The new £50m McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) has just rolled out its first prototype carbon fibre MonoCell, the tub that forms the main structure of McLaren’s cars. Codenamed PLT-MCTC – 01 – which stands for ‘Prototype Lightweight Tub, McLaren Composites Technology Centre – 01’ – the tub completed its 282 km journey from Sheffield to the carmaker’s global headquarters in Woking, Surrey, where it’ll be subjected to stringent crash testing duties.
The MCTC was opened last year by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge alongside Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince of Bahrain. The Bahraini royalty owns a controlling stake in the company, if you’re wondering. The MCTC currently employs around 60 people which will rise to over 200 when full production commences in 2020.
McLaren aims to win the race to being lightweight which will become ever more important as cars move towards hybrid powertrains which are generally heavier than their traditional petrol counterparts. The company wants all of their sportscars and supercars to be hybrid by 2024.
Recommended for you
Leave a Reply
Note: Comments that are unrelated to the post above get automatically filtered into the trash bin.
