The sales plan

McLaren promises an 'unsurpassed' ownership experience that will start with Formula One standards of care and attention while the cars are being made and continue with them being sold and maintained by 'a global network of the world's best retailers'.

Prototypes have already completed nearly a million miles of testing and the programme is still going on.

The production process has been designed so that any defects are corrected at source rather than having cars sent back once they reach the end of the line.

This not only reduces production costs but leads to higher-quality cars, says managing director Antony Sheriff.

'We will build our road cars with the same care and attention that we put into our Formula One cars,' he says.

McLaren has been in contact with 600 potential dealers around the world and has whittled this list down to 70 who have been invited to submit a business plan. Thirty-five of them will form the initial network.

'Driving is only part of the experience. We want an ownership experience that is best bar none,' says Sheriff. 'We will ensure every dealer has at least one of every service component before selling a single car, so there is no waiting for parts, and we'll fit the most sophisticated diagnostic equipment to trace problems. Each car will have a direct connection to the McLaren database.'

Sheriff says there are already '1600 strong intentions to purchase', including one each from Button and Hamilton, which will more than take care of the first year's production.

However, a McLaren should be easier to obtain than some supercars, assuming you have the wherewithal. 'We have no desire to continually ramp up production and I think it is acceptable to have a waiting list of a year or so, but if it gets any longer we will look at how to manage that,' says Sheriff.