Apple has approached the British car company McLaren about a potential takeover, according to a report from Financial Times' Tim Bradshaw and Matthew Garrahan.

It's no secret, or at least it's a very badly kept one, that Apple has been developing an interest car technology for the past couple of years.

Where the company is in the development process and what its full intentions with regards to an Apple Car are isn't quite as clear, but entering into talks with McLaren does suggest that Apple's automotive industry dream isn't dead.

Could we see an iCar?

The Financial Times reports that talks between the companies started several months ago and that Apple is considering a strategic investment in McLaren, if not a full takeover.

As a company known for developing supercars and owning its very own Formula 1 team McLaren's automotive and engineering expertise could be essential for furthering any Apple Car project that's in the works.

McLaren has reportedly been valued at around £1 billion but since it's been recently gone through a few periods of loss making Apple could be timing its approach just right.

As yet, though, there's been no guarantee from either side that a deal will be made and neither Apple nor McLaren have been able to provide comment.

If a deal did go ahead, it's likely to be some time before we'd hear anything about a possible Apple Car project. In the meantime the closest thing we have is Apple CarPlay, which casts the iOS interface onto a car's current infotainment system.