The MP4 / 3 was the last McLaren with the Porsche TAG engine. It was designed by Steve Nichols with an initial collaboration of John Barnard, who then left the English house to found the GTO, a structure destined for collaboration with Ferrari. Less competitive and reliable than the MP4 / 2, the MP4 / 3 was used in 1987 for the first tests of the Honda V6 engine. The drivers of 1987 were Alain Prost and Stefan Johansson.