More details surface as McLaren begins testing the F1 successor

International auto blogs are teeming with details and spy photographs of the McLaren F1 successor, the next model emerging from the gates of the Surrey-based performance car company. This is the first time the F1 has been spotted testing, wearing thick camouflage even though it is only to cover a work-in-progress body.

We cant conclude a lot about this new car from these spy photos but something is always better than nothing. The rear of the exhaust system for example is centrally located. Codenamed P12, we're not sure if McLaren will name it after its iconic predecessor which rewrote the supercar rule book and held on to the reputation of being the world's best supercar until the arrival of the Bugatti Veyron.
The pioneering McLaren F1 (right) and the recently launched McLaren MP4-12C
Under the bodywork of the McLaren P12 lies an updated carbon-fiber chassis that uses titanium and magnesium to lower weight, a factor of paramount importance in a performance car. Power is expected to be provided by a heavily updated 3.8-liter V8 engine backed by a Formula1-inspired KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System). This combined output of these two power sources could be to the tune of 900bhp and challenging the Bugatti Veyron could be an usual day in the office, though McLaren have not said they are out to create the world's fastest supercar with the P12 project.
Although many publications and websites have played down the possibility of an imminent launch for the McLaren supercar, WorldCarFans.com has reported that, like Lamborghini, McLaren will hold a special preview of the model later this year for potential customers before going to Geneva to conduct the global debut. The incredible fact is Geneva 2013 is also the stage where the Ferrari Enzo successor, another model hotly anticipated by AutoMiddleEast.com, could be previewed.
Could Geneva 2013 then be the stage on which the world's two best and next generation supercars bow in? Significantly, could this mark the end of the era dominated by the Bugatti Veyron?