McLaren’s Speedtail development prototype is named Albert
It's a throwback to the days of the F1 supercar program.
McLaren may have unveiled the Speedtail already, but it's not ready for customers yet. Ahead of its yearlong development deployment, McLaren is showing off its first development prototype, which carries an interesting name with a bit of history behind it.
McLaren's first development prototype is named Albert. Yes, Albert, just like the first half of that Paul McCartney song you only sort of remember. Its official name is MVY02, but it went with the more digestible Albert as a throwback to the development mules from the original F1 supercar program, one of which was also named Albert.
Albert rocks a unique livery that lets people know it's a prototype, in addition to a 720S-based front bumper, but under that special skin it's all production-ready, from the chassis to the powertrain to that wild three-seat cockpit. Albert will be put to use over the next year as McLaren dials in the chassis, brakes, dampers and creature comforts to ensure the car is ready for production. Deliveries are slated to begin in 2020, so McLaren clearly has some time.
The Speedtail is going to rock, full stop. Its hybrid-electric drivetrain will put out 1,035 horsepower, enough to propel the hypercar to 186 miles per hour in just 12.8 seconds. It'll top out at 250 mph, higher than the original McLaren F1. It has the same centrally mounted driver's seat as the F1, but the cockpit looks like something out of a science-fiction movie.
If you haven't already plunked down cash for a Speedtail, you're out of luck. Only 106 will be built, the same production volume as the O.G. F1, and they're all sold out. It'll cost a cool £1.75 million (about $2.3 million), and US buyers won't even be able to drive the dang thing every day -- it can only be imported under the "Show or Display" rule, which severely limits annual mileage and the places it can be driven, because it's not technically street legal. The well heeled have their fair share of problems too, you know.
