got out a day early. On October 29, McLaren put a giant kiwi statue in London's Covent Garden with "McL 820" on its flank, and Autocar reported it as a hint at the name of the 750S successor. McLaren's media advisory the next day made it official. That's why some early headlines say "hints" and later ones say "confirms."
One PS is a little less than one US horsepower, about 0.986 of one. So 820 PS works out to about 809 hp. The 750S makes 750 PS, or 740 hp, so the new car has 70 PS more. McLaren's release calls the McL 820 "the next McLaren series supercar" and never mentions the 750S. But McLaren said on October 8 that it was taking final orders for the 750S, with production ending in 2027. Car and Driver, Autocar, and evo all call the McL 820 its replacement. McLaren hasn't said what powers it. Autocar reported it will use one of two new hybrid powertrains McLaren is developing and building in-house for the first time, likely V8-based. Chief operating officer Michael Straughan said the new engines are "obviously going to start with the current V8 products or the future generation of that."
Road & Track heard something different. It noted McLaren dealers have described an 810-hp car, reportedly code-named P34, with a hybrid twin-turbo V6, slotting between the Artura and 750S. McLaren's last two core supercars were named with a number plus an S. The 720S arrived in 2017 and the 750S in 2023, and the number was the output in PS both times. The McL 820 keeps the number, drops the S, and puts "McL" in front.
McLaren said the prefix is inspired by its motorsport history, and that the naming convention creates "a clearer and more consistent approach" across its road car and racing arms. The racing side already works this way. McLaren's Formula 1 cars carry MCL names, and its new endurance racer is the MCL-HY.
The first road car to use the prefix was the McL 6GT, the manual-gearbox car McLaren showed at Monterey Car Week this summer. The McL 820 brings it to McLaren's main supercar. It also fits the new McLaren logo revealed on September 22, which is based on the sign over the McLaren family's service station in Remuera, New Zealand. Not everyone is sold. Motor1 ran the news under a headline warning of "an even clunkier name." Carscoops expects to hear it said both as "Em-Cee-Ell" and as "Muckle." Top Gear answered McLaren's explanation with "Answers on a postcard, please."
The kiwi itself is a nod to founder Bruce McLaren, a New Zealander who first used the bird as an emblem. In McLaren's photos, the statue wears orange and black camouflage stripes and stands on a plinth with the new McLaren lettering.
McLaren said more details will come in 2027. Car and Driver expects the car to be revealed and go on sale that year.
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Sources:
The McL 820 name, the 2027 timing, the 820 PS figure, the kiwi statue, the naming quote, and the motorsport-inspired prefix: McLaren Automotive
The 750S final orders, 2027 end of production, 750 PS output, 2023 launch, and the 720S arriving a decade earlier: McLaren Automotive
The 809 hp conversion, the 750S at 740 hp, the McL 6GT at Monterey Car Week, and the 2027 reveal and sale: Car and Driver
The October 29 statue, the hint, the in-house hybrid powertrains, and the Straughan quote: Autocar
The McL 820 as the 750S replacement: evo
The P34 dealer report and V6 hybrid: Road & Track
The clunkier name headline: Motor1
The pronunciation: Carscoops
The postcard line: Top Gear
The MCL-HY endurance racer: McLaren Racing
The MCL names on the Formula 1 cars: McLaren Racing
The new logo, the Remuera sign, and the September 22 reveal: McLaren
Photos: McLaren Automotive press images
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Cam Walsh has been obsessing over cars since before he could drive one. Based out of Atlanta, Cam covers automotive design, car culture, and the eternal debate over which whips actually look the part.
