What's all this about?

McLaren's CEO, Mike Flewitt, was due to make a speech at the 2020 Automotive News World Congress, an event which is among the huge number of the many, many processes of 'normal' life that have been postponed by the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown protocols. However, an abbreviated version of his speech has been released and, in it, Mr Flewitt pledges McLaren's production future to an ethos which would no doubt please the late, great Colin Chapman: he says the British super- and hypercar company will 'win the weight race'.

What does he mean by that?

He means all future cars from the carmaker will be as light as is possible, as McLaren continues to pursue its engineering philosophy of reducing vehicle weight to further enhance the performance and efficiency. Mr Flewitt added: "Reducing vehicle weight is at the centre of our strategy for the next generations of McLaren supercars. We are already class-leading and committed to further driving down weight in order to be in the best possible position to maximise the efficiency and performance of hybridised models to be introduced by 2025.

"Vehicle mass is the enemy of performance, whether a car has a conventional internal combustion engine or a fully electrified powertrain, so winning the weight race is an absolute priority for us - and one of the reasons McLaren Automotive has invested heavily in the McLaren Composites Technology Centre, our own UK composite materials innovation and production facility."

This is all very nice, but aren't all McLarens light anyway?

Yes, they are, although the company cites the recently announced 765LT as a great example of this dedication to slimness, as it's 80kg lighter than the 720S upon which it is based. This is achieved through the used of the carbon-fibre Monocell II cage for the main structure, as well as the extensive use of more carbon fibre, lightweight side glass and polycarbonate glazing at the back, and a titanium exhaust system which is 40 per cent lighter than an equivalent set of pipes fashioned from steel.