McLaren Artura Takes Some Special Laps Around Miami

The first-ever Miami Grand Prix takes place today, and all of the teams that operate a road car division are keen to show off their latest products on the newly-constructed street circuit outside the Hard Rock Stadium. McLaren already showed off a uniquely-wrapped 720S for the race, but it's not done showing off its track-bread supercars. This is the perfect place to debut the new hybrid McLaren Artura with a rather special driver behind the wheel. The Artura makes its North American dynamic debut with Bruno Senna, Brazilian racing driver (and nephew of the late Ayrton Senna), at the helm.

Senna became one of the first people to lap the track, with a mid-mounted 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 and axial flux E-motor providing power. The Artura outproduces the old Sport Series cars with a whopping 671 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque, yielding a three-second 0-60 mph time and a 205-mph top speed.

Senna was able to sample the track's 19 corners and three straights in McLaren's first series-production hybrid (the P1 was limited production).

"It was truly amazing to be able to push the McLaren Artura around this dynamic and free-flowing new Grand Prix circuit in the heart of Miami. The Artura is a car that keeps on giving, especially on a track; it's smooth and refined but with an aggressive edge that is just waiting to be discovered as you utilize the E-motor combined with the powerful V6 engine. It's predictable and fun - the perfect ride for a Grand Prix weekend," said Bruno Senna, a McLaren Ambassador.

Of course, we will have to take his words with a grain of salt. No brand ambassador is ever going to say the company they represent builds a bad car. We'll have to get the Artura out on the road for a test drive when it properly arrives in the US next July, so we can verify Senna's words. However, there's no reason to doubt the excellence of McLaren's new Carbon Lightweight Architecture, as the company has an established track record for building stellar road cars.