British supercar company McLaren Automotive has announced a multi-year partnership with engine supplier Ricardo to manufacture its next-generation V8 power unit as part of a long-term investment deal.
Designed in-house by McLaren’s powertrain team, the new high-performance V8 engine will power the next generation of lightweight, high-performance hybrid supercars as part of the company’s Future of Performance strategy.
The agreement sees a continuation of the of the long-term relationship between the two UK-based companies with Ricardo building both the V6 and V8 engines that will power McLaren’s existing and future high-performance hybrid supercars.
Since the introduction of the McLaren’s first series production supercar, the 12C in 2011, Ricardo has produced around 34,000 McLaren powertrains at its purpose-built assembly facility at Shoreham-by-Sea before delivering them around 50 miles away to the McLaren Production Centre, in Woking, Surrey, where McLaren designs and hand-builds its supercars.
The agreement ensures Ricardo will supply both hybrid and non-hybrid variants and, together with McLaren, make further significant investment in the high-performance engine production facility at Shoreham, with over 100 expert manufacturing engineers and technicians dedicated to supplying McLaren’s high-performance powertrains.
“Our new high-performance, hybrid V8 powertrain will form an integral part of McLaren’s next generation product line-up delivering best-in-class performance and thrilling driver engagement.
“This new agreement with Ricardo is, therefore, an important part of our ‘Future of Performance’ strategy and builds on the enduring relationship between the two British companies, providing a boost for jobs and ensuring increased investment in what is a vitally important domestic engineering supply chain for future technologies.”
Michael Leiters, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Automotive
“We are extremely pleased to have concluded this new engine supply agreement with McLaren Automotive for their next generation high-performance V8 powertrain, which extends the long-term relationship between both companies into the next decade.
“Like McLaren, Ricardo has a proven track record of engineering excellence, delivering high performance technology and the highest standards of product quality supported by the upstream supply chain. With this agreement, we look forward to continuing our established and highly successful relationship with McLaren into its third decade.”
Graham Ritchie, Chief Executive Officer, Ricardo
