McLaren is adopting a name switch with its Ultimate Series models. Beginning with the Senna supercar, all future McLaren models under the Ultimate Series line will be given actual names. This new naming strategy will be strictly limited to this line, though, as future models under the Sports and Super Series banners will continue to be named alphanumerically.

The McLaren Senna got the ball rolling. What was previously thought to be an isolated occurrence brought about by McLaren’s decision to pay homage to the legendary racer has evolved into a full-blown decision that will affect all future Ultimate Series models.

The decision to give proper names to all future Ultimate Series models opens the door to a lot of possibilities. McLaren could keep drawing inspiration from some of its most famous F1 drivers. If that’s the case, we could be headed for a future wherein cars like the McLaren Hakkinen, McLaren Prost, and McLaren Hunt. Who knows, there might even be a McLaren Hamilton down the road.

All those names are speculation at this point. Some might not even come to pass given the relationships some of those former F1 drivers have with the company. But if there’s one driver who I’m confident is going to get the same treatment as Senna, it has to be the Flying Finn, who won two world titles with the British team.

For now, the Senna still commands top billing. It’s McLaren’s ultimate road-legal car. It not only weighs 2,641 pounds, but it also features a 4.0-liter, twin-turbo, V-8 that produces a staggering 789 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. The Senna is so fast that it can cover 0 to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds. That’s 0.1 seconds faster than the McLaren P1. It also takes just 6.8 seconds for the hypercar to hit 124 mph, and 9.9 seconds for it to cover a quarter-mile. If for nothing else, the Senna is a fitting tribute to the three-time F1 world champion who won all three of his titles with McLaren.

All that said, who’s pumped up to see the McLaren Hakkinen? Make it happen, McLaren.

References

Read our full review on the 2019 McLaren Senna.

Read our full review on the 2014 McLaren P1.

Read more McLaren news.