The McLaren brand has gone from strength to strength of late, with its range of supercars garnering glowing reviews in the world’s motoring press. Now there is a new model for rival marques to worry about: the McLaren GT, the first true Grand Tourer for McLaren, and a gloriously beautiful car that shows British engineering at its best.
The McLaren GT offers a level of comfort that puts it a step apart from the rest of the range. This is a car designed for covering long distances in luxury and at speed – rather than one designed for out and out performance and driving thrills – and it delivers. Sharing much with the glorious McLaren Speedtail, the GT is set to attract a new class of customer to the brand.
Luxury Interior
The level of interior refinement in the cabin of the McLaren GT will surely put it at the head of the class. It’s designed with more room for added comfort, plus added padding for the seats and carefully crafted for dashing quickly across continents. The infotainment system is also class-leading, and provides everything the driver could want for a long journey.
Luggage space totals some 570-litres – split between front and rear compartments – with the rear section accessible via the front-hinged rear panel, which can be specified to open electronically if desired. Golf clubs will fit easily in a specially designed section, as will a standard set of skis, so the McLaren GT is perfect for the sporting set.
Supercar Performance
McLaren is known for the sensational performance of the models that make up its excellent range, and the McLaren GT is no exception. Despite being designed as a luxury Grand Tourer, the GT offers a top speed of 203mph (326km/h) and will reach 124mph (200km/h) in an astonishing 9.0 seconds. This is all made possible by the wonderful 4.0litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, plus the cars overall low weight and distribution.
The GT looks the part, too. Clearly a McLaren – it bears all the family hallmarks – it is sleek and purposeful, with a touch of aggression. Rob Melville, McLaren Design Director, explains the philosophy behind the new model:
“The new McLaren GT combines McLaren’s design philosophies with classic Grand Tourer visual cues. Bold, elegant volumes flow seamlessly from nose to tail, encapsulating the beautifully crafted cabin. The sophisticated, sculpted body expresses both the power of the car and its ability to cosset occupants during long-distance driving. The teardrop shape of the cabin, which stretches back to encompass the rear luggage area, follows the aerodynamic principles inherent in all McLarens, while the muscular rear fenders that form the side intakes for the high-temperature radiators are an example of how we merge both beauty and functionality to create breath-taking authentic designs. The new McLaren GT clearly stands out both as a new type of McLaren and a cutting-edge interpretation of a Grand Tourer for a new era.”
Redefining the GT
In creating the McLaren GT, the company has opted to bring a new perspective to the concept of the Grand Tourer, and it’s done in a way that perhaps only McLaren would consider. Mike Flewitt, the CEO of McLaren, has this to say:
“The new McLaren GT combines competition levels of performance with continent-crossing capability, wrapped in a beautiful body and true to McLaren’s ethos of designing superlight cars with a clear weight advantage over rivals. Designed for distance, it provides the comfort and space expected of a Grand Tourer, but with a level of agility never experienced before in this segment. In short, this is a car that redefines the notion of a Grand Tourer in a way that only a McLaren could.”
The McLaren GT is a Grand Tourer with supercar DNA, a new breed of luxurious and comfortable car designed to take you from A to B in extreme comfort at high speed, effortlessly and stylishly.
You can order the McLaren GT now for delivery later in 2019 at a list price of £163,000.
Images Copyright of: McLaren.
