McLaren has officially unveiled the new 540C Coupe at the Shanghai Motor Show.
The 540C Coupe is a pure McLaren and a pure sports car, sharing its DNA with the models in the Super Series and Ultimate Series, including a light weight carbon fiber chassis and race-derived technologies. It is fitted with a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 engine with 540 hp at 7,500 rpm and 540 Nm of torque at 3,500-6,500 rpm.
Power is delivered through the rear wheels via a 7-speed seamless shift gearbox that allows the 1,311 kg supercar to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds, 0-200 km/h in just 10.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 320 km/h. It returns 25.5 mpg on the EU combined cycle and have CO2 emissions of 258 g/km.
A subtly revised aerodynamic package and a dedicated wheel design mark out the 540C Coupe against the more powerful 570S Coupe. Unique aero blades below the front bumper channel cold, clean air through the lower bodywork and up over the sculpted bonnet, flanked by large LED headlamps. At the rear, the diffuser sits between the twin exhausts which exit below the rear bumper. An integrated spoiler at the trailing edge of the rear deck provides optimal downforce.
The 540C Coupe is fitted with distinctive new cast alloy wheels, available with silver or stealth finish, 19-inch at the front and 20-inch at the rear. These are fitted with Pirelli P Zero tyres as standard, which have been developed specifically for the Sports Series to offer high levels of performance in all conditions, with progressive levels of grip and a focus on comfort.
The 540C features a newly-developed suspension system ensuring enhanced levels of driver engagement and refinement on both road and track. The system uses front and rear anti-rollbars Formula 1-style dual wishbones and independent adaptive dampers. The damper tuning has been revised on 540C, over 570S, with more focus on day-to-day road driving. Adaptive dampers offer control over bump and rebound settings using the familiar McLaren 'Normal', 'Sport' and 'Track' handling settings, with the Sports Series having its own unique damper settings.
Inside the cabin, the 540C Coupe is luxuriously appointed with leather upholstery to the seats, dashboard and lower doors as standard. The 'floating' centre console features a 7-inch IRIS touchscreen which controls all elements of the infotainment system. The air conditioning controls are also incorporated, as first seen on the McLaren P1, minimising switchgear in the cabin. The touchscreen also controls the standard DAB digital radio, as well as satellite navigation, Bluetooth telephony and media streaming, voice activation and the audio media player. The IRIS system also includes the electronic owner’s manual.
The McLaren 540C Coupe is the second model to join the Sports Series, and sits alongside the 570S Coupe. It will be offered globally and can be pre-ordered now with deliveries scheduled to being in early 2016. Pricing for the 540C Coupe starts from £126,000.
