The news keeps flowing from the United Kingdom. This time it is McLaren with the new 600LT, a car that marks the beginning of the next chapter in the McLaren ‘Longtail’ (LT) story and at the same time sets a new sports car benchmark as the fastest, most powerful and most track-focused – yet road legal – Sports Series McLaren has created.
Inspired by the renowned McLaren 675LT and its iconic ‘Longtail’ racing predecessor, the McLaren 600LT is built to excel on roads and race circuits alike. The new addition to the LT family has all the physical hallmarks of a true McLaren ‘Longtail’, including a silhouette elongated by 2.9in; it also has an extended front splitter, lengthened rear diffuser and fixed rear wing. In total, more than 23% of parts (by number) are different on a standard McLaren 600LT compared to a McLaren 570S Coupé.
Extreme weight-saving measures were at the heart of the McLaren 600LT program from its outset, with a reduction of 211.6lbs against the DIN weight of a 570S Coupé targeted and achieved. Built using the lightweight carbon fiber monocoque chassis for which McLaren is renowned, the 600LT further benefits from new carbon fiber bodywork that lowers vehicle weight as well as optimizing aerodynamic performance. Unique top-exit exhausts ensure that the new LT model has a distinct aesthetic appearance that identifies it as something particularly special, as well as delivering a substantial weight saving and an incredible aural experience.
The minimalist, track-focused interior has Carbon Fiber Racing Seats first seen on the McLaren P1™, and lightweight Alcantara® trim material features extensively. Super-Lightweight carbon fiber seats developed for the McLaren Senna are available in lieu of the standard seats if customers are looking for further weight savings, and McLaren Special Operations (MSO) offers a range of features that includes a carbon fiber roof and cantrails and vented carbon fiber front fenders. With every lightweight option fitted, the lightest dry weight of the new McLaren 600LT is as low as 2,749.2 lbs.
To deliver the extreme performance appropriate for an LT, the McLaren 600LT is powered by a twin-turbocharged, 3.8-liter V8 engine that benefits from an uprated cooling system and reduced back pressure in an exhaust system that is even shorter and more extreme than that of the McLaren Senna. Peak power is 592bhp, with maximum torque of 457lb ft and the power-to-weight ratio of the McLaren 600LT at lightest dry weight is an astonishing 474bhp/ton.
