This is the McLaren 675LT. In basic terms it’s the ‘longtail’ version of the 650S. Aside from the proud heritage of the longtail name to the McLaren brand, in this context longtail means the 675LT is 100kg lighter than the 650S, has more power, is more extreme and is, of course, a bit faster as well.
The 675LT is now on show in Geneva and McLaren announced the production run will be limited to 500 units worldwide.
At 1230kg it has a power to weight ratio of 549PS/tonne. Peak power is 675PS, as the model’s name suggests, and it can reach 100km/h in 2.9 seconds, 200km/h in 7.9 seconds and has a top speed of 330km/h.
In actual terms “longtail” is apparent in name only. Despite being 34mm longer there are no extensive changes to the car’s dimensions, other than the rear airbrake being 50 per cent larger than found on the 650S.
Where the 675LT does differ, aside from its weight loss, is with extensive changes to the M838TL engine. Around half of its components are different to the 650S. Modifications include more efficient turbos, uprated cylinder heads and manifolds, lightened conrods, a revised camshaft and a faster flowing fuel pump.
In future the longtail name will be used as a marketing device to indicate more extreme models, in much the same was as GT3 is used by other marques.
Full details can be found after the break, including video of the McLaren Automotive press conference from the Geneva Motor Show.
Limited production confirmed for McLaren 675LT
- 675LT re-establishes the McLaren ‘Longtail’ heritage, focusing on light weight, optimised aerodynamics, increased power, track-focused dynamics and driver engagement
- Priced at £259,500 and production strictly limited to 500 units globally
- Chassis changes confirmed including wider track and stiffer rated springs front and rear
- Optional Club Sport pack adds titanium roll hoop and harness
- The McLaren 675LT was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. View the full press conference at: www.youtube.com/McLarenAutomotiveTV
The McLaren 675LT, which made its global debut today at the 85th International Geneva Motor Show, will be the lightest, most powerful and fastest model in the McLaren Super Series, and also the most exclusive: production will be strictly limited to just 500 examples worldwide.
The limited production model has a clear focus on light weight, optimised aerodynamics, increased power, track-focused dynamics and driver engagement. At its core is the lightweight carbon fibre MonoCell chassis, shared with each model in the Super Series, but the chassis set up and powertrain are bespoke, with a third of overall parts and components modified.
A more aggressive set up gives the 675LT a unique track-focused feel, while still retaining the adjustable ProActive Chassis Control to ensure drivability and comfort levels are maintained. One of the many updates featured on the 1997 McLaren F1 GTR ‘Longtail’ was a wider track, front and rear. This approach is echoed in the 675LT, with the front and rear track widened by 20mm, ensuring optimised stability and handling performance. Lightweight springs front and rear have been stiffened – 27 percent at the front and 63 percent at the rear – to improve body control and allow for the 40 percent increase in downforce generated by the revised bodywork and active aerodynamics. Newly-developed suspension geometry includes lightweight uprights and wishbones based on the learnings from the McLaren P1™. This is coupled with a faster steering rack to give a more extreme driver-focused experience.
The obsession with weight saving sees the 675LT tip the scales at just 1,230kg (dry weight), making it the lightest model in the already lightweight Super Series, with a saving of more than 100kg. This has been achieved with the use of lighter weight components. For example, the changes to the car’s glazing alone save 4.5kg with a thinner windscreen and rear bulkhead glass, and replacing the engine cover with motorsport-style polycarbonate.
The 675LT uses the familiar seven-speed SSG transmission found in the other Super Series models, retaining the Normal, Sport or Track modes. These settings have been recalibrated to produce more eager performance, with optimised throttle response and gearshifts up to twice as fast as previously offered. The newly developed ‘Ignition Cut’ technology is a technique adopted from Formula 1™ which sees a momentary cut of the fuel spark on gearshift. This delivers the fastest change possible, and is accompanied by a dramatic aural ‘crack’ on both upshift and downshift. Also debuting on the 675LT is an all-new Electronic Stability Control (ESC) calibration, giving the driver an even greater level of control over the throttle and brake inputs.
The 675LT unveiled to world’s automotive media gathered in Geneva was finished in the newly launched Chicane Grey, showcasing the McLaren Club Sport pack. This option, priced at £5,090 for the UK market, is designed with an even greater focus on track driving, and includes titanium roll hoop with four point harnesses and a fire extinguisher.
The limited edition McLaren 675LT is available to order from all McLaren Retailers, priced from £259,500. Deliveries will commence from July 2015.
McLaren 675LT: Power, a beautiful thing
- 675LT re-establishes the McLaren ‘Longtail’ heritage, focusing on light weight, optimised aerodynamics, increased power, track-focused dynamics and driver engagement
- 0-100 km/h in 2.9 seconds; 0-200 km/h in 7.9 seconds
- 100kg weight saving makes the 675LT the lightest in its class, and gives a power-to-weight ratio of 549PS per tonne
- A third of parts changed compared to the 650S which it sits alongside in the McLaren Super Series
- Significantly enhanced M838TL engine in the 675LT features more than 50 percent new components
- Five unique ‘By McLaren’ hero specifications offered
- Global premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2015 on stand 1240, at 12.15 CET (11.15 GMT)
25 February 2015 – The McLaren 675LT will make its world debut at the 85th Geneva Motor Show, with a clear focus on performance, light weight and ultimate levels of driver engagement – all key attributes of a McLaren ‘Longtail’. Offered as a Coupé only, the 675LT will be the most track-focused, yet road legal, model in the McLaren Super Series, with a power to weight ratio that eclipses established rivals. The sprint from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) takes just 2.9 seconds, with controlled torque delivery ensuring optimised traction off the line. Acceleration continues at relentless pace with the 200 km/h barrier broken in 7.9 seconds, on to a top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph).
