The McLaren 540C Shows Its Nose In Shanghai
Typically, when automakers unveil a new entry-level car, no one is eagerly anticipating it. Since most of them are city cars or sub-compacts, there isn't usually a lot to get excited about.
However, when the car comes from McLaren, it’s suddenly very interesting.
At the Shanghai auto show, the English manufacturer just unveiled the 540C, its least-expensive vehicle. As the newest member of the Sport Series lineup (which already includes the 570S), the 540C starts at 156,000 euros, or about $165,000. Granted, this isn’t exactly cheap, but the car is intended as a daily-drivable alternative to the brand’s other supercars.
The engine used is the same as that found in the other McLarens: a 3.8-litre V8 fitted with a pair of turbochargers. With 533 horsepower on tap, it enables the car to get from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds. With the massive use of aluminium panels and carbon fibre accessories, the 540C weighs only 1311 kg. This McLaren is also more comfortable than its brethren, since it has been fitted with more compliant shocks.
If you are currently in the market for a sports car that will set you apart from a sea of Porsche 911s, you will be happy to hear that the McLaren 540C can be ordered right now, and that deliveries will start early next year.