While there may be some doom and gloom around the state of McLaren Automotive these days — i.e. selling off their headquarters only to rent it back in order to scrape together some short-term capital — it’s worth pointing out just how monumental a feat the company’s continued existence even is. History is littered with upstart supercar makers who thought they could find fame and fortune with a sleek mid-engined design and a couple generous investors, only to crash and burn in sometimes-spectacular, sometimes-pathetic fashion.

McLaren, however, has managed to do what no brand since Lamborghini was created out of Ferruccio’s rage back in 1963 has pulled off: create a credible Ferrari rival. Inspired by the legacy of the McLaren F1 and the carmaker’s long Formula 1 racing history, McLaren Automotive was formed back in 2010 and launched its first car, the MP4-12C, a year later. Since then, the company has grown to produce an array of supercars and hypercars.

In recent years, the lineup has generally consisted of three tiers: Sport Series (the 570S and its variants, such as the 600LT); Super Series (the MP4-12C-cum-12C that was facelifted into the 650S, followed by the 720S and the spicier 765LT); and Ultimate Series (hypercars like the P1, Speedtail and Senna). That plan, though — like quite a few at McLaren recently — has come to an end. Today, the entry-level model is the GT…