Ron Dennis is driving a £400m plan to take on the likes of Ferrari

Ron Dennis likes winning and is not shy about it. There is more silverware in the car-strewn “boulevard" outside his office than in the Manchester United boardroom.

Even the tacky cups are on display — two in the shape of giant sherry bottles. But there won’t be any more baubles for a bit. Dennis, who quit Formula One in April after his McLaren team was embroiled in one of the worst scandals in the sport’s history, has a new goal. The king of the pit lane wants to be king of the fast lane.

Dennis, 62, is sinking the millions he made with McLaren, whose drivers include world champion Lewis Hamilton, into a new firm, McLaren Automotive. He believes it will create the best sports car in the world, outclassing Ferrari and Lamborghini.

“It has an iconic design, like the E-type Jaguar and, on all performance parameters and price, will be better than our competition," he said.

The MP4-12C — which will be formally unveiled on Wednesday — is a small, wedge-shaped two-seater with a high-revving V8 engine, a seven-speed gearbox, a carbon-fiber chassis and “gullwing" doors that open upwards, not outwards. More at the Sunday London Times