Lewis Shaw
McLaren has launched a limited edition 650S Spider Can-Am to celebrate 50th Anniversary of Canadian American Challenge Cup.
The race is on for 50 limited models which can be ordered now at £255,850 (around $334,500 for the US) with deliveries expected next year in Spring.
The name of the car derives from the Can-Am Challenge Cup which established the British company as a leader in high performance luxury cars after it won 5 consecutive championships between 1967 and 1971. Some of the famous drivers of the time included Graham Hill, John Surtees, Jackie Steward and Bruce McLaren.
The 650S Can-Am has several features inspired by the race cars of the golden era of motorsports. Carbon fibre is used extensively in its lightweight MonoCell chassis, the retractable hard top and the bonnet. It also sports lightweight forged alloy wheels inspired by the racers of the 60s, which have a glossy black finish on the spokes and a diamond cut rim.
The 650S Spider comes in three different colours honouring the McLaren models that were infamous on the Can-Am race circuit. The Mars Red is inspired by the M1B favoured by Bruce Mclaren and Chris Amon in the debut season. The Papaya Spark is a modern version of the McLaren Orange and the Onyx Black honours the McLaren customer teams in later seasons. The cars come with customised racing livery which further heightens their appeal to racing fanatics.
According to Paul Mackenzie, Executive Director of McLaren Special Operations, “the 650S Can-Am is a modern day interpretation with a mixture of functional design features taken from the all-conquering models, combined with the lightest and most pioneering materials available, as was the case with the race cars. The extensive use of lightweight visual carbon fibre, including for the retractable hard top, adds to car’s dramatic appearance and with the roof down, drivers are treated to a stirring V8 soundtrack just as Bruce and his teammates enjoyed.”
