McLaren Brings Familiar Faces to Monterey Car Week

McLaren's latest supercars—the hybrid W1, a special edition 750S Le Mans, and a one-off installation masquerading as an Artura Spider—are set to make their U.S. debut on August 16 at Exotics on Broadway. But if you're wondering when McLaren last did something genuinely new, it’s hard to overlook how these model names keep circling back to past glories rather than signaling a bold future.

The McLaren W1 is officially the newest addition to the “1” series, aiming to follow in the footsteps of the F1 and P1. Technically, it’s a hybrid V8 said to deliver 1,275 horsepower—more than any previous McLaren and, supposedly, more than “any competitor.” Yet as always, raw figures and press release hyperbole say little about actual drivability, reliability, or day-to-day usability. McLaren claims the W1 will reach 300 km/h faster than the Speedtail and lap a track three seconds quicker than the Senna—a set of statistics whose significance hinges entirely on context.

The 750S Le Mans is another special edition nodding to the marque’s 1995 victory at Le Mans. It comes in “Le Mans Grey” (or McLaren Orange), sports a roof scoop, five-spoke LM wheels, and a High Downforce Kit that raises the rear wing and front splitter to add 10% more downforce than the standard 750S. Sound familiar? That’s because similar features appear on nearly every MSO-packaged McLaren. The Le Mans win was undeniably historic—but thirty years on, does the nostalgia really sell more than a fresh racing triumph would?

The so-called “States of Endurance” campaign takes three McLaren road cars on a trip from Monterey to Miami—a route matching the distance of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, though this one stretches over days instead of hours. One Artura Spider has been wrapped in a print-heavy livery evoking the “daylight” driving experience, while two 750S units represent “dawn” and “night.” Visually clever, functionally entertainment, and almost certainly tailored for social media virality.

Anyone can build fast cars. Icons are rarer. Right now, McLaren is chasing its own shadow.