Ron Dennis, the boss of McLaren and a man who once described the Bugatti Veyron as “pig ugly” and a “piece of junk,” has revealed some telling details about his next supercar, the long-awaited successor to the legendary McLaren F1.

First and foremost, Dennis has stated that the new supercar, code-named P12, won’t have a higher top speed than the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport’s 268 mph figure or even the original McLaren F1’s 242 mph peak.

Speaking to Australian media at the launch of the MP4-12C last week, Dennis said that achieving top speed supremacy isn’t a goal for the new P12.

He went on to explain that the MP4-12C will already lap any circuit in the world faster than an F1 and thus buyers, as well as fans, should not get fixated by top speed.

The other big tidbit revealed by Dennis, according to Drive, is that the new P12 will be unveiled in May, with many predicting its launch will coincide with the 2012 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix taking place that same month. 

Other details teased at by the McLaren boss include a production run of between 300 and 500 units, as well as technology that is yet to appear on a production car.

The P12 will share the MP4-12C’s carbon fiber tub, dubbed the Monocell by McLaren, as well as its twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V-8 engine. However, to boost performance, the P12 is expected to benefit from a hybrid-like KERS and lighter overall curb weight.

Finally, Dennis said that the styling of the P12 will be dramatically different to that of the MP4-12C, which was kept conservative on purpose.

“Trust me, it will look entirely different,” he assured the media.

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