McLaren P11 Spy Shots

A true dedicated McLaren sports car (not a Mercedes, nice as it may be) lives again! Over at World Car Fans, new images of this vehicle have surfaced and it's looking like a head on competitor to would-be rivals Ferrari and Lamborghini.

The original McLaren road car, the F1 was a sports car designed and engineered by Gordon Murray and McLaren Automotive. McLaren Automotive was conceived in 1989 to produce production vehicles with experience from the company's Formula One Team.

Out of this, the F1 was born. On March 31, 1998, it became the world's fastest production car at 240.1 mph, a record it held for 7 years. It still currently holds the title for the world's fastest naturally aspirated vehicle. 106 vehicles were produced, at some £640,000 apiece.

McLaren plans to invest €250 million into volume production, moving away from the bespoke method and enabling the company to better compete with it's intended targets.

Expect McLaren to follow Ferrari's model closely; with new product like the P11 they're set to move much downmarket from where they have been as of late.

Not many details of the P11 are known, other then gullwing doors, a Mercedes engine and an arrival sometime in 2010.  We'll be sure to keep you posted on any new details from McLaren on this new supercar.