The McLaren Sabre Is An 824-Horsepower Hypercar Aimed Directly At The American Market

This the McLaren Sabre, an 824-horsepower slice of carbon fiber capable of 218mph that’s been engineered exclusively for the US market. It’s a superlative machine, even among its kin. In the press release issued earlier today to officially announce the car, McLaren highlighted that the Sabre is the company’s most powerful non-hybrid street legal creation to date, and—with a bit of cheekiness—that it also holds the record of the fastest top speed of any two-seater from the Woking-based manufacturer. Because only 15 examples will be produced (all spoken for, as is typical of projects like this), the Sabre can also claim the title of the most exclusive McLaren model.

Information about the car’s twin-turbo V8 is currently unknown beyond the output figures of 824hp and 590lb-ft of torque, but it’s most likely a derivation of the forced induction V8s that have been used in the manufacturer’s other high-end offerings. And although the Sabre seems to share some basic genetics with the Senna, further details are still unknown at this time. Given that this is a product of the brand’s skunkworks division, McLaren Special Operations (MSO), it’s safe to assume that it will be a quite capable on circuits and open stretches of highway alike. The aero might not be as outwardly extreme as its Senna relative, but it’s a far cry from the slippery Speedtail. Judging by the Gundam-esque front end, pronounced dorsal fin, and the massive rear diffuser, it’s safe to assume there is no lack of downforce being produced at speed by this thing.

We’re looking forward to learning more about the Sabre in the near future, especially as it relates to the car’s United States-specificity. McLaren says that because of the Sabre’s direct focus on the American market, it includes “ideas and innovations that global homologation would not permit.” The company also mentioned that the owners of the 15 examples worked closely with MSO on the Sabre’s development. We’ll update as we learn more, but in the meantime, we’d like to know what you think of it. Is it an uber-exclusive collectible that will join the already-canonized likes of the P1 and Senna (let’s be honest, the F1 is in a league all its own), or will it fade into obscurity in the unseen garages of the very few who will own them? Given the rapid clip of performance car progress, it takes more than outright stats to stand out these days, but is ultra-exclusivity enough of a complement?