McLaren Has Taken A Senna Prototype To The Ring – Is It After The Aventador SVJ’s Record?

With McLaren unveiling the Senna last December, one would expect development and fine-tuning to be over, but that doesn’t appear to be the case just yet.

Proof stands a prototype of the British hypercar, which was spied testing on the Nurburgring recently. At a first glance, it doesn’t appear to be any different than the rest of the Sennas seen so far, which only adds to the mystery.

So, what are we looking at here? Without official confirmation from Woking, it’s hard to tell, but if we were to speculate, then we would say that they’re either testing a new technology feature, or they’re prepping a special edition.

Another scenario is that McLaren is getting ready to race the Senna against the clock on the famous German track, and that they’re currently testing the waters with this prototype before the actual run. To become the fastest production car on the Nurburgring, the McLaren Senna needs to complete the 20.6 km (12.8 mi) long course faster than the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, which recorded a 6:44.97 lap time.

The Senna definitely has the grunt to do it, courtesy of both its downforce-inducing aerodynamics and the mid-mounted twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 making 800 PS (789 hp / 589 kW) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) of torque. This is 30 PS (30 hp / 22 kW) and 80 Nm (59 lb-ft) of torque more than the Aventador SVJ, which also boasts a comprehensive aero pack that helps it go through corners like stink.