McLaren might be considered a supercar’s supercar: F1-derived technology, a thrilling drive experience and gorgeous exteriors that maintain a purist approach to building and selling supercars by delivering its owners what it has learned on the track.
But it’s most recent offer, Project Endurance, a hypercar collaboration between McLaren Racing and McLaren Automotive, is without question the most exclusive McLaren ever offered for sale.
That’s because the hyper car, which has yet to be named and will carry a price tag of more than $1 million, will also offer buyers a place in the brand’s march toward the triple crown: wins at Indy 500, Monaco and Le Mans.
$1 Million Puts Project Endurance Owners In the Front Row
Thirty-five lucky hand-selected buyers of Project Endurance will get more than just a bespoke race car. They’ll also be invited to participate as McLaren racing development engineers and fine-tune the details leading up to the 2027 season.
In addition to getting a front seat to the development process, buyers will be included in certain test drives and races, and all that entails, during the process.
Once these 35 owners take delivery of their car, they can experience it as a race car driver would through McLaren’s two-year track package, included with the purchase: each owner will be able to learn to drive their new car on some of the most exclusive tracks around the world. McLaren wanted to ensure that this McLaren ownership experience is a holistic one.
Project Endurance: A Heritage-Inflected Supercar
Potential buyers were able to take a personal tour of Project Endurance recently at Chateau McLaren at Monterey Car Week, an exclusive, invitation-only villa designed to entertain McLaren owners, dealers, guests and VIPs during the week.
The Chateau, set on a highly secure private drive in the Monterey Peninsula’s wine country, offered all the posh surrounds that the McLaren life insinuates, as well as the Project Endurance prototype set on a platform at the center of it all.
The prototype looks at first glance like a typical LMDh, or Le Mans Daytona hybrid, race car. But a closer look reveals details that tell the story of this car.
It starts with “3,” the number of the McLaren entry that first won the Indy 500 in 1974; then it’s adorned with the Star of Texas, a nod to Johnny Rutherford who drove and won for McLaren that year. There’s a “Zippy Kiwi” icon in a nod to founder Bruce McLaren and of course, the prototype is finished in Papaya Orange, McLaren’s official color.
McLaren’s States Of Endurance Drive Takes The Mission On The Road
To share the story of Project Endurance and McLaren’s commitment to endurance racing, the company finished two 750S models and an Artura Spyder in ombre versions of Papaya Orange, white and blue and drove 3,867 miles from Monterey to Miami, stopping at designated cities along the way.
The McLaren States of Endurance drivers were met along the way by fans, enthusiasts and owners, many of whom formed a convoy from city to city bringing even more excitement to the idea of the McLaren endurance mission.
This Purist Supercar Brand Brings F1 To Its Owners
The modern version of McLaren Automotive was started in 2010 and has been a sought-after supercar favored by race fans and enthusiasts who can foot the six-digit price tag. With a mission of creating the perfect road car, McLaren Automotive only builds supercars; SUVs and sedans are not part of the lineup.
The company has committed to building a new car every year, with the 750S, a 740 hp twin turbo V8, introduces in2024 and the W1, priced at $2.1 million, introduced and sold out in late 2024. The 750S is available in a Spider convertible or a coupe and has a starting price of $343,000 for the coupe and $364,000 for the Spider, but the average price runs closer to about $424,000. With global sales of just over 3,000 units in 2024, the company has seen strong interest with its newest models, giving McLaren a solid standing among supercar enthusiasts who are driven to take a little bit of F1 along on every drive.