March, 2026- The How to Train Your Dragon film franchise chronicles the deep, evolving emotional connection between a young Viking named Hiccup and his Night Fury, a rare dragon species. After their exhilarating first flight, Hiccup expresses awe, acknowledging that the ride is unlike anything he expected. That reaction is similar to the one that drivers often have after taking the wheel of a McLaren Artura.
With its signature dihedral “butterfly” doors open, the supercar bears a striking resemblance to the Night Fury. The Artura’s narrow swept-back headlights mimic piercing eyes while its explosive, near instantaneous speed, intuitive hydraulic steering and sharp, nimble movements mirror the dragon’s aerial agility.
The Artura, McLaren Automotive Ltd.’s first series-production, high-performance hybrid, swooped into the United States through the Port of Baltimore in 2021. McLaren Automotive is a spin-off of McLaren Automotive, based in Woking, England, and was built around the McLaren Racing team founded by Bruce McLaren in 1963. McLaren still operates a full-time IndyCar team headquartered in Indianapolis as well as an F1 team which competes in American races but is based in England.
ORIGIN STORY
Originally established in 1985 as McLaren Cars, McLaren Automotive was relaunched in 2010 as a manufacturer of high-performance supercars and hypercars. It established a distribution network for importing its vehicles to the U.S. the same year. Most consumers are familiar with U.S. car categories that are defined by body style, size and utility such as sedans, SUVs and trucks. High-performance vehicles populate a separate hierarchy that classifies its’ machines as standard sports cars, supercars and hypercars. Supercars are high octane, limited production street-legal sports vehicles designed for extreme speed. Key characteristics include superior track-like handling, lightweight materials, and intense driver engagement.
All McLarens are hand-built and assembled at the McLaren Production Center in Woking, Surrey, England.
The Artura sits squarely in the supercar niche, a U.S. market segment that Derek Meyer, vice president of commercial operations and finance for McLaren The Americas, says is expanding. “The supercar market is growing faster than the middle segment of the automotive industry.” He points to a major development that will allow the company to expand capacity in the U.S. and add services to meet demand.
A technician performs hands-on work on the body surround assembly line.
In April 2025, CYVN Holdings acquired McLaren Automotive. The investment provides capital for long-term, sustainable growth. Last July, McLaren broke ground on a 50,000- square-foot vehicle processing center at Tradepoint Atlantic in the Port of Baltimore. The hub will be used to inspect, customize and prepare the bespoke, hand-assembled vehicles for the company’s 26 dealerships. Completion of the project is projected for fourth quarter 2026 and marks McLaren’s first such facility in America.
The Artura is McLaren Automotive’s first series-production highperformance hybrid.
ZERO TO 60
The 2026 model year HPH Artura represents an updated second major iteration. Signature traits include lightweight carbon fiber architecture (MCLA), a 690 horsepower twin-turbo V6 hybrid powertrain and an electric-only driving range. The 3.0-liter twin turbo V6 is paired with an axial flux electric motor that sustains a three-second 0-60 acceleration.
McLaren supercar components are attached to a carbon mono cell.
“The cars are built around a carbon mono cell,” says Meyer. “It’s like sitting in a bathtub constructed with a combination of non-crimp fabric (NCF) and woven unidirectional (UD) tape. Everything else connects to the monocell, which is produced in house at the McLaren Composites Technology Center. The chassis is light enough for two people to lift.”
A jet-fighter-inspired cockpit allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. While the car’s features are myriad and its price point competitive within the luxury sector, “technology isn’t the only reason buyers are interested in the Artura. They are looking for an emotional connection, the pure enjoyment of the moment,” Meyer says. “The sound the hybrid V6 produces, especially in sport or track mode, delivers an immersive, visceral experience.”
But the secret sauce that makes these cars functional masterpieces is the creative use of advanced materials and engineering. “The materials and the lightweighting they make possible are the core of our identity,” says Meyers.
Weight optimization is typically associated with composites, but advanced metals can significantly reduce vehicle weight while maintaining or improving strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios. Superformed aluminum for example, is a key contributor to the fast-growing supercar market. The 2026 Artura uses the high-temperature process for its front and rear aluminum subframes, which serve as deformable crash structures as well as suspension components and body panels. Other metal parts include forged alloy wheels, stainless steel in the exhaust system, and titanium for specialized interior accents such as seatbelt guides, steering wheel clasps and gearshift paddles.
BESPOKE
The Artura is hand built and assembled at the McLaren Production Center in England. The supercar follows rigid production line and quality control processes including being handpainted and tested in a “monsoon” chamber to ensure sealing.
“When you talk about lightweighting, the tendency is to go straight for the likes of carbon fiber or plastics,” says Ella Podmore, materials engineering manager for McLaren. “But as a metallurgist at heart, there are some exciting things that you can do with metals and people are beginning to prioritize metals to achieve lightweight targets. In addition to reducing weight, superformed aluminum allows us to create complex shapes and geometries.”
During the hot-forming process, aluminum sheet is heated to 500 degrees Celsius (932 degrees Fahrenheit) where it becomes superplastic, allowing the material to stretch up to 380 percent without breaking or cracking. Similar to vacuum forming for plastic, hotformed aluminum uses a single-surface mold and high-pressure air/gas to blow the alloy into intricate shapes.
“The Artura is relatively simple and sleek in terms of design,” Podmore says. “From an aesthetic perspective, there are no aggressive, harsh lines. You don’t see a lot of panel breaks. Because we are using fewer panels, we’re also reducing the number of brackets and fasteners to bond these components onto the vehicle. This design approach allows us to shave more weight.”
According to Podmore, metal contributes to the Artura’s performance at high speeds, aesthetics and customer satisfaction levels.
The Artura’s 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 is paired with an axial flux electric motor that sustains a three-second 0-60 acceleration.
MIXING METALS
“Achieving top speeds creates harsh environments for the powertrain units but also influences stress across the vehicle,” Podmore says. “Aluminum is the most frequently used alloy due to its ability to lightweight components but the alloy also has high machinability. It allows us to create some really cool powertrain components. We also use magnesium, which is half the density of aluminum as well as stainless steel. A lot of our customers revel in the enjoyment of hearing the sound of our engines, seeing the components work and watching the metal parts start to discolor and temper over time.
‘Customers love to drive these cars hard. Experiencing that and being able to see the maturation of the materials is like a badge of honor. Titanium takes on gorgeous colors as do a lot of steel alloys.”
There is shift toward prioritizing the recyclability of alloys such as aluminum, titanium and specialized metal matrix composites in supercars where carbon-fiber-reinforced composites have historically dominated. “The excitement for the industry may be mixing carbon fiber with some incredible alloys being developed by aerospace for example,” Podmore says. “The trickle-down effect of that kind of technology―the combination of carbon fibers embedded in a metallic matrix―could allow us to do some amazing things.
I’d like to see materials at the forefront as we explore ways we can influence and integrate metallics into future projects.”
An evolving industry positions McLaren to attract creative talent but the company’s investment in people goes beyond just cultivating engineers. “We’re investing $10 million in a brick-and-mortar facility in Baltimore,” says Meyer. “That new center and our dealerships across the country represent hundreds of jobs, from sales, technicians and truck drivers to office personnel. We’re a British manufacturer of luxury supercars but we are also an American company. We continue to invest in our customers but we also want to build an employee base that would attract young people to an exciting field with a variety of career paths.”
McLaren Automotive Ltd., +44 (0) 1483 261500, cars.mclaren.com.
