Longtail. That’s what the LT in this McLaren’s nomenclature stands for. And that number, as we have come to expect from current supercar output from the world’s rarefied manufacturers, will denote the horsepower its twin-turbo, 9,000rpm redline, V8 engine puts through its rear wheels. Before you even climb into a McLaren 675LT, it has made the most startling of impressions. This, you quickly realise, is what the 650S and the MP4-12C before it should have been all along: aggressive, agile and overtly masculine. It looks hard as nails.
Why the long tail, McLaren? In deference to the three “Longtail” F1 GTRs the company approved for sale to keep it relevant to sports-car racing in 1997, the 650S has been given similar treatment – it’s lighter, faster, a bit longer (30 millimetres) and quite a lot more expensive, but the results speak for themselves.
It’s also sold out, so you could be justified in asking what the point is in reviewing a Dh1.4 million supercar that was limited to just 500 examples that you can no longer buy. Fortuitously, however, McLaren only this week announced a Spider variant of the 675LT, and if you find yourself with a spare Dh1.5m that you don’t know what to do with, there are still a small number of build slots available. That car will be exactly the same as this, but with a foldaway roof, and it will no doubt be sold out too by the time I get to drive one, so this will be as close as it gets to a relevant review.
The aggressive appearance of the 675 comes courtesy of a new, extremely low front splitter (ideal for this region’s plethora of speed humps, obviously), more body addenda in the form of low, carbon-fibre side skirts and a revised rear diffuser, and a new rear wing that’s 50 per cent larger than that of the 650S. It’s not all just for show, because this car generates a massive 40 per cent more downforce than the model it’s based on. It’s also lighter, too, to the tune of 100 kilograms – an 8 per cent reduction. Make no mistake, this is a hardcore road car.
The weight savings have been achieved in areas one might not normally consider. Naturally, the interior is pared down, but it’s not to the bone, thankfully. The wiring loom is 3kg lighter, there’s a thinner windscreen and a Plexiglas engine cover, instead of glass, and the engine itself has been on a diet, with piston connecting rods that are 11 per cent lighter than those in the 650’s unit. The combined results should make the 675LT one of the world’s truly great performance cars – after all, the 650S isn’t exactly undesirable, is it?
Climbing into the car requires some contorting, but once you’re in, everything is nice and comfortable. There are some minor changes to the cabin – there are no longer any touchpad controls incorporated within the door handles, for instance – but overall it’s familiar territory for any 650S or 12C owners, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s a fuss-free interior that’s classy, and with the occasional cubbyhole for your everyday detritus, actually more practical than many of its competitors.
Press the brake pedal, thumb the starter switch, and the starter motor churns for half a second before a brutal blare of revs sends shock waves through surrounding buildings – even at a standstill, it’s obvious that this thing has its own, distinct personality.
On the move, it’s as simple to pilot as a Ford Focus, at sedate speeds anyway. Once you start to wind it up, though, the 675 clears its throat with a minor cough, and in an instant obliterates anything that’s in front of it. And it’s that dual personality that McLaren has always done so well – any of its road cars offer refinement levels that could rival an E-Class Mercedes, but combined with a peerless ability to charge round the most technical of race circuits like the most focused supercars there ever were, thanks to the adjustability of their chassis and power trains. And the 675LT delivers its hits with a louder, more obvious punch.
Get on the gas and the engine cuts ignition during upshifts, enabling a 55 per cent faster change between its seven ratios, and there’s a very definite jolt through the car’s structure with each gear – just enough to make you feel like this is a bit of a beast. The spring rates are nearly a third stiffer than the 650S at the front end, and 60 per cent at the rear, while front-end grip has been increased by 6 per cent. All that means that the 675LT is much more eager to get sideways should circumstances permit you to indulge your more immature tendencies. This isn’t very McLaren at all – it’s absolutely insane fun in the right hands, and on the right road.
It could be argued that the 675LT’s breadth of abilities is unrivalled – I certainly wouldn’t disagree with such a statement. And if you have the means, you owe it to yourself to get that deposit down for the Spider, before someone else does.
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