EVSTIG - MCLAREN SENNA EXCLUSIVE FIRST DRIVE

Well, Well, Well what do we have here! As I’ve said previously, I hope you guys (the readers) begin to join me on my adventures of driving the wonderful EV Hire fleet, but also you can join me even further around the world as I get my hands on the next generation of super & luxury cars that are imminently hitting the streets! Who knows, maybe some of them will be added to the EV Hire fleet. In fact, during these ‘exclusive first drive’ write ups, it’ll be great to hear from you what you want to see on the EV Hire fleet in the future! With that being said, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the McLaren Senna. McLaren’s latest ultimate series track ready hypercar. 

The stats are easy to to remember thankfully, because usually when a new hypercar launches, the numbers are so big they all get lost in a cloud of numbers. But the Senna is special. 800ps, 800nm of torque AND 800kg of DOWNFORCE! What. The. Hell!! Yup, this thing sounds like hell too. Now let’s kick things off with downforce. To a lot of people, this might not mean much, but I’ll let you into a little secret. Downforce will be the next ‘element’ manufacturers will focus on. We’ve got all the power we need, we’ve got hybrid tech, we’ve got electric power. But downforce, is fundamental in utilising all the power and getting the car to stick to the road through the corners, out the corners, and down the straights. Yes, it’s a fairly track focused approach, but that’s exactly what the new £750,000 McLaren is all about. 

Named after the legendary Formula 1 Driver, Ayrton Senna plays a part in McLaren’s design brief, and it’s his nephew, Bruno, Ex F1 Driver, current Formula E Driver, that has sat alongside McLaren and helped build this track monster. I’ve mentioned it being track focused quite a lot already, but let’s not forget that when you purchase this car, it comes with a set of number plates! It’s road legal, and when you’re standing in front of it face to face, you can only applaud McLaren in going through the correct homologations to make this dream a reality. 

Let’s get down to the important stuff, how does it drive? There’s no denying the McLaren Senna is special. But is it £750,000 special? The short answer is....Yes. But that sounds mad! There is a vehicle with four wheels that is worth £750,000. The price of a pretty substantial house! Or a studio flat anywhere near London. However, being the EV Stig, I know which I’d prefer. The Senna vibrates with the engine idling. The revolutions of the engine rippling through the carbon monocage, into the carbon bucket seats, and through the padding, steering wheel and peddles. It feels raw and ready for action. The interior is beautiful pieces together and feels quintessentially McLaren. Important buttons position in the roof give it that fighter jet feel, let alone looking in your wing mirrors to feel dwarfed by the rear spoiler alone. 

Think of the McLaren Senna as a derestricted, no holds bar Le Mans race car. More than ample power, no rules hold it back from active aero or overall shape, providing the greatest set up in any road car I’ve ever experienced. Yup, bold statement but one I stand by! The thing is like nothing else I’ve ever driven. The straight line speed to start with is enough to leave you gasping for breath, but it’s not the power that’s the most impressive. It’s how the car stops, and weaves through corners that is more mesmerising. The brakes remind me of a race car. Stamp your foot on the left peddle and no matter how fast you’re going, or how late you think you’re breaking, you always end up falling short of the corner. It’s scary what this car is capable of, and I was also scared for my internal organs! They must be all over the place, and I could see why a lot of people who jump in for hot laps with Bruno Senna (who was on hand to do so...all day. Not a bad job!), would feel queasy and uneasy after stepping out. The McLaren Senna defies what we thought was possible from a road car. The downforce comes into action early on but my god can you feel it. All 800kg comes in at 155mph which if I’m honest, I’d never have the balls to fully commit to a corner at 155mph, not on this track anyway! A lot of the Senna’s magic is underneath the car, with the active rear wing controlling where the air rolls off once it’s past through the rest of the cars lines and shapes. To put into perspective, the McLaren Senna has 40% more downforce than the McLaren P1, and weights 150kg less!!! So if you’ve watched Top Gear, or any Youtube video of someone driving a P1 in complete fear of it’s power, weight and ability....then hopefully that gives you an idea as to what the Senna feels like taking into consideration everything I’ve said above. 

Sadly only 500 will be built, and all 500 were sold out almost immediately after the car was launched. Whilst McLaren are very proud of what they’ve created, I’m not sure they’ve actually stood back and fully appreciated just what they’ve done. They’ve built a race car for the road. And it’s comfortable too! It’s usable and can be driving in the cities. To build a car this good for the track, a car that would competitively give Le Mans cars a run for their money around any track is just astonishing. I’m amazed I’ve been able to drive this British unicorn, and it’s a memory I’ll keep with me forever. Whilst EV Hire weren’t one of the lucky 500 people around the world to secure a build slot, we do have our very own McLaren 570s ready for Hire! A car just as fun to drive, with ample power to get you to the next set of lights quicker than most other things on the road! 

There we have it, the first and fairly exclusive first drive of the McLaren Senna. A wonderful machine made in England. We can’t wait to start seeing them on the streets and if we’re ever at a track and a McLaren Senna does turn up. We won’t give chase because we’ve got NO CHANCE in keeping up with it!

Do you want to hear more about the McLaren Senna? Or any other new car that is making it’s way to our streets soon? Let us know and we’ll do our best to get behind the wheel of it and bring you an exclusive insight into what you want to know! 

Signing off for now, until next time.....

EV STIG