It might not be the dramatic whale-tailed special that we might have hoped for, but the new McLaren 675LT boasts a 50% new engine and is claimed to be the “most track-ready” McLaren roadcar yet.
The 2015 McLaren 675LT
New turbos, new pistons, new con-rods and a new fuel-system are just a few of the detail changes to the powerplant. It’s now called the M838TL, in case you wanted to jot that down in your book. With 675 metric horsepower, you might be forgiven for thinking that the new 675LT is not such a dramatic upgrade over the previous 650S Coupe. But you’d be wrong, as the new car benefits from some exciting and controversial weight-savings.
Open your windows
McLaren claim that the power-to-weight ratio jumps from 500hp/tonne in the 650S to 549hp/tonne in the 675LT. Yep, it’s dropped down to a featherweight 1250kg they say, which is nearly 100kg lighter than the older 650S. But they did take out the air-con. Yes, really. It’s now a ‘no-cost’ option. Sweet moves, Mac. That’s straight out of the Italian playbook. “Real” weightsavings come from more extensive use of carbon-fibre in the body panels, as well as new lighter structural components.
So long, pal!
Despite the imaginative naming, the new LT is not really that much longer than before. The official press release says that it uses the same carbon monocoque chassis as the previous model, so it’s a good guess that the wheelbase is still 2670mm (Both the Ferrari 458 Italia and Speciale are 2650mm). The overall length of the 675LT jumps up to 4546mm thanks to the new tail, which incorporates a 50% larger wing/airbrake. That’s 34mm longer than the 4512mm 650S Coupe, but still shorter than a 458 which is 4571mm.
“So what?” I don’t hear you cry, because this is the internet. “Is that even important?!”
Well, not really. But I had some expectations and they weren’t really upheld. I guess I’ll have to show you some photos in order to explain. So this is the original McLaren F1 road car:
Standard McLaren F1
And this is the Long Tail race car, a whopping increase of 70cm (over 2ft) from 4287 to 4993. The wheelbase is almost the same from car to car, but some geometry and component changes resulted in the race car increasing by just 5mm to 2723mm.
1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail
I’m sure any such disappointments in lesser cetacean aerodynamics will quickly evaporate, should I ever be lucky enough to drive one. So here are some more photos:
No prices or dates yet…
Sources: McLaren Automotive 675 LT release, and McLaren Automotive 20th Anniversary of F1
