McLaren Speedtail preview: ‘A supercar that’s been nicknamed Albert’ | Martin Love

As fast and powerful as it is beautiful, the new Speedtail from McLaren is all set to reduce grown-ups to tears of wonder

McLaren Speedtail
Price 2.1m
Top speed 250mph
Seats 3
Deliveries early 2020
Owners 106

There was a period when I was about six years old when I used to spend a lot of time drawing cars. I'd carefully sketch out the sleekest, lowest, longest shape; the wheels wouldn't be round but would be pitched forward; there would be numerous fire-spewing exhausts; and then, as a final touch, I'd frantically rub my crayons across the whole thing to suggest a blur of unimaginable speed" Now, to my joyous amazement, one of those drawings has clearly been found by the designers at McLaren and they have created this quite astonishingly beautiful Speedtail. I'd say this is as close as a grown-up car will ever get to my feverish childhood fantasies. The car in question won't hit the streets until early 2020 and only 106 will ever be built. Purchase will be by invitation only. The first prototype has been created and is now undergoing testing. It's been affectionately christened 'Albert', in tribute to its famous McLaren F1 forebear that was designed in Albert Drive, Woking. Aside from the petrol-electrical hybrid drivetrain, the most unique aspect of the car is that it will have only three seats: a central driver and room for two more behind.