Supercar Maker McLaren Teams Up With Lockheed Martin Skunk Works

Luxury supercar and hypercar maker McLaren Automotive has teamed up with US defense contractor Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to incorporate the world of aviation into cutting-edge automotive supercar design.

Even though McLaren is facing financial pressures due to slumping sales and supply chain snarls, and a recent recapitalization of the business via the auto group’s majority shareholder, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat for $279 million, the British supercar maker’s technology collaboration with Skunk Works allows for “futuristic design methods” to push these vehicles to even higher speeds. 

McLaren said its interest is in Skunk Works’ design software that “sets parameters for high-speed systems more accurately and swiftly than traditional design methods.” If Skunk Works can build stealth fighter jets, McLaren engineers can learn more about aerodynamics from the partnership. 

“McLaren is a pioneering company that has always pushed boundaries and sought out new innovative and disruptive solutions to making the ultimate supercars. Working alongside an iconic company such as Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, renowned for their visionary focus on the future, is a natural fit. We hope this is the start of a longer and deeper collaboration that will benefit our customers in the long-term,” Darren Goddard, Chief Technical Officer, McLaren Automotive, wrote in a statement.

Skunk Works has designed some of America’s most iconic warplanes, such as the U2 spy plane, the F-117 Nighthawk, the F-22 Raptor, the F-35 Lightning, and the SR-71 Blackbird. Over the summer, the group debuted a full-scale “structurally sound” model of the hypersonic “Darkstar” prototype for one of the most-watched movies of 2022, “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Responding to the news is YouTuber Supercar Blondie, who said the partnership between McLaren and Skunk Works was certainly not on their radar.