British supercar brand McLaren has released details of the upcoming debut of the new McLaren 570GT by MSO Concept at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The new concept car will shine on the exact display area where McLaren has showed a variety of concept cars over the past few years.
The goal of McLaren’s latest concept car is to further ‘accentuate’ the interpretation of a GT car. The concept, based on the recent 570GT, features additional bespoke styling courtesy of the MSO team including an Electro-Chromic roof. The car’s exhaust system was also taken under the loop and replaced by a custom MSO exhaust made from titanium. The result is a harder-edged exhaust note and a system that is 30% lighter than the conventional stainless steel exhaust.
Visually, the elite ‘Pearl White’ paintwork is sure to draw eyes at the Concours d’Elegance. Contrasting nicely with the bright white is MSO’s ‘Piano Black’ styling package, boasting gloss black elements all-around the sports car including the wheels, side skirts, front spoiler, rear diffusor, door inserts and several details in the car’s interior.
The GT’s custom Electro-Chromic Roof will come in handy during the hot Californian summer. The prototype hints at what the real deal may look like as an Electro-Chromic roof is currently in development for the McLaren 570GT. Visually there will be no notable changes to the current roof of the 570GT which has a UV-protective interlayer. The future beholds an additional electro-chromic interlayer that can be controlled using a touch-sensitive headlining. In the future customers will be able to adjust the roof through five defined points from almost clear to a dark tint, improving the level of comfort and privacy for the occupants.
On the inside the 570GT by MSO Concept is specced with a ‘By McLaren’ luxury interior in Saddle Tan with the high-end integrated 12-speaker Bowers and Wilkins audio system. Plenty of carbon can be found on the inside of the 570GT Concept as well, with further components such as the door inserts and tunnel sides being finished in gloss black.
Paul Mackenzie, Executive Director of McLaren Special Operations, commented: ‘This is the second consecutive year that McLaren Special Operations has used the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to demonstrate our capabilities on Sports Series cars. Last year, soon after the launch of the 570S, we showed the 570S ‘by MSO’ which featured the uniquely formulated Mauvine Blue paint finish coupled with a bespoke interior finished in Carbon Black leather with coordinating detailing, carried through from the exterior colour. This year, closely following the reveal of the GT addition to the Sports Series family, we showcase the breadth of McLaren Special Operations personalisation work, this time focusing on bespoke engineering design and components. With its Electro Chromic Roof especially, the McLaren 570GT by MSO Concept would be well suited to the needs and demands of customers in sunnier and warmer climates.’
Apart from the exterior and interior bespoke styling and the new roof everything remains as we know it from the McLaren 570GT that is currently on the market. Under the hood we find the powerful 3.8-liter twinturbo V8 that is good for 570 hp and 600 Nm of torque. The GT was launched as a slightly more comfortable version of the regular 570S which is more performance oriented like the higher-end 650S and 675LT. The GT comes with practicalities such as the openable roof providing customers with an additional 220 liters of luggage space.
Despite being less extreme as McLaren’s further model range and being the most luxurious McLaren to date, performance is still nothing short of impressive. The lightweight carbon fiber chassis combined with the supercar’s stunning performance still ensure a launch of 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 328 km/h.
