Covers come off hot McLaren 675LT

The McLaren 675LT, a harder, lighter and more powerful version of the 650S, has been revealed.

The new model will make its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Customer deliveries will begin in July at a price estimated to be about £260,000 (Rs 2.55 crore), some £65,000 (Rs 64 lakh) more than the 650S on which the car is based.

The coupé-only 675LT – ‘LT’ refers to its long-tail aerodynamic design, something first used on the 1997 F1 Longtail – sits above the 650S coupé and Spider in McLaren’s range of so-called ‘Super’ models. The P1 is in the ‘Ultimate’ range, and the upcoming smaller models due to be revealed at the New York motor show in April are in the ‘Sports’ range.

The 675LT features a more powerful and significantly modified 666bhp version of the 650S’s twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8.

McLaren says 50 percent of the parts in the V8 engine are new, including new turbos, new camshafts and connecting rods, a faster-flowing fuel pump and delivery system, and detail changes to the cylinder heads and exhaust manifolds.

So extensive are the engine changes that the unit has a 
new codename: M838TL. Power rises 25bhp over the 650S to 666bhp, with peak power arriving at 7100rpm. Torque is up from 500lb ft in the 650S to 516lb ft at 5500-6500rpm in the 675LT. 

As with the 650S, the engine is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

Extensive use of carbon fibre for the bodywork and aerodynamic features and other lightweight elements in the engine, chassis and body give the 675LT a dry weight of 1230kg, which is 100kg less than that of the 650S. As a result, the power-to-weight ratio is improved from the 650S’s 493bhp per tonne to 541bhp per tonne in the 675LT.

The combination of lighter weight and prodigious new engine outputs result in a 0-100kph time for the rear-drive 675LT of 2.9sec, some 0.1sec faster than the 650S. But a greater improvement is had in the 0-200kph time, which is cut from 8.4sec to 7.9sec. The 675LT’s 205mph/328kph top speed is 3kph less than the 650S’s due to the extra drag of the aerodynamic set-up.

The 675LT’s look is significantly altered and reprofiled from that of the 650S, sporting many aerodynamic features and an altogether more aggressive style. The Longtail Airbrake is a key part of the new design, being 50 percent larger than on the 650S. 

The polycarbonate rear screen is another new feature, complete with more louvres.

Also new at the rear are the carbon fibre wings and twin circular exhaust pipes made from titanium, which are exposed at the rear deck to improve cooling. They sit above a new bumper and rear diffuser that are both made from carbonfibre.

At the front, there is a larger carbon fibre splitter and new front bumper design aimed at improving cooling and downforce, channelling the air to the rear of the car through several aerodynamic features.

McLaren has yet to confirm any chassis or dynamic changes to the 675LT over the 650S, saying only that it will deliver “ultimate levels of driver engagement”. The car is road legal but track optimised. In total, one-third of the parts on the 675LT are new compared with the 650S.

The interior of the car has yet to be revealed, but McLaren has promised a driver-focused interior with P1-inspired lightweight carbonfibre bucket seats wrapped in Alcantara.

The 675LT will be offered 
in what McLaren calls five 
‘By McLaren’ specifications, which are inspired by famous colours and liveries from its past. The five colours and themes on offer will be mirrored inside and out.