McLaren Automotive is going long once again
McLaren’s Longtail history started with the company’s original F1. The GTR racers saw extended bodywork front and rear and were fitted with a larger rear wing to improve top speed and cornering ability at Le Mans. The name returned in 2015 on the 675LT and has since meant longer, lighter, and more powerful versions of the company’s offerings.
The 765LT is an upgrade of the 720S, the latest in the McLaren Super Series line, the company’s mid-level tier of absurdly fast sports cars. McLaren says the focus of this one is driver engagement, track dynamics, minimized weight, and optimized aerodynamics, but most particularly the first two.
It’s fitted with special carbon fibre LT body panels that help trim a total of 80 kg from the car. More than just the extra carbon bits like the doors, fenders, hood, and rear fenders – which would normally be aluminum – McLaren has even made the license plate holder out of carbon. Many of the car’s creature comforts (like floor carpeting) are removed to trim kilos (until you option them back on) and new springs in the suspension do their part as well. The transmission’s final drive uses a nickel-chrome alloy McLaren says comes from F1 to trim weight in even the most unlikely of places.
That leaves just 1,229 kg for the engine to haul around, though that 4.0L twin-turbo setup has been upgraded too. LT-specific pistons, a three-layer head gasket from the McLaren Senna, extra fuel pump, and recalibrated engine management boost power to 755 hp and torque to 590 lb-ft. With gearing picked for acceleration, McLaren says it’s 15 percent quicker than the 720S, hitting 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds and 200 km/h in just 7.2.
Stiffer engine mounts help engage the driver, transmitting more vibrations into the cabin. Carbon discs are clamped by Senna calipers and get F1-inspired integrated cooling to keep them chilled on track. Buyers can get the rotors from the Senna too, along with LT-specific pads to increase strength and improve heat management.
A rear wing 20 percent larger than the foil on the 720S means more downforce is available even with the wing in the non-deployed position, but the higher position of it reduces drag too. There’s a cut-out so you can see behind you, and to stop the exhaust from melting it. The front splitter has new vertical blades to guide airflow that work like the 720S GT3 racer’s. Tweaks to the door blades increase cooling airflow without the need for larger radiators.
The 765LT is available in a range of colours including two that are special to the car, and eight bespoke interior colour themes are available. You can get a harness bar and racing belts as well. Finally, and maybe most importantly, McLaren offers 10 years of coverage against corrosion perforation of the body of your all-carbon track machine.
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Keyword: The McLaren 765LT is a Lighter, More Powerful Longtail