McLaren is no stranger to carbon fiber. The company made it standard in Formula 1 decades ago, then brought it to road cars. But making something great doesn’t mean it can’t be better. That’s where its latest breakthrough comes in. The new Automated Rapid Tape (ART) method is changing how McLaren builds carbon fiber. It’s faster, more precise, and wastes less material. Traditional carbon fiber layups involve carefully layering sheets by hand. ART does it differently—using a machine that lays down material on a moving surface with pinpoint accuracy. The result is lighter, stiffer, and stronger parts, built at a speed that makes sense for supercar production. It’s McLaren taking a page from aerospace manufacturing—the same techniques used in jetliners and fighter jets—and adapting it for the road. Read More This 1978 Rolls-Royce Corniche is Now an All-Electric 500bhp GT for £400k Science Behind McLaren’s ART Process Not all carbon fiber is created equal. McLaren’s ART process proves that. Instead of treating every part the same, it fine-tunes the material down to the fiber level. Some areas need to be tough, others need a bit of give—ART makes that possible. It works like a tailor cutting fabric, but instead of cloth, it’s precision-placed carbon fiber. High-stress areas—like joints and edges—get extra reinforcement, while low-stress zones lose unnecessary material. Traditional carbon fiber manufacturing leaves behind scraps that can’t be reused. ART changes that. Up to 95% of the raw material ends up in the final part, thanks to its automated, precision layering. Less waste, fewer rejected components, and perfectly placed fibers every time. Expanding ART Carbon Fiber Across Supercars ART makes parts faster and at a lower cost. This opens the door for wider carbon fiber use across McLaren’s lineup. A prototype high-rate deposition machine is already operational at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC), with plans to scale up to an industrial-grade system in 2025. That means more ART components in more McLaren models, sooner than expected. Read More Viola Purple Porsche 911 GT3 RS Skyrockets from $330K to $400K in Bidding War The first real-world test is the McLaren W1, the next entry in the brand’s elite ‘1’ car lineage. Its fixed plane in the active front wing assembly is built using ART carbon, helping generate up to 1,000kg of downforce. This new ART-manufactured component is 10% stiffer than traditional pre-impregnated carbon fiber. This is only the beginning. Engineers are already exploring how ART can be used in future McLaren monocoques, ensuring ultra-light, ultra-strong structures with minimal material waste. Source: McLaren
