A McLaren dealer based in Beverly Hills, California has commissioned McLaren Special Operations or MSO, to create a one-off Speedtail, that pays homage to one of McLaren's earliest prototypes of the car.
Overview
Supercar customization today has reached new heights, with pretty much anything possible at the request of a client. Premium brands like Mclaren have MSO at their disposal to come up with some truly unique creations. And, people are willing to go the extra mile to possess cars that are exclusive. Now, feast your eyes on Mclaren’s latest creation, the Albert.
The Albert Connection
Automakers like Dodge have given names like Viper, Hellcat, Demon, and Redeye, to their performance sedans. Ford has given us names like the Raptor, and Maverick. These names are captivating and get the testosterone flowing.
However, McLaren, as extreme as their cars are, has gone the other way. They have now given us the Albert. That is the least intimidating name that I can think of. It sounds too polite, but there’s nothing polite about the car that bears this name.
So, who exactly is Albert? Well, McLaren has a long history with the Albert name.
In 2018, when McLaren started developing its fastest road car ever, the Speedtail coupe, the Albert name was used yet again on an early prototype. The Albert was essentially created to validate the central driving seat position of the Speedtail, as well as to address underlying ergonomic concerns on the car. The prototype featured the front end of a 720S and it was the very first Speedtail to ever be driven on public roads.
The Stunning Paintwork has a Story
The most interesting part of the Albert has to be its distinctive livery. If it looks like a wrap, think again. What you’re looking at is actually paint. And the grey color? Well, there’s a story to that as well.
The original McLaren F1 debuted at the1992 Monaco Grand Prix in Magnesium Silver, a color that is joined by the gray color Ueno Grey, which was also seen on the F1 GT-R with which McLaren won the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. These colors were also seen on the Original Speedtail prototype back in 2018.
The paintwork on the Albert Speedtail does have the potential to hypnotize you. The stunning paintwork seen here actually corresponds to this Speedtail’s exceptional performance. The paintwork on this specific car took a total of 12 weeks to complete.
The most time-consuming part, however, was the paint job itself. MSO divided the task.
They then disassembled the car and painted it piece-by-piece, applying the top coat of varnish. The entire bodywork had to be removed to ensure accuracy and a beautiful finish. It took them six weeks to paint and the remaining time to let this unique paintwork cure. Only after thoroughly inspecting the vehicle did they reassemble it.
The End of the line for the Speedtail
The Albert represents a powerful expression for McLaren. It is pure art on wheels. Aside from its stunning appearance, the Albert retains the aerodynamic efficiency of the Speedtail that it is based on. It has three seats and belongs to McLaren's 'Ultimate Series’, which is their most extreme kind. It features a 1,070-horsepower engine and tops out at 250 mph.
The Albert also marks the end of the line for the Mclaren Speedtail which had a production run of 106 examples. It is one of the very last Speedtails that McLaren will make. The Albert is all set to be unveiled on Sunday, August 8, at Beverly Hills Cars and Coffee.
Find out more about the Mclaren Albert Here.