The Luxury Network International Magazine Issue 24

Need for
Speed
agility and driver engagement inherent in every
McLaren.
Breaking with the V8 convention established with the
first supercar from McLaren Automotive, the 12C, at
the heart of the Artura is an all-new, 3.0-litre V6 internal
combustion engine. The 120-degree, twin-turbocharged
M630 unit not only delivers unrivalled performance,
it also allows the most compact packaging
possible. A 180-degree angle was considered but dismissed
because it would raise the height of the crankshaft
and therefore the centre of gravity of the car.
The wide angle of the V6 cylinders allows the turbochargers
to sit within the banks in a ‘hot vee’ configuration,
which also benefits efficiency as they sit within
a straighter - and therefore less restrictive – exhaust
layout. Generating 585PS and 585Nm of torque, the
all-new V6 engine is 190mm shorter and 220mm narrower
than McLaren’s twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 – and
also 50kg lighter.
While the configuration of the all-new engine is key
to the Artura’s powertrain packaging, it is the innovative
technology within that provides the biggest gains
in lightweighting and performance. The cylinder head
and block utilise 3D printed cores, allowing uncompromised
precision cooling, including a micro-compact
2mm cooling passage between the cylinders. The
block has directly coated parent bores rather than
separate coated liners, into which fuel is injected at
350bar pressure.
The Artura’s V6 engine is designed not just for compact
packaging and efficiency, but also to increase driver
engagement. Shared crank pins enable a very short
and stiff crankshaft that allows the M630 to redline
at a thrilling 8500rpm. It’s also a very refined engine,
designed with the chain drive at the rear and with ancillary
noises reduced so that the occupants only hear
the V6’s distinctive intake and exhaust note, routed via
Gasoline Particulate Filters to reduce emissions†.
The V6 engine powers the rear wheels via an all-new
eight-speed seamless shift transmission that has also
been design for optimised packaging. The length of
the gear cluster has been reduced by 40mm, helped
by use of a nested clutch rather than a parallel unit
and also the removal of a reverse gear, this function
now achieved by the Artura’s E-motor spinning in the
opposite direction. The ultra-compact motor is fully
integrated within the transmission bell-housing, delivering
torque in-fill and linear acceleration via an
E-differential to the rear wheels.
The Axial Flux design of the E-motor is another
Artura benchmark. It is similar in size to a
McLaren brake disc and at just 15.4kg it is only
a little heavier than a conventional iron rotor
component, yet it can generate up to 95PS and
225Nm as well as enable journeys of up to 30
kilometres in near-silent pure EV mode* , attributes
that are ideal for city driving or early-morning
starts.
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