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First drive: McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.

First drive: McLaren 675LT
Lighter, faster, more focused and sold out - it's the McLaren 675LT.

   



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McLaren 675LT

5 5 5 5 5

McLaren has taken the already ridiculously fast 650S and removed weight, added focus and more power to create the sensational, limited edition 675LT, in the process reviving an evocative name from its history for its most focused Super Series model yet.

Test Car Specifications

Model tested: McLaren 675LT
Price: £259,500
Engine: 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 petrol
Transmission: seven-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Body style: two-door, two-seat coupé
CO2 emissions: 275g/km (Band M, £505 per year)
Combined economy: 24.2mpg
Top speed: 205mph
0-62mph: 2.9 seconds
Power: 675hp at 7,100rpm
Torque: 700Nm at 5,500- to 6,500rpm

What's this?

A limited edition McLaren Super Series model, the 675LT takes its name from the F1 Longtail and applies it to the 650S. That car isn't exactly lacking in performance, but the 675LT is a considerably reengineered version, with virtually no component unchanged in the transformation. McLaren's people describe it as a track car that's usable on the road, as opposed to the 650S being a road car that's useable on track. Some 100kg has been pared off its kerb weight; 25hp added to its 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged engine; more downforce added; while there's increased grip and greater focus from completely overhauled suspension and sharper steering. The 675LT reaches 62mph in just 2.9 seconds (double that speed arriving in a scarcely believable 7.9 seconds from standstill) and a 205mph maximum. McLaren will build 500, though if you want one you're too late, as it's already sold out.

How does it drive?

The 675LT is the result of the same fastidious attention to detail that its F1 namesake was nearly 20 years ago. It's longer, if nothing like as lengthy a stretch as the 600mm of the McLaren F1 GT Longtail, but aerodynamics have come on a long way in the last two decades. Downforce is up by around 40 per cent and the tracks are wider by 20mm, while the LT sits lower on P1-derived lightweight suspension. No component has been overlooked in the quest for weight reduction, with everything from thinner glass, more carbon fibre body panels, less sound deadening and a titanium exhaust and wheel nuts featuring. The engine's internals are lighter too, reducing inertia, to the benefit of response. Power is only up by 25hp, but with a 675hp whole (and a useful 700Nm of torque) shifting 100kg less mass it's appreciably quicker.

McLaren has engineered out some of the 650S's refinement, so the 675 is a more visceral car,. You feel so much more as a result; there are vibrations and sounds from the engine that you'd not hear or feel in the 650S. Likewise, the steering, suspension, drive modes and electronic assistance settings have all been recalibrated. The steering and suspension are the most obvious changes, the response at the wheel far more immediate, and the feel at the rim far clearer. The rack is quicker too, which, allied to the aero revisions, makes for faster turn in, the 675's nose more precise and predictable thanks to the increased feel. The speed it generates is nothing short of incredible, McLaren's chief test driver admitting in real terms it's not as different to the P1 hypercar as you'd imagine, all of which makes the 675LT's £259,500 price tag - before you've started adding options - look like a comparative bargain.

What's just as remarkable as the increased performance and significantly improved feel is the 675LT's civility on the road. It's obviously a more focused car, but the compromises are tiny, indeed, they make it a more interesting road car. The suspension rides with a composure that many sports saloons cannot manage, yet the control is sensational. Grip is mighty on road and track, though McLaren now allows the ESC stability control to be switched to either Dynamic Mode or fully off via its own switch. Normal, Sport and Track modes dial up the focus on the drivetrain and suspension, while the seven speed SSG paddle-shifted auto adds 'inertia push' in Track mode to achieve shifts that have no drop in acceleration when swapping ratios. In its normal or Sport settings it's still incredibly fast - any more so and McLaren says it would require some serious compromises.

On the track, where the 675LT can really demonstrate its prowess, the differences are marked. It gathers speed ferociously, the engine's faster revving, quicker response seeing more speed more of the time, the reduced mass allowing it to be carried easier. There's greater agility too, the nose in particular feeling particularly responsive, helping make the 675LT a devastatingly fast car on a race circuit. Far more exciting and involving, too, as its greater rawness is hugely appealing, addressing the one complaint that's plagued the 650S and the McLaren 12C before it - their relative civility.

Verdict

The McLaren 650S is already a deeply impressive, hugely accomplished car, but the 675LT takes it to a different level, again. The performance was already incredible, and while it's now even more so, the 675LT's triumph is the marked increase in connection with the driver, the changes to the steering and suspension, the weight loss (as well as the removal of some of the 650S's refinement) - this is instrumental in its change of character. The whole is far more appealing as a result and it has been achieved without detracting from the 675LT's ability on the road. It's a more interesting and complete performance car as a result.

5 5 5 5 5 Exterior Design

4 4 4 4 4 Interior Ambience

3 3 3 3 3 Passenger Space

2 2 2 2 2 Luggage Space

4 4 4 4 4 Safety

4 4 4 4 4 Comfort

5 5 5 5 5 Driving Dynamics

5 5 5 5 5 Powertrain


Kyle Fortune - 22 Jul 2015



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2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.

2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.



2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.
 

2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.
 

2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.
 

2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.
 

2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.
 

2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.
 

2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.
 

2015 McLaren 675LT. Image by McLaren.
 






 

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