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McLaren Automotive will introduce its next-generation V-8 engine to power future supercars, the automaker announced on Tuesday.
The engine is being developed in-house and will be produced under contract by Ricardo, the British engineering firm that supplies McLaren’s current V-8 and V-6 engines.
McLaren’s current V-8, a turbocharged 4.0-liter unit, traces its roots to the turbocharged 3.8-liter V-8 that made its debut in 12C supercars more than a decade ago. The engine is related to the Nissan V-8 which was originally developed in the late 1980s for endurance racing.
McLaren hasn’t said when the new V-8 will be introduced, but it’s likely to end up in at least two models. These include the successor to the P1 hypercar and the new 750S supercar. A successor model is expected to arrive in 2026, when McLaren is expected to exclusively offer the electric car, according to information allegedly revealed during a recent dealer meeting.
The supply agreement for the new V-8 will extend into the next decade, according to Graham Ritchie, Ricardo’s CEO, meaning McLaren has no plans to phase out the V-8 engine any time soon.
“We are delighted to have completed this new engine supply agreement with McLaren Automotive for the next generation high-performance V-8 powertrain, which extends the long-standing relationship between the two companies into the next decade,” he said.
Although McLaren plans to stick with the V-8 engine, the company is also investigating an electric powertrain. However, the automaker says existing EV technology is not suitable for supercar applications due to weight and charging duration issues.
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