The dust has started to settle on the P1, now that the production is underway and customer cars are being delivered. But there is not time for the designers and engineers at Woking to sit back and relax, as the top brass has accelerated the development of their next masterpiece, the McLaren P13.

The first thing you notice about the P13, before you even see it, is that McLaren sucks at coming up with a good name for their cars. They say the P13 is a codename, but so was the 12C, and it stuck. At any rate, the new baby McLaren is said to be a proper Porsche 911 rival with a mid-engine layout and a price tag that won’t exceed 120,000 GBP.

So yes, it is actually a Porsche 911 Turbo rival at that price, even though it makes only 450 horsepower, which is more on the par with the Carrera S.  Despite the power output, the McLaren P13 will be as quick as the Turbo thanks to cleverer engineering and lower weight. It will be very compact in size, and boast a full carbon fiber construction. As a result the P13 will weigh around 1,400 kg, which is 200 less than the mighty Porsche.

Styling-wise, sources suggest that the P13 will be inspired rather heavily by the P1. It probably won’t sit well with the P1 owners if the P13 end up looking too much like their million quid hyper car, and we’re honest, it is not a very exciting design anyway. But that’s how McLaren roll. It is form that follows function in Woking.

via AutoExpress