McLaren M838T engine

The McLaren M838T engine is a 3.8-litre (3,799 cc) 90 degree twin-turbocharged flat-plane V8, designed and developed in collaboration with Ricardo plc.[1]

McLaren M838T engine
The M838T engine, in a McLaren 12C rolling chassis
Overview
Manufacturer	McLaren & Ricardo plc
Designer	Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Layout
Configuration	90° flat-plane V8
Displacement	3.8 L; 231.8 cu in (3,799 cc)
Cylinder bore	93 mm (3.66 in)
Piston stroke	69.9 mm (2.75 in)
Valvetrain	DOHC 4 valves x cyl.
RPM range
Redline	8500
Combustion
Turbocharger	MHI Twin-turbo with intercooler
Fuel system	Fuel injection
Fuel type	Petrol
Cooling system	Water-cooled
Output
Power output	500–800 PS (493–789 bhp; 368–588 kW)
Torque output	540–720 N⋅m (398–531 lb⋅ft)
Dimensions
Dry weight	199 kg (439 lb)
Chronology
Successor	McLaren M840T

Development

McLaren bought the rights to the Tom Walkinshaw Racing developed engine, itself based on the Nissan VRH engine architecture,[2] which was designed for the IRL Indycar championship but never raced. However, other than the 93 mm (3.66 in) bore, little of that engine remains in the M838T.[3] In only 18 months, Ricardo went from a modified Nissan engine design to a running prototype.[4]

Developed with help from Ricardo, the engine redlines at 8500 rpm, but 80% of the engine's torque is available as low as 2000 rpm.[5][6] McLaren claims that the engine has the highest horsepower to CO
2 emission ratio of any current production engine.[7]

The engine is built at Ricardo's engine assembly facility in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex.[8] The turbochargers are supplied by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), and are different units from those used in Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions.[9]

Applications

The engine was designed and built for the McLaren MP4-12C, where it produces 600 PS (592 bhp; 441 kW) @ 7000 rpm and 600 N⋅m (443 lb⋅ft) @ 3000 rpm of torque. However, in 2012 McLaren released an update increasing power to 625 PS (616 bhp; 460 kW) @ 7500 rpm. For the GT3 racecar, the engine produces less power at only 500 PS (493 bhp; 368 kW).[10]

The engine has a bore and stroke of 93 mm × 69.9 mm (3.66 in × 2.75 in) and a bore spacing of 108 mm (4.25 in).[11]

McLaren and Ricardo redeveloped the M838T engine for use in the McLaren P1. The engine has been upgraded to optimise cooling and durability under higher loads. The engine block has also been modified to incorporate an integrated electric motor as part of a hybrid drive train. The petrol engine produces 727 bhp (542 kW) at 7,200 rpm with an additional 176 bhp (131 kW) from the electric motor. At 4,000 rpm the engine is said to produce 720 N⋅m (531 lb⋅ft) of torque while the electric motor can produce a maximum of 260 N⋅m (192 lb⋅ft) from 0 rpm upwards.[12]

Models	Years	Codename	Power	Torque	Redline	Weight
MP4-12C	2011– September 2012	M838T	600 PS (441 kW; 592 bhp) @ 7000 rpm	600 N⋅m (443 lb⋅ft) @ 3000 rpm	8500 rpm	199 kg (439 lb)
MP4-12C	2013–2014	M838T	625 PS (460 kW; 616 bhp) @ 7500 rpm	600 N⋅m (443 lb⋅ft)
MP4-12C GT3	2011–2015	M838T	500 PS (368 kW; 493 bhp)	-	-	-
650S	2014–2017	M838T	650 PS (478 kW; 641 bhp) @ 7250 rpm	680 N⋅m (502 lb⋅ft) @ 6000 rpm	-	-
675LT	2015–2017	M838T	675 PS (496 kW; 666 bhp) @ 7100 rpm	700 N⋅m (516 lb⋅ft) @ 5500 rpm
P1	October 2013–2015	M838TQ	737 PS (542 kW; 727 bhp) @ 7200 rpm Electric: 179 PS (132 kW; 177 bhp) Total: 916 PS (674 kW; 903 bhp)	720 N⋅m (531 lb⋅ft) Electric: 260 N⋅m (192 lb⋅ft) Total: 980 N⋅m (723 lb⋅ft)	-	-
P1 GTR/LM	2015–2017	M838TQ	800 PS (588 kW; 789 bhp) @ 7250 rpm Electric: 200 PS (147 kW; 197 bhp) Total: 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 bhp)[13]	Total: 1,050 N⋅m (774 lb⋅ft)[14]	-	-
MSO 688 HS	2016–2017	M838T	688 PS (506 kW; 679 bhp)	700 N⋅m (516 lb⋅ft) @ 7000 rpm
McLaren 540C	2016–	M838TE	540 PS (397 kW; 533 bhp) @ 7500 rpm[15]	540 N⋅m (398 lb⋅ft) @ 3500–6500 rpm[15]	-	-
McLaren 570S	2016–	M838TE	570 PS (419 kW; 562 bhp) @ 7400 rpm	600 N⋅m (443 lb⋅ft) @ 5000–6500 rpm	-	-
McLaren 600LT	2018–	M838TE	600 PS (441 kW; 592 bhp) @ 7500 rpm[16]	620 N⋅m (457 lb⋅ft) @ 5500–6500 rpm[16]	-	-

References

1. "McLaren M838T Engine Claims Victory At International Engine Of The Year Awards". McLarenAutomotive.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
2. Orlove, Raphael. "This 20-Year-Old Nissan Is The Origin Of All Of McLaren's Modern V8s". jalopnik.com. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
3. Sherman, Don (1 February 2011). "2012 McLaren MP4-12C Tech Trickledown". Car & Driver. US. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
4. Crosse, Jesse. "Super car, super engine" (PDF). Ricardo Quarterly Review (Q3 2011). Retrieved 12 March 2017.
5. "McLaren MP4-12C First look". Edmunds.com. 13 October 2009.
6. "The Official McLaren Automotive Website". 3 February 2010. Archived from the original on 1 October 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
7. "McLaren MP4-12C - the first official P11 story". 8 September 2009.
8. "New Ricardo engine assembly facility commences pilot production". ricardo.com. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
9. "Accelerated development: Ricardo-McLaren M838T". Automotive Engineer. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 22 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
10. Dobie, Stephen (4 May 2011). "evo: McLaren MP4-12C GT3 racing car: new pictures and video". EVO. UK. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
11. Kavanagh, Jason (4 September 2012). "2012 McLaren MP4-12C: Dyno Tested". Edmunds. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
12. "McLaren News - McLaren P1 Twin Power". Retrieved 12 March 2011.
13. "McLaren Ultimate Series - P1™ GTR". Retrieved 24 April 2019.
14. "Lanzante's McLaren P1 LM smashes Nürburgring lap record with 6min43.2s run". Retrieved 24 April 2019.
15. "McLaren 540C Technical specification" (PDF). Retrieved 24 April 2019.
16. "McLaren 600LT Technical specification" (PDF). Retrieved 24 April 2019.

External links

• Official McLaren Automotive website