There's a big article in Automobile Mag about this car. It seems Mercedes insisted that it be a front engine car but the guys at McLaren didn't particularly care for the idea so they made it a front/mid engine, which explains why the front end is so darn long. The engine actually sits behind the front axle line but in front of the passenger compartment. The McLaren boys wanted to keep the weight distribution as close to 50/50 as possible and didn't feel they could achieve that with a conventional front engine layout. There's a nice cutaway drawing of it in the mag; I'll try to scan it later and post the image if I get a chance.
Personally, I think the nose just looks too dang long.
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