McLaren has denied earlier reports by the Financial Times and others Apple has approached it over a potential takeover or strategic investment. 

"There's no takeover, no strategic investment," a McLaren spokesperson told Business Insider. "It's completely untrue."

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However, this doesn't necessarily mean that Apple hasn't considered McLaren an acquisition target in the past and certainly doesn't mean the Cupertino-based giant won't approach the supercar maker in the future.

"The nature of our business means we regularly have conversations with all sorts of parties, but those conversations remain confidential," A different McLaren spokesperson told the New York Times. "We're not in a position to confirm or deny any previous conversation."

The NYT said Apple was also in talks with Lit Motors, a San Francisco start-up that has developed an electric self-balancing motorcycle, about a potential acquisition and has already hired several former Lit Motors engineers.

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Apple declined to comment, as did Lit Motors. Wayne Bruce, a spokesman for McLaren, said in an emailed statement that the company was "not in discussion with Apple in respect of any potential investment".

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But McLaren did not deny having had conversations with Apple. In a phone call with the NYT, Bruce added: "The nature of our business means we regularly have conversations with all sorts of parties, but those conversations remain confidential. We're not in a position to confirm or deny any previous conversation."