McLaren Sports Series to bow in New York with ‘well over’ 500 hp

McLaren has confirmed plans to unveil its new Sports Series coupe early next year at the New York International Auto Show.
The company’s entry-level model is expected to produce more than 500 horsepower, potentially around 550 ponies to maintain a gap below the midrange 650S that is powered by the same 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The output specs should be good for a 0-60 mph sprint in under four seconds and a top speed north of 180 mph.

“Like our other models, this one will have a higher power-to-weight ratio and better performance figures than any rival,” McLaren chief Mike Flewitt said in a statement to Autocar.

The British automaker is said to be developing a track-focused GT3 model, though both the racer and the basic street variant will lack the coupled suspension and active aerodynamics of the 650S.

The first Sports Series models are expected to be arriving in showrooms by the end of 2015, with production eventually ramping up to 2,500 units annually.