The first images of the car demonstrate a more aggressive look for the McLaren brand than has been seen before. Styling cues run from the extended carbon fibre front splitter, through an extended door blade and additional cooling intake, to the circular twin titanium exhaust pipes, giving a hint to the performance available for the most powerful and lightest model in the McLaren Super Series. The active ‘Longtail’ Airbrake is 50 percent bigger than the one fitted to the 650S yet, due its carbon fibre structure, is actually lighter. This is just one of the enhancements that add up to a dry weight of just 1,230kg.
More than 50 percent of parts have been changed in the 3.8-litre V8 engine to deliver increased levels of power, torque and driveability. Upgrades include new, more efficient turbos, detail design changes to the cylinder heads and exhaust manifolds, new camshaft and lightweight connecting rods, and a faster-flowing fuel pump and delivery system. These changes are so significant, that the engine unit receives a new, unique code – M838TL. The low weight, low inertia power unit produces, as the name suggests, a power output of 675PS and a power-to-weight ratio of 549PS per tonne.
The 675LT is as fully track-focused as it is road legal with around a third of parts modified to suit this purpose compared with the 650S Coupé and Spider that continue in production alongside it. Yet, like its iconic predecessor, the McLaren F1 GTR ‘Longtail’, from which the LT name is derived, this is a car that is as exciting to look at as it is to drive. It also embodies the key attributes of the ‘Longtail’ ethos targeting light weight, optimised aerodynamics, increased power, track-focused dynamics and driver engagement.
THE KEY TO THE ‘LONGTAIL’ SUCCESS: LIGHT WEIGHT AND AERODYNAMIC
Despite the revised, longer bodywork, the 1997 McLaren F1 GTR ‘Longtail’ was over 100kg lighter than its hugely successful predecessors. As it was nearly 20 years ago, weight reduction has been a key focus throughout the development programme for the 675LT and, in a subtle nod to its bigger brother, the result is a saving of over 100kgs over the other models in the Super Series. This savings have been achieved through the extensive use of carbon fibre for the body panels, along with lightweight engine, chassis and body structure parts. In the pursuit of minimal weight, and to suit its purposeful intent, even air conditioning has been removed, but can specified as a no cost option.
Below a newly designed front bumper sits a prominent carbon fibre front splitter, which works the air harder, complementing new front wing end plates to increase downforce levels over the front bodywork. The turbulent air from the front wheel arches is ‘cleaned’ as it flows towards the rear bodywork by sculpted carbon fibre side sills which run the full length of the lower bodywork. A subtle air intake is incorporated ahead of the leading edge of the rear wheel arch, below a more pronounced side intake behind the door, both of which feed clean cool air into the side-mounted radiators.
The aero balance is optimised by the active ‘Longtail’ Airbrake which, as with the McLaren F1 GTR ‘Longtail’, is larger – 50 percent larger than on other Super Series models. The reprofiled design flows into the lines of the new carbon fibre rear wings. Two circular exhaust pipes, forged from titanium, exit centrally through exposed bodywork below the rear wing. Despite a more complex design, the bespoke crossover system is designed to optimise performance and reduce weight, saving 1.1kg. The rear deck and sections flanking the exhaust pipes remain exposed; designed to evacuate hot air from the engine bay as efficiently as possible, while a lightweight polycarbonate rear screen features further louvres. A louvred carbon fibre rear bumper reduces air pressure over the rear wheels, while the rear design is completed with a dramatic integrated carbon fibre diffuser.
FIVE UNIQUE ‘BY McLAREN’ 675LT THEMES
The 675LT is offered in five ‘By McLaren’ hero specifications, which includes four bespoke colours never previously offered: Silica White, Delta Red, Napier Green and Chicane Grey are all newly formulated paint hues for the 675LT. The famous heritage McLaren Orange completes the themes unique to the model. Each of the five ‘By McLaren’ specifications is complemented within the stripped out interior with carefully selected materials and colours.
The purposeful driver-focused cabin of the 675LT gives even further indication of track potential. A pair of ultra lightweight carbon fibre-shelled bucket seats, upholstered in Alcantara® as standard and modelled on those in the McLaren P1™, provide comfort and support with no compromise on overall weight. A subtle 675LT logo features on the headrest of each seat, and is also present on the rev counter. In a change to the other models in the Super Series, the air conditioning controls are now incorporated within the intuitive touchscreen infotainment system.
The McLaren 675LT will make its global debut at the 85th Geneva Motor Show at 12.15 CET (11.15 GMT) on Tuesday 3 March 2015.
McLAREN 675LT TECHNICAL STATISTICS
PERFORMANCE
0-100 km/h (0-62 mph): 2.9 seconds
0-200 km/h (0-124 mph): 7.9 seconds
Top speed: 330 km/h (205 mph)
Power-to-weight: 549PS per tonne
ENGINE & POWERTRAIN
Engine Configuration: V8 Twin Turbo / 3799cc
Power: 675PS (666 bhp) @ 7,100 rpm
Torque: 700Nm (516 lb ft) @ 5,500-6,500 rpm
Transmission: 7 Speed SSG
CO2: 275g/km
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT
Dry weight: 1,230kg
Weight distribution: 42.5 / 57.5
Length: 4,546 mm
Width: 2,095 mm
Height: 1,188 mm