McLaren Fatshames The Competition With The New GT
McLaren knows the sweet taste of success with recent dominance of the 720S in the supercar market. They have humbled their closest animal-badged competitors by building cars that dispatch road and tracks like they have cheat codes. With Ferrari’s prancing horse in the rear-view, McLaren must have felt confident that they could bring new life into a segment that has gotten a bit comfortable in age. Enter the new McLaren GT, poised to shake up the Grand Tourer segment.
Pictured: Not a bad way to drive across any country.
The word Grand Touring brings to mind a number of things: Gran Turismo, cigars, young British elite going on sunburnt gap-years through India, and supremely capable comfort-oriented sportscars. To McLaren, GT meant one thing: overweight.
Apparently you will be able to option in Cashmere to the Interior.
Lightweight Focus
The new McLaren GT introduces something that hasn’t been seen in the Grand Touring segment ever before, the carbon-fiber monocoque. No other manufacturer uses carbon fiber to this extent in a GT car and that is evident in the portly cast of characters that McLaren lined up as competition. The new GT tiptoes along the road at 3,232 lbs with a full tank of fuel. For comparison, the Bentley Continental GT has let itself go at 5,412 lbs. Friends and family of the Conti GT are concerned but have been hesitant to, you know, bring it up. Plus it seems like food is the only thing that makes it happy. It has such a pretty face. All bodies are beautiful.
McLaren is not so accepting of all sizes and knows that it is easier to deliver driving joy with a focus on lightness. Aston Martin, while being one of the closest competitors in terms of weight, does not even publish the curb weight of the DBS Superleggera “Superlight” anywhere on its website. From the sources that I found, it is still a solid 500 pounds heavier than the speedy kiwi.
Uniquely McLaren Pragmatism
It is important to recognize how McLaren has applied their existing supercar formula (carbon tub + turbo V8 + trick suspension + tres commas doors = McLaren) to fit the needs of this segment. The rest of McLaren’s lineup includes cars that one might consider hardcore. Providing a driving experience for a driver who likes a bit of pain mixed with their pleasure. The GT will offer something a bit different, but still uniquely McLaren.
The entire rear of the car opens to reveal a large boot
Thus it is claimed that this will be the most pragmatic McLaren ever. The 4.3 inch standard clearance, which rises further to 5.1 when “lifted”, provides confidence that only the worst New York City pot hole will swallow the GT. Coupled to the dynamic hydraulic suspension, which has proven capable of making the 720S buttery smooth when desired, it is nearly certain to make the GT extremely comfortable to drive. I will reserve final judgment on visual aspects of the car until I see it in person, but it does look like it wearing flood pants.
Welcome all boring owners! Your McLaren can now fit golf clubs!
In order to make this a car you can drive across continents, McLaren also needed to give it sizeable storage capacity. The traditional packaging of a mid-engined car makes it hard to give it a large boot. There have been ways to deal with it in the past. The NSX sticks a trunk further behind the engine, which sits atop the exhaust and gets quite toasty. The R8, sticks the trunk in the front. The GT has been specially designed to create a large rear trunk that is paired with a front trunk. The exhaust system and engine have been positioned lower than in other McLarens to create a storage space that is much larger than typical in a McLaren. Large enough for a pair of skis and luggage. Sadly this means that there will be no top mounted exhausts.
Future Of McLaren
It will be exciting to see McLaren’s continued expansion into other market segments. Part of McLaren’s current mystique is that it is a relatively unknown brand with less of the stereotypes that surround its closest competitors like Lamborghini or Ferrari. As we see more McLarens on the road, the public perception of the company will be built. I hope that they are able to produce cars that are truly everyday supercars that are driven on a regular basis.
