While automakers hate having future products scooped by spy photographers, they aren’t above playing games with those who seek to capture their prototypes through long lenses. Take this McLaren prototype that was captured near the Nürburgring, for instance. It has some natty disguise but also bears what seems to be a McLaren internal model code across its windshield, albeit one that’s probably intended to throw us off the scent.
The code in question, MV715-23, would seem to hint a relationship to the upcoming three-seat supercar that McLaren already has told us it’s working on, internally known as the BP23. But that’s likely some kind of sneaky double bluff, with the prototype itself—which appears to be a 650S coupe—having two seats and a conventional right-hand driving position. Publicly available data on the British government’s vehicle-check service shows that this hardworking mule was originally registered in 2013 and that, somewhere under the camo, it’s painted blue. Interestingly, it also states that between 2016’s MOT compliance test and this year’s, the mileage changed from 40,739 miles to 3822 km (2375 miles), suggesting some major mechanical alterations.
The most striking thing about the mule is its huge rear wing, which seems to be hung under its uprights and to have adjustable elements at the rear, just like a race car. The front end also features some radical aerodynamics, with a lengthened front floor, elongated supports, and what look like some interesting bulges under the disguise. There’s also a hard-to-miss air-intake scoop on the roof.
Weighing the evidence, we reckon that this is more likely a test mule for the forthcoming P15 Ultimate Series McLaren that we’ve already told you about. That car will have a supertuned version of the company’s twin-turbocharged V-8 engine and a power-to-weight ratio that will be substantially better than that of the McLaren P1 hybrid. We also know that it will have some very radical aerodynamics, which appears to be what we’re looking at here—with the Nürburgring Nordschleife being the perfect place to work on high-speed handling behavior.
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