McLaren 675LT confirmed: details revealed

McLaren announces 675LT will be a more powerful, lighter 650S set to rival the Ferrari 458 Speciale and to be seen at Geneva 2015.

McLaren has finally confirmed the name of its hotly anticipated new supercar, and it’s called the 675LT. Named after the famous ‘Longtail’ F1 GTR racing car, the faster and more track-focused version of the 650S will debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show in March alongside the hardcore P1 GTR hypercar.

The model will sit on a level above the MP4-12C and 650S supercars, and is described as “the lightest, the quickest, the purest version in the range”. The number ‘675’ in the name denotes, as predicted, the increased output of 675PS (a “devilish” 666bhp). This makes it the most powerful car in the McLaren ‘Super Series’ line-up, below the near-£1million P1 hypercar.

Set to rival the Ferrari 458 Speciale and Porsche 911 GT3 RS, the newcomer is focused on “optimised aerodynamics” and downforce, plus weight reduction, according to the Woking-based company. McLaren has only provided these official images of a disguised prototype, which show enlarged air intakes in the deeper front bumper and dual intakes behind the doors to keep up with airflow demands from the beefed-up 3.8-litre V8.

The car also looks lower to the ground, suggesting lowered and stiffened suspension. Although upgraded for better track dynamics, the 675LT is still a road car, meaning comfort shouldn’t suffer unduly because of the reduction in weight. Bigger wheels and tyres are likely to hide an uprated carbon ceramic brake pack.

Although initial rumours suggested the 675LT could adopt the ‘Longtail’ enlarged rear end, we expect the camouflage at the rear is simply there to disguise aerodynamic tweaks to the body to increase cornering stability.

That £195,000 price tag is likely to increase to over £200,000, although the company hasn’t released details of how many it plans to build.

Source: www.autoexpress.co.uk