Speed Demon
MOTOR Magazine Australia|January 2019

THE SPEEDTAIL’S DESIGN IS AS OTHERWORLDLY AS ITS PERFORMANCE. THIS IS McLAREN’S 772KW, 403KM/H MODERN TAKE ON THE ORIGINAL F1.

Ben Miller
Speed Demon

FIRST MAN, the film adaptation of James Hansen’s book First Man: The life of Neil A. Armstrong, is a ferocious emotional roller coaster, one that artfully water boards you with the full spectrum, from grief and sadness through panic and hope to wide-eyed awe. The panic’s there most obviously in the moments of lost control, when pioneering spacecraft tumble out of control in the pitiless vacuum of space.

However, for me it also crept in during quieter moments. Like when the astronauts, in full kit and carrying their little white life-support suitcases, walk the length of the gantry to board through Saturn V’s access hatch: an invitation to climb into a cramped and almost windowless cockpit at the top of a 110-metre-high pile of fuel and ’60s wiring. Brave doesn’t begin to cover it.

The new Speed tail, McLaren’s first hybrid since the P1/P1 GTR, feels a little like a four wheeled Saturn V. It’s dazzlingly ambitious, pragmatically evolutionary in a couple of technical respects, but innovative in many more, and brave. Both are shaped to battle the treacly drag of our atmosphere, both are powerful beyond comprehension, and both are designed to transport human beings at terrific speed, inevitably shifting their crews’ perspective on the universe a little as they go.

But there are one or two key differences. Next to Saturn V the Speed tail looks almost affordable at $3.16m (106 will be built, just as 106 examples of the similarly three-seat F1 were also produced). The Speed tail also promises to be a good deal more comfortable than the NASA rocket.

Esta historia es de la edición January 2019 de MOTOR Magazine Australia.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición January 2019 de MOTOR Magazine Australia.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE MOTOR MAGAZINE AUSTRALIAVer todo
Ged Bulmer
MOTOR Magazine Australia

Ged Bulmer

THE ACCOMPANYING YARN WAS A RIB TICKLER, BUT THE SUITS AT PORSCHE DIDN'T SEE IT THAT WAY

time-read
5 minutos  |
July 2022
Dylan Campbell
MOTOR Magazine Australia

Dylan Campbell

WE WERE LIVING THE DREAM. WE ALL WANTED TO WORK FOR MOTOR AS TEENAGERS

time-read
5 minutos  |
July 2022
HONDA NSX
MOTOR Magazine Australia

HONDA NSX

Honda's alloy missile - a friendly firecracker

time-read
8 minutos  |
July 2022
TESLA MODEL S
MOTOR Magazine Australia

TESLA MODEL S

Looking back on the automobile's iPhone moment | TESLA AIMS TO ELEVATE THE ELECTRIC CAR FROM INTRIGUING CURIOUSITY TO A VIABLE MEANS OF EVERYDAY TRANSPORT

time-read
5 minutos  |
July 2022
PORSCHE 959
MOTOR Magazine Australia

PORSCHE 959

Weissach rethinks the supercar

time-read
6 minutos  |
July 2022
PCOTY LEGENDS - 1996-2022
MOTOR Magazine Australia

PCOTY LEGENDS - 1996-2022

HOW THE ANNUAL QUEST FOR AUSTRALIA'S BEST PERFORMANCE CARS HAS DELIVERED A ROLL CALL OF EXCELLENCE

time-read
10+ minutos  |
July 2022
THE UNDEFEATED
MOTOR Magazine Australia

THE UNDEFEATED

HONDA'S FK8 CIVIC TYPE R IS OUR LINEAL CHAMP, WINNING EVERY MOTOR COMPARISON AS WELL AS BOTH PERFORMANCE CAR OF THE YEAR AND BANG FOR YOUR BUCKS. WE PAY OUR RESPECTS WITH A FINAL DRIVE IN THE END-OF-THE-LINE LE SPECIAL

time-read
6 minutos  |
July 2022
THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE
MOTOR Magazine Australia

THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE

IN A CULTURE OVERFLOWING WITH POSERS AND TRY-HARDS, WE FIND A HAVEN FOR THOSE THAT LOVE DRIVING ABOVE ALL ELSE

time-read
8 minutos  |
June 2022
OPEN WIDE, SAY R
MOTOR Magazine Australia

OPEN WIDE, SAY R

VOLKSWAGEN'S GOLF R LANDS IN AUSTRALIA AND IT ALREADY HAS THE SWAGGER OF A GIANTKILLER ABOUT IT. WE LINE UP SOME ASYMMETRIC ALTERNATIVES TO SEE IF THE GOLF HAS THEIR RESPECTIVE TALENTS COVERED

time-read
10+ minutos  |
June 2022
SING FOR YOUR DINNER
MOTOR Magazine Australia

SING FOR YOUR DINNER

As the motoring world undergoes seismic shifts in focus, Rob Dickinson's vision for Singer remains clear

time-read
3 minutos  |
June 2022