The partnership builds on the established history both brands have together. Since 2015, Bowers & Wilkins has been responsible for the development of the high-performance audio systems found in the marque's supercars and hypercars.
One of the world’s most respected
audio brands, Bowers & Wilkins is famed for pushing the boundaries
of loudspeaker capability, with the goal of revealing as much of the
original recording as possible - without ever changing or distorting
that sound. This pursuit of perfection, instilled by founder John
Bowers, is still evident today.
McLaren’s own unrelenting
approach, born of visionary founder Bruce McLaren's desire to design and
build the world's most exhilarating supercars, shares many parallels
with that of Bowers & Wilkins. Both brands’ desire to exceed the
limits of what is possible is evident in their respective product
ranges.
The partnership is built on firm technical foundations.
Bowers & Wilkins has worked closely with McLaren's design and
engineering teams to create and optimise the audio system found in the
company's supercars.
McLaren’s latest supercars feature the very
latest speaker technologies which have been developed in Southwater,
home to the Bowers & Wilkins research and development team since
2019 and only 30 miles away from the McLaren global HQ.
Since the
brands started working together, notable integration landmarks have
included the famous yellow Aramid Fibre cones, Rohacell subwoofers,
Diamond dome tweeters, dual-opposed subwoofers and recently the
proprietary Continuum cone. All are proven high-performance hi-fi
loudspeaker technologies that add to the overall supercar experience.
The
successful technical and design collaboration has already been
recognised, with two iF design awards for the system integrations of
Bowers & Wilkins in both McLaren's Speedtail and GT models received
shortly after their introduction.
The partnership has now
expanded beyond traditional automotive applications for drive unit
installation. Pioneering advances include subwoofers being integrated
into McLaren’s innovative, in-house designed and manufactured McLaren
Carbon Lightweight Architecture carbon fibre monocoque, ensuring a stiff
- and therefore inert - mounting surface, which enables better sound.
As
part of the new partnership, Bowers & Wilkins branding will appear
prominently on McLaren's partner roster and the two companies have
pledged to explore exciting new portable and home audio collaborations
together.
