The Saab 9-4X. The Pontiac Solstice Coupe. The Mercedes C55 AMG. These are all cars that are exceedingly rare, compared to the staggering numbers of McLarens that have now been built. As of today, depending on how you count it, McLaren has made more than 10,000 cars.
(For the record, McLaren is officially counting number 10,000 as of today.)
For the record, McLaren told us that it is not including the McLaren F1 in the official production figures (which, ???????), but it is including the McLaren P1 GTR in that figure. If we include the F1, and the oddball M6GT because sure why not, McLaren’s probably hit the mark a little while ago.
But not too long ago, because the number of McLarens that exist in the world seems to be increasing at a growing rate. In 2011, McLaren made just 551 cars, and in 2012 it made almost triple that figure, with 1,553 cars built. That number held roughly steady for the next few years, with 1,594 cars built in 2015.
And then the McLaren 570 launched, the world’s first “entry-level” McLaren. If you could still call it that, since it still starts at over $180,000. But it’s apparently entry-level enough for McLaren’s well-heeled customer base, as in 2016 the number of cars produced has more than doubled, to a number McLaren is only calling “3200+.”
Car number 10,000 is, fittingly, a McLaren 570S, and everyone seems very proud of it:
And of course, they seem pretty “chuffed” as British people say about how many of these things they’re cranking out:
In early 2016, a second shift began at the McLaren Production Center to accommodate the increase in orders after the introduction of the Sports Series family; today consisting of the 540C, 570S and 570GT. This took capacity at the Production Center from 10 cars per day to 20 cars per day. 2016 also marked the company’s third year of profitability in the five years it has been producing cars – a feat unprecedented in the automotive industry. McLaren is also on target to almost double its sales from 1,654 cars in 2015 to over 3,000 by the end of this year, of which over 90% will be exported. This volume increase is in large part due to the success of the Sports Series models.
It’s sort of crazy to start building road cars from scratch these days, especially one built to compete with the Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Porsches of the world. It’s even crazier to succeed at it.
Even when you’ve once built the vaunted McLaren F1.
Good on you, McLaren. Maybe you’ll make so many we’ll all be able to afford one someday. Can’t wait.