Art with a growl

If you’re to the manor born – or just the manner born – grab the new McLaren Artura, the luxe company’s high-performance, hybrid supercar.

As soon as I saw the photos of the new McLaren Artura, I knew I wanted one. It looked like some of the video game cars I would race years back. Those were vicarious times.

When my wife told me mortgaging the house to get the Artura was out of the question, those vicarious times returned like a cast-iron pan hitting my psyche. 

To the manor born?

Not in this life.

There, but out of reach.

(I wonder if crowdfunding $250,000 for a personal car is ethical?)

However, for those of you who have $250K on hand, go get one and stop by my house and perhaps allow me to touch it. Or maybe even drive it down the Taconic or the Merritt or maybe open it up on 684 and hit 205 on the speedometer.

OK, so what’s all the envy about?

The Artura is a high-performance hybrid supercar.

Wait a minute. Hybrid?

Yes, but like no other hybrid.

McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt describes the car as “the pure distillation of our collective expertise and experience. It’s the next generation McLaren.”

The powertrain is composed of an all-new, twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine with an electric motor. 

So you get your choice of a full vroooooom from the V6 or the dead silence of the electric.

McLaren says the use of carbon fiber and composites make it the lightest in its class. And probably the fastest. According to the specs, zero to 60 in 3.0 seconds. Not fast enough? Zero to 124 mph in 8.3 seconds. 

Enough about speed, how about comfort?

The cockpit of this luscious automobile comes in leather-wrapped Clubsport seats with each one pivoting “through an elliptical arc when adjusted, combining under-thigh support, seat height and backrest in one movement.”

The infotainment system has two high-definition screens that contain new software and hardware “to deliver a smartphone level of responsiveness.”

This car is smart enough to know when you’re heading toward it via a Bluetooth key and powers up the systems before you open the door.

And for color choice?  There are 35 choices from the cool looking Flux Green to mellow Volcano Yellow.

McLaren’s design director, Rob Melville, sums up the Artura this way: “Our mission was to create a piece of pure technical sculpture, where technology doesn’t distract but enhances the visual experience. We were guided throughout by three key phrases — purity, technical sculpture and functional jewelry.

“The purity is not only purity of line, but also in the integration of components. Technical sculpture references the need to be stunning to look at, but is there for a reason, like the forms you see in nature; while functional jewelry is best explained by the fact that we don’t decorate, we do what is needed and make it beautiful.”

Maybe if I told my wife we needed another piece of art to add to our home?

For more, visit mclaren.com.

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