Three years after debuting at Pebble Beach, McLaren's MSO (McLaren Special Operations) division is to return to California with two special cars. Bespoke commissions are all the range at the top end of the market, which is why the likes of Ferrari, Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover and McLaren have their own in-house custom divisions that can tailor a car to suit an owner's whim.
The first of these cars for 2014 is an MSO McLaren P1. Built for an American customer the MSO P1 is said to be "subtly modified to mark this example out from the other 170 examples which have been built to date."
The modifications do not stretch as far as the engine, though with 916hp on tap from the P1's hybrid set-up why would you bother? Instead the changes are cosmetic with the Pebble Beach car getting a Stirling Grey paint job and gloss carbon fibre bumpers. There is also a liberal smattering of McLaren Orange throughout, including on the bonnet, the brakes and P1 logos that adorn the rear wheelarches. These P1 logos were last seen on the test mules and were picked out by the eagle-eyed buyer. There is also a nod to the P1's forefather with the heat shields and exhaust pipe finished in 24ct gold, as they were on the McLaren F1.
Inside, the P1 MSO is a mix of Alcantara and carbon fibre with the latter being used for the racing seats and the former featuring on the MSO steering wheel, amongst other things.
Just as special as the P1, but likely to be overlooked next to it, is the MSO 650S Spider. A one-off, put together by McLaren Newport Beach and McLaren designer Frank Stephenson, the Pebble Beach car is based on the MSO 650 that was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this summer.
The MSO 650S gets a Cerulean Blue paint job, chrome exhaust and 10-spoke super lightweight alloy wheels. The interior is finished in carbon black leather with blue stitching to match the exterior. Carbon fibre is also used for the cabin trim and door sills and the whole thing topped off with a plaque signed by Frank Stephenson.
Anything else?
In addition to the two MSO cars McLaren will also wheel out the P1 GTR at Pebble Beach. The hardcore, track only version of the P1 road car is expected to retail for in excess of €3 million and production will begin once all the road cars are made.