Hold your horses, and wallets, McLaren’s new 540C, the second car in the marque’s ‘Sports Series’ opens up a new market for the iconic British name.
In the realm of the supercar, the McLaren name has been etched in history with the legendary F1; a car which will go down in history, or has already, as one of the greatest super sports cars ever made. Thus, it’s no secret that many enthusiasts with sizeable pockets would want a car from this marque. Of course, something like the P1 GTR, with its £1.8 million price-tag, will ensure very few actually have one. On the other side of the coin, the 540C – the second ‘C’ after the 625C and second ‘Sports Series’ car, together with the 570S – suddenly makes a lot of sense, and will get the McLaren ball rolling, even with Alonso and Button yet to break into the top 10 in the pinnacle of motor-racing this year.
The 540C is the most accessible McLaren yet. At £126,000 (Rs 1.2 crore approx), it isn’t eye-wateringly out of reach for many. The 3.8-litre twin-turbo motor too is the same as one would get in the P1 or the 650S, only here, it’s in its pyjamas and bunny slippers instead of morning jogging shoes. Those are extremely stylish shoes and jammies nonetheless, with styling being absolutely where it should be.
Underneath it all, there is 540 PS at 7,500 RPM and 540 Nm of torque peaking between 3,500 and 6,500 RPM – positively leisurely this. Of course, that also means it will be extremely relaxed, with probably no stress at all, while it goes about challenging the likes of the Audi R8, Jaguar F-Type, Mercedes-AMG GT, Porsche 911 Turbo and even the Lamborghini Huracán. Quite a list that, and if anyone can hope to challenge them, it’s McLaren.
