McLaren Automotive has teamed up with the BBC’s Blue Peter to launch a unique competition asking young viewers to design their ‘Supercar of the Future’.

The winner will have the opportunity to meet with McLaren’s leading designers and engineers and see their winning design brought to life as a 3-D scale model to be unveiled on Blue Peter. They will also win a ride in a McLaren supercar with celebrity driver ‘The Stig’ who features on Top Gear.

The prize includes a VIP tour of the world-famous McLaren Technology Centre and McLaren Production Centre in Woking to see how real supercars are designed and made. The winner will also be awarded the coveted orange Blue Peter competition badge.

Lighter vehicles are able to deliver better performance and be more energy efficient which is why entrants to the competition are asked to consider how their car is powered, its impact on the environment and to describe what materials it is made from. They are also asked to choose one outstanding feature of their design and explain why they are proud of it.

Mandeep Dhatt, executive director of HR, at McLaren Automotive, said: “Working with BBC’s Blue Peter on this competition to get kids to design their supercar of the future is an exciting and fun way to get them to apply all of their design, science and technical creativity.

“It is also a great way to showcase how they can use those skills in the real-world, having to follow the same thought processes and tackle the same challenges as our designers and engineers do every day at McLaren. I’m looking forward to seeing what the Blue Peter audience come up with and what amazing idea wins our top prize.”

Ellen Evans, Blue Peter editor said: “This is such an exciting competition with an amazing prize to see behind closed doors at McLaren. The judges are going to be looking for designs that are full of imagination, with a great story and we want to see that they have given some thought to the science behind the design too. I can’t wait to see what the amazing, creative Blue Peter kids come up with!”

More information on the competition and full terms and conditions can be found on the <>i>Blue Peter Web site (www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/joinin/bp-competition). The competition closes on 10 June.