Pure x McLaren Is the Cheapest McLaren You Can Get, Still Awesome

Adam Norris, the father and manager of F1 champ Lando Norris, was into e-bikes until not recently – not in the sense that he liked to ride them (though that, too, probably applies) but rather that he was trying to sell them. In recent years, his company, Pure Electric, shifted focus to another urban mobility solution that still has two wheels and a rear hub motor but which, according to Norris, is more convenient, more efficient, and more fun.

Pure Electric now makes electric scooters of the standing variety, also called Pure. We covered the two Advanced models in the lineup a while back; the latest addition is a variation on the Advanced line. It's the Pure x McLaren 2024 collection, first announced in May this year and finally available to riders in Norris' home country, the UK.

The flagship Advanced models come in three different versions, two for the Advanced and one for the Flex, which is the foldable Advanced. The Pure x McLaren is the Flex in McLaren form or, better said, in McLaren livery.

The idea behind Pure Electric is to democratize urban mobility and disrupt the market at the same time. Obviously, e-scooters are a dime a dozen these days, from the various models you can buy in stores or online to the rental units that litter the streets of many cities. Much like it tried to do with e-bikes before switching to e-scooters, Pure Electric is trying to find something that makes their products uniquely – and recognizably – theirs.

With the e-scooter, that's the face-forward riding position with the feet on each side of the narrow board of the machine, as well as the focus on safety. Pure scooters, which Lando Norris himself rides and (quite obviously) promotes, are the next evolution of the standard e-scooter: safer, more stable, more reliable, and with longer range.

With the 2024 collection, they're also collectible and more stylish.

That's just a roundabout way of saying that what the storied carmaker brings to the collaboration is the livery, the brand name, and Lando Norris himself. These are advantages hard to come by, let alone bundled as they are, but they don't ultimately translate into a different Advanced machine. It's the same Advanced but now wearing McLaren clothing.

The Pure x McLaren e-scooter is offered in three different models slash liveries, the Papaya, Black, and Senna.

The Papaya wears the McLaren orange livery and "pays tribute to McLaren's unstoppable legacy." The Black Edition is in "stealth mode," but black also apparently accentuates the class-leading design. Perhaps more relevant for customers, the Black Edition is "the ride of choice in the F1 paddock." Meanwhile, the Senna Edition, which is already sold out as of this writing, replicates the livery on the helmet of F1 icon Ayrton Senna.

Like the non-McLaren Advanced e-scooter, the McLaren version features a 500W rear-hub motor that peaks at 710W and is limited to 25 kph (15.5 mph) due to current European legislation. The battery is a 432-Wh one that's good for an estimated range of 50 km (31 miles) on a single charge. The e-scooter has three riding modes, so we're assuming the range estimate is for the lowest one.

The Pure x McLaren is rated for 19-degree inclines and is comfortable to use around the city, even in those areas where infrastructure could use some improvement. That's because it features the patent-pending Pure Control Steering System, which returns the handlebars to the central position right after turning, thus reducing steering wobble.

The e-scooter also features a drum brake in the front and an electronic brake in the rear, front and rear lights, and turning lights on the handlebars, making the rider visible in traffic. Because of the riding position, the scooter is safer to ride and maneuver around the city, as compared to scooters, where you have both feet in tandem on the board.

The Pure x McLaren rides on 10-inc air-filled tubeless tires and tips the scales at 16 kg (35.2 lbs). It's foldable, which means you can turn it into a very compact bundle in three simple moves for easy storing around the office or even inside your apartment. Supported maximum weight for the rider is 120 kg (264.5 lbs). App connectivity adds extra anti-theft protection, with the rider able to set a PIN to unlock the two-wheeler.

Described as "world-class racing meets world-class riding," the Pure x McLaren e-scooter is also slightly more expensive than its sibling with no McLaren pedigree – or branding. The Papaya Edition and the Black one cost £899 (approximately $1,150 at the current exchange rate), while the Senna, which will only be produced in very limited numbers, is £1,200 ($1,531).