The McLaren McL 820 is the name of the car that replaces the 750S in 2027, and it points to roughly 809 bhp. McLaren announced it by painting the name on a giant kiwi sculpture in London.
That is the whole announcement. A name, a year and a bird.
Which means the power figure everyone is quoting was not announced at all. It was read off the badge.
What McLaren Has Actually Confirmed
Three things, and they are worth separating from everything else being written.
The car is called the McL 820. It arrives in 2027. And it effectively replaces the 750S.
McLaren has also said the name begins a new structure for a whole generation of its cars.
That is where the confirmed list ends. No engine, no transmission, no performance figures, no price.
Where the 809 Figure Comes From
Here is the part nobody explains, and it is simple once you see it.
McLaren names its cars after their power output in metric horsepower, written PS. So McL 820 means 820 PS.
Convert 820 PS into mechanical horsepower and you get about 809 bhp. That is the figure in every headline.
So the number was deduced from the name, not published by McLaren.
We can test whether that deduction is sound, though, by trying it on a car that already exists.
The 750S name implies 750 PS. Convert that and you get 739.7 bhp, and the 750S's published output is about 740.
The method works. So 809 bhp for the new car is a sound estimate rather than a guess.
It is still an estimate until McLaren publishes a specification. Treat it that way.
Every McLaren Number Is a PS Figure
This follows from the above and it is worth knowing for its own sake.
The 570S, the 600LT, the 650S, the 720S, the 750S and the 765LT are all named in metric horsepower.
So anyone who read 720S as 720 bhp has been reading a metric figure in the wrong unit.
A metric horsepower is slightly smaller than a mechanical one. The gap is about 1.4 percent.
On small numbers that is invisible. On 820 it is eleven units, which is why 820 and 809 both appear in print.
They are the same engine measured two ways. Neither is wrong, and mixing them is.
How Much More Than the 750S?
| 750S | McL 820 | |
|---|---|---|
| Metric (PS) | 750 | 820 |
| Mechanical (bhp) | about 740 | about 809 |
| Engine | 4.0 twin-turbo V8 | Not announced |
| Hybrid | No | Not announced |
| Status | On sale | Due 2027 |
The step up is 70 PS, or 69 bhp. Either way that is a gain of 9.3 percent.
A useful check on the units, incidentally. The percentage is identical whichever scale you use, because converting is just multiplying.
Nine percent is a real increase but not a transformation. The interesting question is what is producing it.
A Kiwi in London
The announcement came on the side of a kiwi-shaped sculpture, which is less random than it sounds.
Bruce McLaren, who founded the company, was a New Zealander. The kiwi has been part of McLaren's identity since.
So the name arrived as public art rather than a press conference.
And that explains the missing specification sheet. There was no technical briefing to attach numbers to.
A sculpture can carry a name. It cannot carry a torque curve.
The Engine Is the Real Unknown
Nothing about the powertrain has been announced, and we are not going to fill that gap with speculation.
No engine layout, no cylinder count, no hybrid system, no transmission.
There is relevant context, though, and it needs handling carefully.
McLaren is reported to be taking full in-house responsibility for engine design and development for the first time. It previously worked with Ricardo on that.
Coverage also suggests a new generation of powertrains is coming across the range.
But none of that has been tied specifically to the McL 820. So it is background, not a specification.
A hybrid remains entirely possible. It also remains entirely unconfirmed.
What the £500 Million Is Actually For
A separate announcement is being mentioned alongside this car, so it is worth being precise about it.
On 16 September 2026 the UK government confirmed around £500 million of McLaren investment and 1,000 new jobs by 2032.
The money expands McLaren's South Yorkshire research and production site and funds a new UK vehicle production facility.
The release also says McLaren plans to add a performance SUV to its range. It commits to keeping all current and new models in the UK.
That is not the McL 820's development budget. It is a company-wide manufacturing programme that happens to include it.
You may also see this reported as a dollar figure. That is the same money in another currency, not a second investment.
What Has Not Been Announced
Worth listing plainly, because a lot of it is being written about as if it were known.
There is no price. There is no exact reveal date and no delivery schedule.
There is no confirmed power figure, only the one implied by the name.
There is no engine specification, no acceleration or top speed figure, and no production volume.
We have also seen the car described as McLaren's most powerful series-production model. We could not verify that, so we are leaving it out.
Final Thoughts
McLaren has told us a name, a year and which car it replaces. Everything else in circulation, including the 809 bhp, has been worked backwards from three digits on a sculpture.
The deduction is a good one, because the same method predicts the 750S correctly. But a figure you calculated yourself is not a figure the manufacturer published, and the engine under it remains a complete unknown.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the McLaren McL 820?
A supercar due in 2027 that takes over from the 750S. Its name also opens a new naming structure for a generation of McLaren models. Beyond the name and the year, very little has been announced.
How much power does it have?
The name implies 820 metric horsepower, which converts to roughly 809 bhp. Worth knowing that McLaren has not published a figure, so this is read from the badge rather than from a specification sheet.
Is 820 the same as 809?
They are one output on two scales. Metric horsepower is about 1.4 percent smaller than mechanical, so 820 PS works out near 809 bhp. The error to avoid is calling the car an 820 bhp machine.
How do we know the name means PS?
Because the method checks out on cars already built. The 750S name implies 750 PS, which converts to 739.7 bhp, and its published output is around 740. The same arithmetic gives the new car its 809.
How much stronger is it than the 750S?
By 70 metric horsepower, or 69 in mechanical terms, which is a 9.3 percent gain. The percentage is the same in either unit, since converting between them is just multiplication.
Will it be a hybrid?
Unknown, and nobody can say otherwise yet. McLaren has announced no engine layout and no electrification. Reports of a new generation of powertrains have not been attached to this particular car.
What will it cost?
No price has been announced, and any figure you see is somebody's estimate. Pricing on a car like this normally lands much closer to launch.
Why did McLaren announce it on a kiwi?
Bruce McLaren, the company's founder, was from New Zealand, and the kiwi has long featured in its identity. The name appeared on a kiwi-shaped sculpture in London instead of at a technical briefing.
What is the £500 million investment about?
A UK manufacturing programme announced in September 2026, worth around £500 million with 1,000 jobs promised by 2032. It covers a site expansion, a new factory and a planned performance SUV. It is not this car's budget.
When exactly does it arrive?
During 2027, with no date given. McLaren has not said when it will be shown in full or when customers receive cars. The 750S is expected to bow out as it arrives.
