Mclaren GT
Tipped to kick off an all-new model line
Mclaren will launch an all-new grand tourer model later this year – and it could be the first of several more practical, but still performance-focused Mclarens to be produced.
The surprise announcement was made at the Geneva motor show by Mclaren CEO Mike Flewitt, who said: “It will be a car that combines competition levels of performance with continent-crossing capability, wrapped in a beautiful lightweight body. It’s a car that has been designed for distance and one that will also provide the comfort and space expected of a grand tourer.
“But it will also have a level of agility never experienced before in this segment. In addition, it will be the lightest of grand tourers, and by also having the best power-toweight ratio, I promise it will be one of the quickest.”
The new grand tourer will be powered by an evolved version of Mclaren’s current M840T V8, with an output greater than the 570GT’S, and it will cost from £145,000 – on a par with the current 570S Spider.
Mclaren also revealed images of the new car testing, although it was heavily camouflaged. Flewitt would only describe the grand tourer as being “a sleek, beautiful and boldly elegant car, one keeping to the Mclaren philosophy of every design detail being present for a reason. The interior will feel spacious, uncluttered and modern, with only authentic, high-quality materials employed.”
However, the car will be formally revealed within months and the first examples will be delivered to customers this autumn. The car will have a name rather than an alphanumeric designation.
Suggesting that the new grand tourer could be the first of several such models, Flewitt also confirmed that it would be positioned outside of the company’s established, threetier line-up of Sports Series, Super Series and Ultimate Series families, instead saying that the car will be “a unique, tailored model.”
Given that the 570GT currently sits in the firm’s Sports family, this suggests that Mclaren is planning to open up a fourth line to accommodate grand tourers into the line-up more visibly.
It will have a level of agility never experienced before in this class