McLaren 675LT Reveals Its Form | McLaren

McLaren 675LT | McLaren 675LT

McLaren 675LT Reveals Its Form

At the Geneva Motor Show, currently underway, McLaren has unveiled its latest creation, the "675 LT." The name carries an homage, with the initials standing for "Long Tail."

Text by TAKEDA Hiromi

McLaren Automotive, now renowned not only as a standard-bearer in the world of F1 GP but also as a leading British supercar manufacturer, has revealed details of its new model, the "675 LT."

The McLaren 675LT is a high-performance model developed based on the company's hit model, the650S, engineered to be capable of serious circuit driving. It can be considered a hardcore version, akin to Ferrari's458 Italiacompared to the458 Speciale.

The "LT" in the name stands for "Long Tail." This designation carries a historical homage. It refers to the large "Active Longtail Airbrake" adopted in the evolution of the legendary supercar "McLaren F1," a milestone model for the company, which was developed based on the F1 and first saw competitive use in 1997 in the "F1-GTR" that competed in races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

According to McLaren's announcement, the downforce generated by the "Active Longtail Airbrake" is 40 percent greater than that of the 650S, which uses a conventional airbrake.

Furthermore, following the precedent set by the McLaren F1-GTR, which achieved a 100kg weight reduction from its base model, the 675LT has also achieved a weight reduction of approximately 100kg compared to the 650S. Numerous 675LT-exclusive features, such as the carbon fiber lip spoiler, additional carbon fiber air intakes, and titanium alloy twin exhaust, all contribute significantly to the weight reduction, bringing the dry weight of the vehicle down to a claimed 1,230kg.

McLaren 675LT | McLaren 675LT

McLaren 675LT Reveals Its Form (2)

Body Design Prioritizing Downforce

Over 50 percent of the components have been newly designed compared to those for the 650S. The 3.8-liter V8 twin-turbo engine, given the new codename "M838TL," features newly designed cylinder heads, exhaust manifolds, camshafts, and lightweight connecting rods.

Additionally, improvements such as reinforced fuel pumps have boosted the maximum power to 675ps/7,100rpm, a 25ps increase over the 650S. The maximum torque has also increased by 22Nm from the 650S's 678Nm, reaching 700Nm/5,500-6,500rpm. The gearbox remains the 7-speed dual-clutch sequential transmission "SSG," as in the 650S.

With this immensely powerful engine and reduced body weight, the McLaren 675LT achieves 0-100km/h acceleration in 2.9 seconds, 0.1 seconds faster than the 650S. The 0-200km/h acceleration has also improved from the 650S's 8.4 seconds to 7.9 seconds.

However, on the other hand, the body design, which prioritizes downforce particularly around the tail, has resulted in a slight drop in top speed by just 3km/h, settling at 330km/h. It is highly interesting that while the "Longtail" of the F1-GTR era was designed with an emphasis on top speed for Le Mans, the modern "Longtail" emphasizes downforce over maximum speed.

Regardless, McLaren's introduction of a new model at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, the same stage where Ferrari debuted the "488 GTB," feels like a direct embodiment of the fierce rivalry between these two automotive giants, who are now rivals in the production car segment. The battle between Ferrari and McLaren, now also involving Lamborghini, is certainly one to keep a close eye on.

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McLaren 675LT Reveals Its Form | McLaren

McLaren 675LT | McLaren 675LT