McLaren continues to post record after record in sales, meaning capacity at its plant in Woking, England, is tighter than ever.

And with more models on the way, the company last November established a separate plant in Sheffield, England, to build the carbon fiber monocoque tubs that underpin each of its cars.

First completed tub at McLaren Composites Technology Center in Yorkshire, England

First completed tub at McLaren Composites Technology Center in Yorkshire, England

Called the McLaren Composites Technology Center, the new plant on Friday shipped its first completed tub to the main site in Woking, located approximately 175 miles to the south.

The first tub won't make it into one of McLaren's supercars. Rather, it will be used for crash testing purposes.

McLaren Composites Technology Center in Yorkshire

McLaren Composites Technology Center in Yorkshire

Crucially, the McLaren Composites Technology Center isn't just a production facility. It's also an R&D center focused on developing ever-lighter cars, which McLaren rightly predicts will become more and more important in the performance world as cars start to integrate hybrid powertrains with heavy batteries. McLaren's entire lineup will be hybrid by 2025.

McLaren has a long history with using carbon fiber in its cars, with the company's racing side being the first to introduce the material into Formula 1 construction with the MP4/1 of 1981. Since then, every McLaren car, for road or racing, has featured the lightweight stuff. This is in contrast to rivals such as Ferrari and Lamborghini, which use metal construction, primarily aluminum, in some of their cars.