McLaren have taken the wraps off their eagerly anticipated hardcore variant of the 650S supercar, the McLaren 675LT and it looks to be something very special. The car re-establishes the McLaren ‘Longtail’ name for the first time since it was assigned to the 1997 McLaren F1 LT.
The McLaren 675LT has been honed to be lighter, faster and more aerodynamic to offer a more driver focused experience and be exceptional on track. Offered as a Coupé only, the 675LT will be the most track-focused, yet road legal, model in the McLaren Super Series. McLaren managed to strip the 675LT of 100 kilograms, a substantial amount of weight considering the 650S certainly is not a heavy car. The weight is now down to a class leading 1,230 kilograms, although this is a dry figure. To achieve this McLaren have even taken out the air-conditioning system, although it can be specified as a no-cost option. The interior has also been revised to enhance weight saving. The carbon shelled seats of the P1 have been installed.
The Longtail name has been assigned to the 675LT as downforce and airflow have been a priority on the project. The all new rear wing produced 50 percent more downforce than that of the 650S and weighs less courtesy of a revised carbon structure. Elsewhere the aerodynamics have been tweaked to make the car cut through the air as cleanly as possible. Below the front bumper is a very aggressively designed carbon fibre front splitter, which works in harmony with the new front wing end plates to increase downforce levels over the front of the car. Turbulent air from the front wheel arches is flows towards the rear bodywork via extended and sculpted carbon fibre side sills which run the full length of the lower bodywork. A subtle air intake is incorporated ahead of the leading edge of the rear wheel arch, something that adds to the sharp look of the car. This is situated above a more pronounced side intake behind the door, both of these design features feed cold air into the side-mounted radiators.
As the name suggests the power figure has been increased over that of the 650S courtesy of significant improvements on the M838TL engine in the 675LT. The 3.8-litre V8 now features 50 percent new components over the 650S, power is now rated at 666 horsepower, an improvement of 25 horsepower over the 650S.
All the changes combined mean that the McLaren 675LT packs some serious punch. 0-100 km/h (62 mph) is done in 2.9 seconds and 200 km/h (124 mph) is dealt with in a staggering 7.9 seconds. The added downforce has not limited top speed, the 675LT will power on to hit 330 km/h (205 mph).
McLaren will showcase the car to the press and public at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show which kicks off next week. Comparison will obviously be drawn to rivals Ferrari. The McLaren 675LT directly goes up against the hardcore, and now defunct, Ferrari 458 Speciale, a car that weighs 60 kilograms more and has 60 horsepower less than the 675LT.
