McLaren unveiled its new supercar today, a 240mph machine which has been dubbed the ‘F1 car for the road’.

The fluidly-styled, gull-winged car is part of an aggressive strategy of expansion for the British racing specialist, which aims to challenge the dominance of Lamborghini and Ferrari.

The MP4-12C, known until now only by its codename P11, is scheduled to go on sale in 2011. It will feature many technical innovations gleaned from the company’s racing division, but is intended as a 200mph-plus ‘affordable’ supercar for everyday use. At around £150,000, it will cost more than a Porsche Turbo and a bit less than a comparable Ferrari.

To make the car more useful day to day, the self-adjusting suspension varies the damper settings to ensure a soft ride for urban driving, then stiffens up to improve driving dynamics and handling as speeds increase. It is powered by an enormous 3.8 litre V8 twin turbo engine which develops 600bhp. The two-seater will accelerate from 0 to 60mph in just 3.4 seconds.

The new McLaren will be put together at the company's factory in Woking, Surrey. In an interview with the Sunday Times, McLaren boss Ron Dennis outlined his intention to create a global supercar brand with a stable of high-performance models. Dennis revealed plans to build three new models over the next six years, eventually producing 4,000 cars a year (Ferrari makes about 6,000). “We’re building more than one car; we’re building a brand,” he says.

The new McLaren uses lightweight aluminium and carbon fibre, which allows for greater performance, while minimising weight. McLaren claims that the average fuel consumption will hover around 22mpg, which is not hugely impressive, but emissions of carbon dioxide are expected to be below 300g/km.

McLaren hopes to sell 1,000 in the first year and then follow that success with two more as yet unnamed sports cars bearing the McLaren badge by 2015.