Is McLaren building a small-batch successor to the hallowed F1?

Autocar reports that Macca might build a three-seat homage to the original supercar, and it's whipped up some renderings.

Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars

Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.

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Andrew Krok

July 20, 2016 9:33 a.m. PT

Autocar McLaren F1 Successor — Autocar.co.uk

Some rumors carry as much weight as a wet piece of tissue paper. Others have legs long enough to run an ultramarathon. Autocar's latest scoop, wherein it claims McLaren will build a spiritual follow-up to the Mr. Bean-approved F1, sits somewhere in the middle, leaning towards the latter.

The UK autos outlet received a tip from an insider source that McLaren will build a spiritual successor to the F1. It'll sport a number of familiar F1 features, including its iconic three-seat design and the air intake dead center atop the roof. To celebrate its alleged scoop, Autocar commissioned some renderings that envision this next-generation supercar.

The car is supposedly a mix of a hypercar and a grand tourer, a type of car built for long, fast drives across the continent. Autocar's renderings include many current Macca design elements, adapted to a silhouette familiar to car geeks around the world.

McLaren did not immediately respond to a request for comment. For what it's worth, though, automakers regularly decline to comment on future products until an official announcement is in place. And if this thing really is going to happen, which Autocar believes it will, then you'd better believe that an announcement will be so big it'll be impossible to miss.