Supercar Subdivisions: McLaren’s “Special Operations” Division Details its Services

McLaren’s so-called “Special Operations” (MSO) branch has been doing cool stuff for years, even back when the division was known as the McLaren Customer Care Program and tasked only with maintaining McLaren owners’ F1s in the 1990s .

These days, MSO offers everything from carbon-fiber aero kits to completely rebodied one-offs for the most moneyed of McLaren-isti. So broad is MSO’s portfolio of services that McLaren has decided to organize the secretive outfit’s various personalization endeavors along five tiers: MSO Defined, MSO Bespoke, MSO Limited, MSO Heritage, and MSO Programs.

Here’s what each element entails:MSO Defined: essentially carbon-fiber interior and exterior trim pieces, including the extended side blades and aero addenda that McLaren bolted onto its hot MSO 650S concept earlier this year.

MSO Bespoke: everything from custom stitching on the seats to unique paint and leather colors to complete one-off bodies such as the, um, creative, 12C-based X-1 concept from 2012. McLaren says that 20 percent of all 650S models and 95 percent of all P1s built this year feature some degree of MSO Bespoke content. MSO Limited: low-volume, special-edition models, like the McLaren 50 12C and the aforementioned MSO 650S. MSO Heritage: service, maintenance, and personalization for vintage F1 and Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren models.