McLaren has confirmed that it is developing a new limited-run two-seat open-cockpit roadster as its next Ultimate Series model, as revealed exclusively by Autocar.

The yet-to-be-named new machine, which, the firm claims, will offer its “purest driving experience yet”, will make its debut in 2020 and have a limited production run of 399 cars. Company boss Mike Flewitt announced the car during a customer briefing at the Pebble Beach concours.

It will sit between the track-focused Senna and the 250mph ultra-streamlined Speedtail hyper-GT in McLaren's Ultimate Series range, which dates back to the P1 supercar from 2013.

The new roadster will be aimed at providing “road-focused driving pleasure”, with a bold open-cockpit design. Although the firm hasn’t given any technical details yet, the new model will use the firm’s traditional carbonfibre chassis and a version of its long-running 4.0-lite V8 twin-turbocharged engine. Autocar understands that the roadster will be a lightweight design and is tipped to weigh less than the 1198kg Senna.

“At McLaren Automotive, we are consistently pushing the boundaries to deliver the purest and most engaging driving experience whether for the road or track,” said Flewitt. “Our two current Ultimate Series cars, the Senna and Speedtail, offer unique and distinct driving experiences. Now this new addition to the Ultimate Series, an open-cockpit roadster, will take road-focused driving pleasure to new levels.”

McLaren is taking expressions of interest from customers for the car, which is set to be priced between the £750,000 Senna and £2.1 million Speedtail hyper-GT. With the new model due in 2020, it will likely go into production after the final examples of the Senna GTR are completed.

The new speedster will take on the forthcoming open-cockpit Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2 roadsters.

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