"MADMAC" - The Project is Ambitious in Every Way.
Joining together for their most daring endeavour to date, Lanzante and "Mad Mike" Whiddett are making a strong statement for themselves. British automotive engineering gurus and drift superstars O'Gara Coach and his crew will unveil what they claim to be the world's most extreme drift hypercar at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2024. The project is ambitious in every way: conceptually, visually, and practically. Say hello to Project "MADMAC."
Based on the chassis of the track-focused McLaren P1 GTR, "MADMAC" will demonstrate the power of a partnership between two renowned automotive pioneers, who will each contribute their utmost to this one-of-a-kind undertaking. Now that the first phases have been finished at the Lanzante facility in the UK, the project is moving forward, with McLaren going back to the birthplace of the brand. The complete drift-spec treatment is already underway in Mike's 'Mad Lab' in New Zealand, with just 100 days to go until 'MADMAC' returns to the UK for its worldwide premiere.
While Red Bull racer Mad Mike has become famous as one of the world's top drifters and constructed a range of insane drift vehicles that have transformed the sport, Lanzante has vast expertise with the classic McLaren model, having road-converted and engineered various extreme variations. Collaborating with the team at O'Gara Coach luxury group—curators of exceptional automobiles located in Beverly Hills, California—will test the boundaries of both parties' knowledge and experience. The completed vehicle will be ready to tackle one-of-a-kind events and initiatives.
‘The idea for the project came about after meeting Mike at Goodwood last year. He visited our stand, saw what we had on display, and we started to explore what was possible. We like to think that we (Lanzante) build some of the most extreme cars, but Mike saw this as a challenge to take things up a level or two,’ explains Dean Lanzante. ‘Lanzante has a reputation for creating some incredible cars. Being a proud kiwi, I’m inspired to push this McLaren project to the absolute limit, and then take it around the world… SIDEWAYS!’ added Mad Mike.
When it comes to unique and wild undertakings, Mad Mike is in a league of his own with iconic projects like Red Bull's "Conquer the Crown" and training Formula 1 world champion, Max Verstappen, to drift. His custom-specified Lamborghini Huracan, "NIMBUL," is one of the most unusual drift cars ever built. More recently, he unveiled the first 5-rotor drift machine, "Mad Mike 787D," which was inspired by one of Mike's favourite race cars of all time: the legendary 1991 Le Mans-winning Mazda 787B.
The Lanzante, O'Gara Coach, and Mad Mike channels will be revealing more facts about this insane construct in the upcoming weeks. Then, in July, during the Goodwood Festival of Speed, "MADMAC" will make its debut.
