Revealed: Pictures of three-seat McLaren BP23 test mule

In late 2016, McLaren revealed to the world that it was working on a new three-seated car to be the spiritual successor to the McLaren F1.

The ‘Hyper-GT’ car, codenamed McLaren BP23, will be the most powerful road-going McLaren ever produced, so it’ll need to outgun the 673kW McLaren P1.

McLaren’s first images of the test mule, built from a 720S, reveal that the central seating position is just like that of a McLaren F1, with the driver positioned forwards with two passengers behind and to the sides.

In March, McLaren revealed a preliminary design sketch by bespoke division McLaren Special Operations (MSO).

When it was first revealed, McLaren Auto CEO Mike Flewitt said the car won’t quite be the same as the F1 in terms of what it’s like to be in or drive.

“BP23 will borrow the three seat layout with the central driving position made famous by the iconic McLaren F1, and it will be oused in a streamlined, shrink-wrapped carbon fibre body of great elegance,” Flewitt said.

“We are calling BP23 a ‘Hyper-GT’ because it’s a car designed for longer journeys, but with the high levels of performance and driver engagement expected of any McLaren.

“A hybrid powertrain will make it one of the most powerful McLarens yet created but the car will also deliver the highest levels of refinement, enabling significant journeys to be undertaken with up to three people aboard.”

Of the 106 units to be built – all already sold before it was even made public – the first are expected to be delivered in 2019. The unit count will match the 106 examples of McLaren F1s produced.