Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. Photo Galleries
  4. News

McLaren honors 2014 Nurburgring 24 Hours lap record with special edition 650S Spider

Add as a preferred source on Google

It’s been a little while since the 2014 24 Hours of Nurburgring race, but McLaren and Doerr Motorsport have finally produced a special edition McLaren 650S Spider to celebrate when McLaren GT factory driver Kevin Estre set a record lap of 8 minutes and 10 seconds around the Nordschleife.

Estre’s lap in McLaren’s 12C GT3 was 6 seconds faster than the previous lap record in that racing category. Unfortunately, none of Doerr Motorsport’s 12C cars completed the race.

McLaren has decided to focus on the positive, however, and has revealed the 650S Spider Nurburgring 12H Edition (which would have been developed sooner if not for higher priority projects like the 570S introduction).

The 24H Edition 650S Spider will be limited to just eight units, each with Doerr Motorsport wheels and exhaust, MSO (McLaren Special Operations) carbon fiber rear diffuser, side blades, and front splitter, orange brake calipers, special lap time plaques, MSO’s carbon fiber interior package, Alcantara black seats, and orange stitching and seat belts. It’s unclear if all eight models will be produced in the same white exterior color as pictured.

Under the hood, the 650S Spider’s 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine still produces 641 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. Pricing for this ultra-exclusive special edition has not yet been announced, but considering the changes are mostly part of Mclaren’s Special Operations customization packages, don’t expect a massive premium over the standard 650S Spider.

Miles Branman
Miles Branman doesn't need sustenance; he needs cars. While the gearhead gene wasn't strong in his own family, Miles…
This sleek Chinese EV pairs supercar styling with three AI brains
The Xpeng L03 is an AI supercomputer disguised as a stylish family SUV
Xpeng L03

Xpeng’s latest electric vehicle carries enough processing power to make the term "smart car" actually sound more realistic than it actually is. The new Xpeng L03 debuted simultaneously in Europe and China on July 16, with the company presenting it across 65 markets. Available as a fully electric vehicle and an L03 Power X range-extender, the coupe-SUV is Xpeng’s most internationally focused model so far. Market-specific prices and sales dates remain unannounced.

Three AI chips and Google Maps built right in

Read more
A new sodium battery posts wild four-minute charging numbers, but don’t expect it in an EV yet
The breakthrough could improve fast charging and battery life, but the study hasn’t demonstrated those results in a production-sized pack
EV Charger

A new sodium-metal battery has posted a charging number that makes today’s EVs look painfully slow. In laboratory testing, the cell operated at a 15C rate, equivalent to completing a charge or discharge in roughly four minutes.

That doesn’t mean researchers plugged in an electric car and watched it fill up before the driver finished buying coffee. The result came from a small experimental cell using a new quasi-solid electrolyte, while the larger pouch-cell prototype delivered far less dramatic performance.

Read more
The Apple Car may be dead, but it became the foundation of Apple Intelligence
A decade of work on a canceled car project reportedly laid the groundwork for Apple Intelligence.
Apple Intelligence in Apple Car

The Apple Car may have never left the garage, but it apparently gave birth to Apple's AI ambitions. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple's canceled autonomous vehicle project, one that consumed more than a decade of work and over $10 billion before being scrapped in 2024, ended up laying the technological foundation for Apple Intelligence. In a rather ironic twist, one of Apple's most expensive failures may also become one of its most important long-term investments.

The Apple Car forced Apple to think like an AI company

Read more