The Gentleman Magazine Issue 12 | December 2018 | Page 22

Working in collaboration with expert Swiss watchmaker,
Richard Mille, McLaren used pioneering horology techniques
to develop a world-first in the automotive sector: Thin-Ply
Technology Carbon Fibre (TPT). The material is comprised
of countless ultra-thin carbon layers just 30 microns in depth,
each positioned at a 45° angle. The surface is then delicately
milled to expose a stratified, shimmering construction that
resembles flowing water. This fusion of cutting-edge technology
and design with precision engineering is truly unique, and can
be integrated into areas of the Speedtail such as the overhead
control panel, gearshift paddles and steering wheel clasp. TPT
is also used in the McLaren badge on the front of the Speedtail
design model, with both this badge and the Speedtail name
formed in 18-carat white gold, the letters being individually
pressed, clipped and polished.
The entire interior of the Speedtail has been designed to cosset
and embrace the driver and their passengers, with the finest
hides enveloping almost every surface. The driver’s seat on
the Speedtail design model is trimmed in Dark Glacier and
Cool White leathers, the former a full aniline material and the
latter a new, semi-aniline lightweight leather, developed by the
Bridge of Weir Leather Company. The luxurious thickness and
supple finish of the leather – the result of using only the finest
hides sourced from the best heritage breeds, combined with
generations of hand-finished craftsmanship – is unaffected, but
by infusing air beneath the surface during the manufacturing
process, material density is reduced and the weight cut by 30
per cent. The result is proof that luxury can go hand-in-hand
with lightweighting.
The lightweight leather can be treated to render it resilient
enough to line the floor of the Speedtail and finished in the
colour or colours of the owner’s choice; in the design model,
Dark Glacier and Black have been selected. The leather then
extends in a continuous piece to provide covers for the storage
compartments beneath the seats, McLaren’s designers drawing
on the natural traits of the leather and its inherent rigidity to
allow the compartments to open like a piece of luxury luggage.
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Specially selected Scandinavian hides are used for the full-
aniline leather that trims the dashboard and passenger seats.
Unblemished and virtually unchanged from its natural state,
this leather is the result of a five-week tanning process using
vegetable oils the only addition is the chosen colour – in the
case of the passenger seats, Dark Glacier – producing a rare
automotive material of truly exceptional quality. The finish of
the rich leather is almost impossibly soft to the touch and like
the grain of a tree or a human fingerprint, the individual patina
of the hide is preserved so that every surface is utterly unique
in character.
Speedtail owners can additionally select unique stitch patterns
in whichever colour they wish and bespoke decorative forms
can be created within the leather through digital quilting or
unique debossed or embossed patterns. Inspired by the finest
of furniture and fashion design, the trimmed edges of the
leather can even be painted, the colour being hand-mixed,
hand-painted and then hand-polished to elevate the leather
craftsmanship to the highest possible level and deliver an
uncompromised aesthetic.
The limited production of the Speedtail has given McLaren
the opportunity to push colour and materials design
into unchartered territory and owners will experience an
unprecedented journey of vehicle personalisation, leading up
to the beginning of 2020 when the first deliveries of this rarest
of Ultimate Series McLaren will take place.
More information about the McLaren Speedtail and a film
revealing the streamlined form and details of the car can be
found at: cars.mclaren.com/ultimate-series/mclaren-speedtail.
, Security in Motion”