After much speculation and anticipation, details on McLaren's new top of the range supercar have finally emerged.
Beauty, power, speed, handling and sound - these are five of the most important characteristics of a supercar. Cars such as this are not built for fuel economy, comfort or practicality - they are built for pure thrills. They are built for completing the package to a drivers dream machine. As a tribute to the McLaren F1 GTR 'Longtail', the 675LT aims to do just that, but will it be enough?
The 675LT churns out an astonishing 666 brake horsepower, propelling it to 100 km/h in just 2.9 seconds, 200 km/h in 7.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph) thanks to a dry weight of just 1,230kg, about 100kg less than the 650S.
McLaren says the 675LT, "re-establishes the McLaren ‘Longtail’ heritage, focusing on light weight, optimised aerodynamics, increased power, track-focused dynamics and driver engagement," and that the car demonstrates, "a more aggressive look for the McLaren brand than has been seen before."
I'm not so sure that it does.
The F1 was undeniably a revolutionary car. It achieved speeds and performance which continue to set the standards today, nearly 20 years later. The Longtail version took that untamed insanity and drove it even further into the looney bin. It was a masterpiece of engineering for the time and was capable of unheard of speeds and performance. It looked and felt pure race car. It was absolutely mad, and it was spectacular.
To me, it doesn't sound like the 675LT is anywhere near that mad. 205 mph seems to be the standard top speed for supercars these days, and upwards of 650 bhp is becoming nearly as standard. The seats are in the normal arrangement, side by side, and it uses fancy driver aids, such as launch control, traction control and anti-lock brakes.
In terms of beauty, yes it looks quite good but in truth it is not much different from the 650S, which really is not that different from the previous Mp4-12c. The power and speed is certainly competitive, but as a tribute to the previous Longtail shouldn't it be a bit more over the top?
I'm sure this will indeed be a truly spectacular supercar and very well may outperform much of the competition, just as was done by previous models - but I'm not convinced that it is quite bonkers enough.
Source: McLaren
Last edited: