McLaren's 750S replacement may be called McL 820 with 809 hp

McLaren's replacement for the 750S may be called the McL 820 and produce 809 hp, if lettering spotted on a kiwi sculpture in London's Covent Garden is a teaser for the car. The sculpture, painted orange and black, carries the text "McL 820", which Autocar spotted and read as a hint at next year's supercar.

McLaren has already confirmed that 750S production ends in 2027, so the replacement is expected to arrive before then. The name and power figure remain unconfirmed by the manufacturer.

What the sculpture suggests

The kiwi is McLaren's traditional mascot, a nod to founder Bruce McLaren's New Zealand roots, and the automaker recently placed a large sculpture of the bird in the busy central London shopping district. The orange lettering "McL 820" on the artwork led Autocar to deduce that it teases the 750S replacement.

If the badge follows McLaren's current numbering system, 820 metric horsepower equates to 809 hp. That would put the new car within 10 hp of Ferrari's 819 hp (830 PS) 296 GTB, though McLaren is expected to use a twin-turbocharged V8 rather than the Ferrari's V6. It would also be 70 hp stouter than the 750S it replaces.

A new prefix and a wider shake-up

The name would also introduce the "McL" prefix, which McLaren first used on the McL 6GT earlier this year. The McL 6GT is a limited series supercar priced at $1.5 million, and it carries McLaren's first manual transmission since the F1 of the 1990s.

McLaren is now owned by Abu Dhabi investment fund L'imad, which is overhauling its operation and philosophy. That shift will result in McLaren finally building an SUV to rival the Lamborghini Urus and top-spec Porsche Cayennes. The company is also building a second factory in the UK and will soon assemble its engines in-house, after years of subcontracting to Ricardo.

What is still unknown

McLaren has not announced pricing for the McL 820, and it has not confirmed the name or the power figure itself. The car's on-sale date beyond "next year" has also not been officially stated.

Nissan has built a classic Datsun 240Z with the twin-turbo V6 and six-speed manual from the current Nissan Z, and will display it at the 2026 SEMA Show in Las Vegas from November 3 to November 6. The one-off, called the Datsun S30 Concept, was built alongside Formula Drift champion Chris Forsberg.

The project is more than a reshell. Nissan says it built the car to show that the vintage S30 and the modern Z share more than a name, and the hardware underneath suggests it is meant to be driven hard rather than parked on a show stand.

The engine and driveline

Under the hood sits the VR30DDTT, the twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 that powers the current Z with a factory rating of 400 horsepower. In the concept it is fitted with Garrett PMAX turbochargers plus Nismo cold-air intakes and a Nismo heat exchanger.

Nissan has not released an official power figure for the finished car, so the output remains unannounced. The stock rating is the only number on record, and the Garrett turbos and Nismo intake and cooling parts point to a figure above it.

Drive goes to the rear wheels through a Nissan Z FS6 six-speed manual, a Nismo twin-disc clutch and flywheel, and a Nismo R200 limited-slip differential. Fuel delivery uses a Radium Engineering 10-gallon fuel cell and a DeatschWerks pump rated at 450 litres per hour, hardware chosen for sustained high-boost running rather than a static display.

Carbon panels and chassis work

The body wears custom carbon-fibre front fenders, hood, air dam, bumpers, hatch and spoiler, finished in Nissan Seiran Blue with a Nismo 40th decal set. Each panel swap cuts weight while keeping the S30's original silhouette.

Techno Toy Tuning supplied the chassis work: coilovers, front and rear control arms, sway bars and strut tower bars, plus an Evolved front crossmember, an Ultimate steering rack and billet tie rods. Braking comes from Wilwood, with six-piston FNSL6R front calipers on 300-millimetre two-piece rotors and four-piston rear calipers on 280-millimetre rotors.

The car rides on forged Nismo LM-RS6 wheels measuring 17 by 9 inches. Forsberg's involvement ties the build to Nissan's drifting pedigree, a connection the brand has drawn on before with other Z-based projects including a T-top Z concept.

Where it fits in Nissan's SEMA lineup

The Datsun S30 Concept is one of several enthusiast builds Nissan is taking to SEMA, alongside the Project NAT2 Z race car and a revived Sentra Spec V concept. The race-prepped Z is detailed separately.

For buyers, the concept is a showcase rather than a production announcement: it demonstrates that the current Z's powertrain and Nismo parts catalogue can be made to fit a half-century-old shell. Nissan has not said whether any of the build's parts will reach showrooms, and no production plans have been announced.