In a world where cars are getting faster and faster, could this partnership make them fly?
If you had McLaren joining forces with one of the largest defense contractors in the world on your 2022 bingo card, you won. We don’t know what you won because we didn’t ever see this coming, but just know you won… a small consolation prize.
McLaren has been developing its super and hypercars with cutting edge technology for nearly its entire existence, and now has decided to take it one step further— to the sky. It has linked arms with military aviation company Lockheed Martin to help create tech for new supercars that McLaren intends to produce. Mind you, this is the same company who has created legends amongst the defense community. Some names that might ring a bell are the SR-71 Blackbird, U2, and the F-22 Raptor.
The companies are focused on creating a new department within McLaren, namely a “skunkworks” team aimed at developing airplane and aerospace technology for use in road-worthy vehicles. A plethora of vehicles have been based on or inspired by airplanes or aviation-esque themes. The Pagani Huayra, Aston Martin Vulcan, the Ford Mustang, and even GM’s heads-up display debuting in the C5 Corvette had its roots in planes.
Flying Doesn’t Have to be in a Multi-Million Dollar Plane
Aviation has always been the automotive industry’s muse, and now McLaren is making it official. The photo op was cool to gawk at, with the Artura being posed front and center in front of the Darkstar plane from Top Gun: Maverick at Lockheed Martin headquarters in Bethesda, MD.
