The new HySpeed running shoe is a collaboration between McLaren and Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL). They come in five hues for men and women: White/McLaren Orange, White/Black/Ombre, Rose Dust/Creme, Energy/Metallic Silver, and McLaren Orange. A pair costs $450 to put on your feet.
The HySpeed is more than simply McLaren branding on an APL sneaker. For two years, the firms worked together on the design. APL went through three variations of the midsole before settling on a new upper fabrication process.
The finished product has a three-piece segmented midsole with APL’s FutureFoam pods in the front and back. A carbon fibre section spans the length of the shoe and is visible from the underside. The midsole is made of a nitrogen-infused polymer that the manufacturer claims provides “superior responsiveness and energy-rich compression.” The heel is inspired by the seats in the McLaren Senna and has a three-piece cushion.
The HySpeed sneakers are packaged in a box with some interesting design elements. The exterior sleeve is McLaren Orange, with black foil branding. Pulling out the drawer reveals a black inner box with a smoked top revealing the sneaker’s tooling blueprint. When the drawer is fully opened, a drawing of a McLaren F1 is shown.
The HySpeed concerts are now available for purchase on APL’s website. They are also available at a limited number of stores.
Shoemakers and car manufacturers regularly collaborate. Porsche and Puma, for example, partnered on the Suede RS 2.7 Limited Edition. They were limited to 500 pairs and rapidly sold out on Porsche’s web site.
In another occasion, Negroni created a special edition of its Idea Corsa driving shoe inspired by the new Nissan Z. They were available in a variety of colours and included a little Z logo on the heel. Prices began at $340 and could reach $440 depending on the colorway and exchange rates at the time.
Sources: APL, McLaren
