McLaren’s New Hybrid V6 Could Make More Torque Than Its Twin-Turbo V8
McLaren‘s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 has powered some of the fastest road cars to ever leave Woking, but the engine sitting below it in the lineup could soon produce considerably more torque. According to dealer information by Automotive News, McLaren is preparing a new mid-engine supercar currently known as P34, pairing a newly developed twin-turbocharged V6 with hybrid assistance.
McLaren hasn’t publicly revealed the P34 or confirmed its final specifications, but dealers briefed on the company’s future product plans reportedly expect around 810 HP and 800 lb-ft of torque. If those numbers reach production, the new hybrid would make roughly 210 lb-ft more torque than the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 in the 750S, while reportedly slotting between it and the Artura.
McLaren’s Hybrid V6 Could Make 800 LB-FT Of Torque
The P34 isn’t expected to simply reuse the Artura‘s powertrain with a little more boost. Reports from McLaren’s dealer briefing indicate the upcoming supercar will use a newly developed twin-turbocharged V6 hybrid powertrain and an in-house transmission, with combined output reportedly landing around 810 HP and 800 lb-ft. The 750S uses a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 producing 740 HP and 590 lb-ft, meaning the reported P34 figures would give the hybrid V6 approximately 70 additional horsepower and, more impressively, 210 lb-ft more torque. McLaren officially lists the 750S at 590 lb-ft, making the comparison particularly striking considering the P34 would have two fewer cylinders.
Electrification obviously plays a major role in that difference, so this isn’t simply a smaller combustion engine somehow overpowering McLaren’s V8 on its own. The reported 800 lb-ft represents the hybrid system’s combined output, and McLaren hasn’t disclosed how much comes from the V6 or electric motor individually.
The Artura Shows How Far McLaren’s Hybrid V6 Could Go
McLaren already has plenty of experience extracting serious performance from six cylinders. The current Artura combines a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 with an axial-flux electric motor, producing 690 HP and 531 lb-ft of torque. Its electric motor alone can contribute up to 225 Nm, or roughly 166 lb-ft, illustrating how electrification can dramatically alter the torque characteristics of a relatively small-displacement engine.
If the P34 reaches the reported 800 lb-ft figure, it would represent an increase of 269 lb-ft over the Artura, while adding approximately 120 HP. Reports also suggest its engine and transmission are new developments rather than simply carrying over the Artura’s existing hardware, although McLaren has yet to provide technical details about the combustion engine, electric motor, battery, or how the hybrid system will deliver its power. The result could effectively push McLaren’s V6 hybrid formula into territory previously occupied by its V8-powered Super Series cars, without simply turning the P34 into an Artura replacement.
More Torque And More Power Could Still Cost Less Than A 750S
David Alpert / HotCars / Valnet
The reported performance hierarchy becomes even more interesting when price enters the equation. Dealers reportedly expect the P34 to start around $313,000 to $315,000, despite producing more horsepower and substantially more torque than the 750S. The new model is expected to occupy the space between the Artura and 750S rather than simply sitting above both.
Raw output won’t necessarily make it the quicker or more capable car. The 750S has another major advantage that doesn’t appear on an engine specification sheet: weight. McLaren lists the coupe at a lightest dry weight of just 2,815 pounds, and adding a battery, electric motor and associated hybrid hardware inevitably gives the P34 another engineering problem to solve. McLaren hasn’t released a weight figure for the P34, nor has it confirmed acceleration, top speed or any other performance numbers, making comparisons beyond the reported power and torque premature.
McLaren Isn’t Done With The V8
An 800-lb-ft V6 hybrid doesn’t exactly mean McLaren is abandoning its twin-turbocharged V8. The company’s flagship W1 already combines V8 power with electrification, while reports surrounding McLaren’s broader product expansion point toward additional models beyond the P34. What the reported numbers show instead is how dramatically electrification is changing the relationship between engine size and performance within McLaren’s own lineup.
The Artura introduced a twin-turbocharged hybrid V6 with enough performance to sit comfortably beneath McLaren’s V8 cars. The P34 could take the same basic philosophy considerably further, reportedly producing more power than the 750S while beating its V8’s torque output by more than 200 lb-ft.
For now, those numbers remain reported rather than factory-confirmed, and McLaren declined to comment when asked about the P34 reports. If the production car arrives with anything close to 810 HP and 800 lb-ft, however, McLaren’s next V6 won’t merely be closing the gap to its twin-turbo V8 — on paper, it will have already passed it.
Source: AutoNews, Carscoops
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