• Sheridan Road
  • Country Magazine
  • Hinsdale Living
  • Forest & Bluff
  • The North Shore Weekend
  • Sheridan Road
  • Country Magazine
  • Hinsdale Living
  • Forest & Bluff
  • The North Shore Weekend

Sign Up for JWC Media's Email

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Jwc Media Logo

JWC Media

a luxury lifestyle website that delivers a colorful and passionate telling of neighboring events, fashion, beauty, finance, and the pursuit of leisure.

  • Search
  • Features
  • Style
  • Home
  • Culture
  • Indulge
  • Society
  • Archives
Culture | Jun. 2024

DREAM DRIVE

By John W Conatser

36 Sr2024 06 018 15840 Mclarenartura

I have a confession to make. In my years of loving cars (which has been since birth), my brand of choice has been the vintage—Jaguars, Lotus, Porsche (think Esprit, 911s, the iconic air cooled, and the unmistakable super cars of the ‘80s when I was a teenager).

But when our media partner, McLaren Automotive, presented me with the opportunity to take the new McLaren Artura for a glorious long weekend “test drive,” I was hardly going to turn down the opportunity (and this was before McLaren’s recent Formula 1 win at the Miami Grand Prix).

From the moment I sat inside this turbocharged dream machine, I was hooked. The curves and winding wonders of Sheridan Road will never be the same. It was truly one of the best driving experiences of my life.

What’s amazing is that its twin-turbocharged V6 engine is paired with an electric motor to provide 671 horsepower—easily taking you from zero to 60 in less than three seconds. As an air-cooled Porsche-phile driving an electric car for the first time, I was shocked to find myself driving in electric mode the majority of the time.

Curious to know more about what was under that hood, I did a little digging on the history of this legendary race car brand and what makes the Artura so special.

I found out that Bruce McLaren founded his eponymous car company in 1963, producing his first model—the McLaren M1A—within the first year. He made just 24 models before coming out with the M1B, which entered the Can-Am Championship and claimed 43 victories (besting its arch-rival, my beloved Porsche). Two years later, McLaren created its first Formula 1 entry, which debuted at the Monaco Grand Prix.

From there, the story grew even more compelling. Bruce McLaren died in a car accident in 1970, bringing the company to a halt. Fortunately, it was picked up by an entrepreneur and continued evolving. McLaren drivers went on to win the Formula 1 world driver’s championship several times before the company set its sights on creating a car for the likes of drivers like me—a road-legal vehicle capable of going over 200 miles per hour.

Flash forward to 2024 and the McLaren Artura I had the pleasure of driving. This high-performance, hybrid supercar is sculpted to harness airflow to the max. Everything about its aerodynamic design is light as a feather, gliding like air on the open road.

I was equally impressed with the interior, which has all the luxury features you’d want in a fine automobile paired with the power of a racing machine.

If you’re lucky enough to purchase one, ask your McLaren Automotive dealer about the 60th Anniversary Options. From paint finishes that evoke the legendary Triple Crown (a victory held only by McLaren) to emotive “Speedy Kiwi” branded elements and pedals, it’s the ultimate way to pay tribute to a man who sparked an automotive revolution.

With that, happy driving. See you on Sheridan Road.

For more information about McLaren Chicago, visit mclarenchicago.com.

DailyNorthShore Twitter DailyNorthShore Facebook DailyNorthShore Email More Features
More Culture

the latest

Culture

NEWSWORTHY: MAY 2025

30 Dsc 60961
Culture

THE DO LIST: STYLISH MUMS

32 Sr2025 05 059 Cara Cara Greenfield Dress, $895.00, Lilliealexanderboutique.com Main
Shore vs. City

SHORE VS. CITY: LYNNE HEMMER

34 Lynee 04
Culture

ESQUIRE: ILLINOIS’ NEW CHILD SUPPORT RULES ON IMPUTED INCOME

36 Michoneriewer 66
Culture

MOTHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE

40 6 Main

Primary Sidebar

the latest

Culture

NEWSWORTHY: MAY 2025

30 Dsc 60961
Culture

THE DO LIST: STYLISH MUMS

32 Sr2025 05 059 Cara Cara Greenfield Dress, $895.00, Lilliealexanderboutique.com Main
Shore vs. City

SHORE VS. CITY: LYNNE HEMMER

34 Lynee 04
Culture

ESQUIRE: ILLINOIS’ NEW CHILD SUPPORT RULES ON IMPUTED INCOME

36 Michoneriewer 66
Culture

MOTHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE

40 6 Main
JWC Media Gray

Footer

Sign Up for the JWC Media Email

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Opt-out preferences
  • Sitemap

Copyright © 2025.
All Rights reserved.

Privacy Policy
Font Resize
Accessibility by WAH
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Newsletter Image

THE INSIDER

Stay in the know with latest local

STYLE, SOCIETY, AND LIFESTYLE NEWS

Curated for the discerning reader.

Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy
PDF Image

Unlock Full Access