- The MCL-HY FIA Hypercar is McLaren’s new Le Mans racer for 2027.
- It is joined by the MCL-HY GTR monitor automobile reserved for McLaren’s wealthiest patrons.
- Lighter and extra highly effective, the GTR skips the hybrid setup for a V6-only powertrain.
The adage holds true: good issues do are available pairs. McLaren’s new MCL-HY endurance racer, developed to compete within the FIA WEC Hypercar class from 2027, has spawned a spinoff that rich prospects can really purchase. Whereas it nonetheless lacks a license plate for the reason that MCL-HY GTR is positioned as a track-only automobile, it’s not a carbon copy of its Le Mans-ready counterpart.
The model provided solely to “VIP McLaren shoppers” drops the hybrid element of the powertrain, because it not must adjust to LMDh laws. As a substitute, it makes use of a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V6 able to delivering round 720 horsepower. Eliminating the Motor Generator Unit (MGU) system has allowed engineers to shave off extra weight from the race automobile, which should adhere to a minimal curb weight of two,270 kilos (1,030 kilograms). Consequently, the GTR ought to simply dip under the two,204-pound (1,000-kilogram) mark.
Not solely is the GTR lighter, nevertheless it’s additionally extra highly effective, even with out electrical help. McLaren claims the MCL-HY FIA Hypercar delivers as much as 697 hp to the rear wheels from its combustion engine and hybrid MGU setup. Ferrari’s 499P Modificata additionally outpunches its WEC counterpart, although it retains the front-mounted electrical motor.
Photograph by: McLaren
Curiously, we’re informed the GTR stems from a “first-of-its-kind collaboration” between the racing and automotive divisions of McLaren. Each variations have been developed concurrently on a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis. The following step is to kick off monitor testing of the Hypercar-spec model this month, forward of its racing debut in 2027. Deliveries of the GTR buyer automobiles will start by the top of subsequent yr.
Those that can afford the GTR additionally acquire entry to a two-year, six-event monitor driving program on worldwide circuits, the place McLaren will present a pit crew {and professional} driver teaching. Pricing hasn’t been disclosed, nevertheless it’s secure to imagine it instructions a hefty premium over the W1, which begins at $2.1 million earlier than choices.
Whereas the W1 stays the king of the hill amongst McLarens with a license plate, the MCL-HY GTR is the final word efficiency machine from Woking. It’s aimed toward deep-pocketed prospects prepared to sacrifice road-legal standing to expertise a automobile’s full potential.
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Supply: McLaren
Motor1’s Take: Free of the constraints of street or race automobile laws, the GTR is actually an uncorked model, unbound by technical limitations. Even with “simply” a V6, over 700 horsepower in a automobile lighter than a Miata sounds as thrilling as it’s intimidating. Consider it as a no-rules hypercar that turns all the things as much as 11.
We’re already questioning whether or not corporations specializing in road-legal conversions, resembling Lanzante, will modify the GTR and make it eligible for a license plate.
