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Would you rather buy a McLaren BP23 or a Bugatti Chiron?

The price tags for these two new hypercars are relatively close to one another.

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.
Andrew Krok
2 min read

It's no surprise that McLaren's three-seat hypercar, code-named BP23, would be expensive. But, according to reports, it's going to be quite expensive.

McLaren's next hypercar will carry a price tag of £2 million ($2.5 million, directly converted), Automotive News reports. In order to secure a place in line, customers reportedly had to drop five-figure sums, and since demand was so high, they had to show brand loyalty by already owning other McLaren vehicles. McLaren did not immediately return a request to confirm the price tag.

If you're sitting here, reading this and saying, "Hey, I have $2.5 million to spend," you're already too late. McLaren sold out of the whole 106-car production run before it was even announced to the public. The overwhelming demand is not surprising, given that people have been asking for a spiritual successor to the McLaren F1 for years now.

McLaren BP23 Teaser
Enlarge Image
McLaren BP23 Teaser

This is the only rendering McLaren has released of its BP23 hypercar, as it's still in development.

McLaren

McLaren claims the BP23 will be the most powerful and aerodynamic McLaren ever built. Despite the performance prowess, it won't be some sort of track machine. Rather, it'll be positioned more as a grand tourer, offering insane levels of luxury and capability with a penchant for cushy road trips over long distances.

It's a shame, then, that owners won't be able to take these on the road, at least in the US, and not for many miles. It's believed that McLaren won't sacrifice the required number of hypercars in order to make it road legal in the United States. Thus, buyers will have to apply to import the vehicle under the "Show or Display" law, which allows owners to import vehicles that are "historically or technologically significant" but have not been certified for sale in the US.

Vehicles imported under this law are limited to just 2,500 miles each year, and the reason for the drive must be to take it to or from a display, or to ensure the correct functionality of its parts. Fun fact: The law was helped along by Bill Gates, who purchased a Porsche 959, which wasn't road legal in the US. It was stored in San Francisco for 13 years until the law came into effect.

The price tag for the McLaren BP23 is very close to the new Bugatti Chiron, which carries a suggested retail price of about $2.9 million. We don't know much about the McLaren yet, but we do know the Bugatti Chiron is a masterpiece of engineering, with about 1,500 horsepower and an interior that looks like a museum piece.

Watch this: The Bugatti Chiron is beyond perfection

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