For those of us who old enough to remember the McLaren F1, it was the premier hypercar of the 90s and set the production speed record in 1993. Measured at 231mph, the F1 held the record for an astonishing 12 years and was the peak car in terms of performance and speed. Until it was dethroned by the Koenigsegg CCR in 2005, the F1 was the naturally aspirated animal that ushered in a new focus on production-car-performance.

The Koenigsegg was shortly upstaged by the Veyron, the SSC Ultimate Aero TT and then the Veyron SS. A report from AutoCar has indicated that the British automaker is currently testing their F1-successor, a hypercar possibly with the performance to dethrone the Bugatti Veyron as cock-of-the-supercar-walk. McLaren's new model is rumored to be powered by a 5.0-liter V8 engine that could put out 800hp. If that proves to be correct, then we are talking about a 160hp per liter motor coupled to a probable 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The engine, developed in conjunction with MP4-12C engine builder Ricardo, could set a new standard for supercar performance. Also rumored is a five-stage traction control system, carbon fiber chassis, pushrod suspension setup and active aerodynamics. The premature pricing guess is at about a million bucks U.S., and McLaren only has plans to produce around 500 units over a 4-year span when it launches in 2014.