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McLaren's Next Chapter

There's a lot of activity at McLaren, and it's not just the new logo. Recently, the British automaker laid out its plans for the future, and it's looking interesting, to say the least.

We know that the next generation of its supercars is coming, but it's also lining up cars that go beyond that category. For starters, the company said it will build something it hasn't tried before: a 2+2 grand tourer. Whether it'll be mid-engined or not is up for debate; it's going to happen.

But perhaps one announcement that's been raising eyebrows is its plans to build an SUV. Now that's something we wouldn't have imagined the supercar maker doing, but perhaps it was inevitable, given that Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin have their own high-riders these days. We can expect it to serve as its racers' company cars in the Formula 1 paddock down the line.

The One They Didn't Announce

So, there's a lot of buzz over at Woking, and it's part of the marque's brand to explore horizons beyond supercars. That said, it's not forgetting its roots, and exotics will still remain at the core of the business.

But for all the things McLaren announced recently, there may be one it's trying to keep under wraps. As uncovered by Car Moses, the company recently filed a trademark for Bruce McLaren. At a glance, it sounds like it's protecting the IP of its founder and namesake, but it also opens the door to using it on a car.

A W1 Successor?

Now, we wouldn't hype ourselves up too much about the trademark filing at the moment. Again, this could simply be protecting its IP, but the thought of applying Bruce McLaren's name on a car will tickle anyone's imagination. Besides, McLaren is harking back to its past with its new wordmark, so the timing of this filing seems, well, timely.

Where can the name be applied? At first glance, it's only fitting to use it on a W1 successor. Think Ferrari Enzo, and you're on the right track. Only the halo model deserves such a nameplate, and McLaren Bruce does have a nice ring to it. It certainly sounds better than an English postcode, and it's a welcome break from the company's current alphanumeric naming convention.