McLaren 540C

McLaren 540C at a glance

The 540C sits below the 570S in the Sports Series family; an earlier 1cars piece on the car is the incredibly accessible McLaren 540C. All models are listed in the McLaren catalogue.

Launch and positioning

McLaren presented the 540C at the Shanghai Motor Show, held from 22 to 29 April 2015. According to Auto Bild it was the fourth new McLaren shown that year. Orders opened straight away, and deliveries began in 2016.

At the time McLaren divided its range into three levels. The Ultimate Series consisted of the P1 and the track-only P1 GTR. The Super Series included the 650S, the 650S Spider and the 675LT. The new Sports Series was the entry point, with the 570S and, below it, the 540C. In Germany the 540C cost €160,000 in April 2015, about €15,000 less than the 570S, and Auto Bild saw the Porsche 911 Turbo as its natural rival.

Wikipedia notes that it was not sold in the United States.

Engine and performance

The engine is the 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 of the Sports Series, mounted behind the cabin and driving the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. In the 540C it is tuned to 397 kW (540 PS) at 7,500 rpm and 540 Nm between 3,500 and 6,500 rpm.

Even as the "basic" McLaren, the 540C reaches 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 320 km/h. Fuel consumption is the same as in the 570S.

How the 540C differs from the 570S

The differences between the two cars are mostly in the details. According to Auto Bild, the 540C has dampers tuned more for everyday comfort, although the adaptive suspension still offers Normal, Sport and Track modes. The 19- and 20-inch wheels are cast rather than forged, and steel brake discs replace the carbon-ceramic brakes that were standard on the 570S. Auto Bild gives both cars the same dry weight of 1,311 kg.

The structure is identical: both cars use the same carbon fibre monocoque, the same mid-engine layout and the same dihedral doors. This was the principle of McLaren's Sports Series - even the least expensive car kept the core engineering of the brand.

Design and equipment

The 540C has its own front air intakes, a slightly reworked diffuser and its own wheel design; the rear styling, like that of the 570S, borrows from the McLaren P1. Standard equipment included leather upholstery and a 7-inch "IRIS" touchscreen for infotainment and climate control, with DAB digital radio, satellite navigation, Bluetooth telephony, voice control and an electronic owner's manual.

The Sports Series family

The 540C was one of several cars built on the same basic package. The 570S coupé, presented at the New York motor show in 2015, was the core model. The 570GT followed at the Geneva Motor Show in 2016, with a side-opening glass hatch, softer suspension and more sound insulation for touring. The 570S Spider, revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2017, added a two-piece folding aluminium roof that weighed only 46 kg more than the coupé. Above them came the lighter and more powerful 600LT of 2018 and the 620R of 2019, a road-legal version of the 570S GT4 racing car.

For racing, McLaren developed the 570S GT4, which made its debut in the British GT Championship in April 2016, and the 570S Sprint for customers who wanted a track car without racing regulations. All of these cars shared the carbon monocoque and the mid-mounted twin-turbo V8 that also underpin the 540C.

Legacy

The 540C was the lowest-priced way into a carbon-chassis McLaren of its time. Its family continued with the 570GT, the 570S Spider, the 600LT and the 620R, and the Sports Series ended in 2020–2021, when McLaren's entry role passed to the Artura. For the more powerful versions, see the McLaren 620R; the history of the brand is told in our McLaren history.

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