MCLAREN has announced that the first model to be launched in its Sports Series family will be called the 570S Coupé. This V8 powered, carbon fibre structured two seater will show its beautiful yet aerodynamically optimized form for the first time in less than a week when it debuts at the 115th New York International Auto Show on April 1. The name signifies the power output of the 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 in PS, meaning 562 hp on the US measurement system. Just as its name echoes the current 650S, the 570S is expected to be something like a downsized version of that car, with a version of the larger car's carbon-fiber chassis, and similar P1-derived styling. The Sports Series will be cheaper though, possibly starting at around $150,000, compared to the roughly $205,000 starting price of a 650S. Expect a convertible version sometime after the coupe's launch. A less-powerful “C” version may also be developed for Asia as a companion to the 625C that's currently sold there. Other variants are also possible further down the road. It would be great to see McLaren create a hotter version of the 570S to match the recently-unveiled 675LT Super Seres model. With the launch of the first Sports Series derivative, the 570S Coupe, McLaren will be displaying its three tier model strategy together in New York for the first time globally. Every Sports Series model will share its DNA with the Super Series and Ultimate Series that sit above it in the McLaren hierarchy. A pure McLaren, offering class-leading levels of performance, coupled with optimized handling characteristics and driving dynamics, the 570S Coupé marks the first time McLaren has offered its pioneering and race-derived technologies in the sports car segment. In line with the naming convention begun with the 650S, the number 570 gives away the power output of this first McLaren Sports Series model: 570PS, which equates to 562 in hp. Three body styles will be available for the new Sports Series; coupe, spider and a less hard-core but more spacious GT version. Later on, a lightweight, extreme 'Long Tail' version of the 570S is expected to join the range, developed off the back of the secret Sports Series GT3 race car that McLaren's believed to be developing. McLaren hopes that with the arrival of its more ‘affordable' Sports Series global sales will grow from the expected 1700 to 1800 cars this year to well beyond 3000 and possibly even 4000 cars per year. — SG
