What you see here is McLaren’s new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, which we are reliably informed, will be attached to the company’s upcoming replacement of the 650S. The second-generation car in the company’s Super Series will make approximately 720 horsepower, which by McLaren’s matter-of-fact naming convention should earn it the resplendently po-faced 720S moniker.

While the new car looks absolutely stunning in the flesh — trust us, we have seen it — it’s the bonkers performance claims that are eye-widening. Starting with the aforementioned engine.

The new ultra-low inertia, twin-scroll turbochargers that are appended to the M840T V8 promise to reduce turbo lag even further for a more direct throttle response. This is one area where the 650S faltered compared to the super responsive 3.9-litre turbocharged V8 that powers its chief rival the Ferrari 488 GTB, so that’s good news.

Now on to some cold hard numbers. The upcoming supercar will demolish the zero to 200kph mark in just 7.8 seconds. That may seem incredibly rapid because it is. An all-wheel drive, 750 horsepower Lamborghini Aventador Superveloce does the same sprint more than half a second slower! It is also merely a second off the pace of the mighty Bugatti Veyron Super Sport on the same run.

The standing quarter-mile time — if you are bothered about that sort of stuff — is pegged at 10.3 seconds, making it faster than any other car in its class and almost on par with hypercars, such as the aforementioned Veyron.

McLaren also claims to have paid special attention to the exhaust note, which it says has been achieved “through a sophisticated balance of harmonics and delivering a ‘crescendo’ characteristic”. That’s a job well done given the 650S’s flat and near-industrial vocal abilities. Oh and an optional sports exhaust system is also available should you want your 750S to be even louder.

Finally, and in the interest of good old showing off, every time you unlock the car, the engine bay is bathed in a deep red light to showcase the new V8 to the world.

McLaren will reveal the full details of the car on March 7. Can’t. Wait.