The good folks at McLaren have another reason to celebrate as the Woking-based supercar maker pulled off the wraps to their new McLaren GT, just as they celebrated their 20,000-milestone.
The new GT, as the name suggests, is the brand’s first model in the luxury grand tourer category taking on the likes of Aston Martin DB11 V8, Porsche 911 Turbo S and Ferrari Portofino – not 812 Superfast, whoops. It’s positioned in a new Grand Tourer category in McLaren’s range alongside the Sports Series, Super Series and on top of them all, the Ultimate Series.
With the success of the 570GT, customers want a proper grand tourer from McLaren which resulted in the GT. Taking learnings from the Speedtail, the new car is not about outright performance but rather superior comfort and refinement, practical luggage capacity and use of the finest materials.
Taking the 720S‘ design as a base, the designers have reworked every element of the GT giving it a more fluidic silhouette, slimmer headlamps and a less dramatic rear profile. All these combined gives the GT superior aerodynamics which results in a quieter cabin.
But that’s not all, the 15-spoke alloy wheels (20-inch front; 21-inch rear) are shod in bespoke Pirelli P Zero rubbers that are filled with sound deadening materials to reduce rolling noise. Talk about taking things to the extreme.
Combined with a ground clearance of 110 mm that is said to be able to cover most situations, the company says this is the most usable and refined McLaren yet. With the vehicle lift system installed, the front end has a clearance of 130 mm, equivalent of most mainstream sedans.
Luggage capacity is the GT’s strongest suit with a total storage space of 570 litres – that’s more than a Honda Accord (461 litres)! The 150-litre trunk at the front can fit a cabin sized bag while the rear glass deck – electrically powered available – hides the other 420 litres of cargo space. McLaren claims that the rear deck can fit a full-sized golf bag with some space to spare.
Being a grand tourer, the seats are bolted 2 cm higher as standard than what you find on the 720S. Outward visibility is also further enhanced with the use of glazed C-pillars and rear-quarter windows while the electrochromic glazed sunroof lets you decide how much light you want into the cabin at a touch of a button.
The cabin is a step up in terms of luxury compared to the 720S with soft grain leather wrapping the interior trims, machined and knurled aluminium switches and controls as well as hidden-until-lit ambient lighting. New infotainment system which is up to 5x faster than the previous systems is linked to an optional 12-speaker Bowers & Wilkins premium audio system.
One unique option on the GT is the SuperFabric trim for the rear luggage bay and seats which are resistant to stains, cuts, abrasions as well as being breathable, easy to clean and quick to dry.
McLaren did not just “soften” a 720S and call this a GT. In fact, they went all out to ensure that this GT is the best in class. Underpinning the GT is the brand’s famed carbon fibre monocoque but reworked exclusively for the GT, now dubbed MonoCell II-T – “T” for touring.
The hydraulic suspension now features Proactive Damping Control which reads the road surface and readies the dampers for maximum ride comfort. The hydraulic steering and brakes have also been recalibrated to be more relaxed on the road.
Motivation comes from a derivative of the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, codename M840TE, it packs 620 hp and 630 Nm of torque paired to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission to drive the rear wheels. McLaren has given the detuned engine a flatter torque curve and a more seamless transmission shift logic in tune with the car’s grand touring character.
But the GT is no slouch, with Launch Control, it will go from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and 0 to 200 km/h is dispatched in 9.0 seconds. Flat out, the speedometer will read 326 km/h.
The McLaren GT is now ready to order, and first customers deliveries are expected to begin end of 2019. Retail pricing starts from £163,000 (RM873k) in the UK before options.
IMAGE GALLERY
McLaren GT Unveiled
