McLaren GT

McLaren GT at a glance

The GT sits between the Sports Series cars such as the 570GT and the Super Series McLaren 720S, with which it shares its engine family. All models are listed in the McLaren catalogue.

Development and launch

McLaren first announced the GT at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and released the full details on 15 May 2019. Orders opened the same month, and deliveries started in the autumn of 2019. The design was led by Rob Melville. According to L'argus, the price in France in 2019 was €199,500 before options.

The GT took over the role of the 570GT, the touring member of the Sports Series. McLaren wanted a car that kept the mid-engine layout and the carbon fibre structure of its supercars, but which could carry two people and their luggage across a continent in comfort.

Design and luggage space

The GT is 4,683 mm long - a long car for a mid-engined two-seater. L'argus notes that the front recalls the Speedtail, the profile is close to the 720S and the rear air intakes resemble those of the Senna. The doors open upwards in McLaren's butterfly style.

The rear is the most unusual part of the design. Instead of an engine cover, the GT has a carbon fibre rear deck with a large glazed tailgate. Under it, above the engine, there is a luggage area of 420 litres - enough, according to McLaren, for a full set of golf clubs or two pairs of skis. With the 150-litre compartment at the front, the total capacity is 570 litres, about 200 litres more than in the 570GT.

Engine and performance

The engine is the M840TE, a version of the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 of the 720S with smaller turbochargers. It produces 456 kW (620 PS) at 7,000 rpm and 630 Nm. Power goes to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

L'argus quotes 0–100 km/h in 3.2 seconds for the GT. Although slower to 200 km/h than the lighter 600LT, the GT is still a very fast car; its strength is the way it delivers this performance over long distances.

Chassis and comfort

The structure is the MonoCell II-T carbon fibre monocoque, shared with the 720S according to Wikipedia. The suspension uses double wishbones at the front and the rear and an adaptive damping system that McLaren calls Proactive Damping Control, developed from the Proactive Chassis Control II of its other cars. McLaren claimed that it made the GT the most comfortable McLaren built up to that time.

The cabin is trimmed in Nappa leather as standard, with a softer hide from Bridge of Weir Leather in Scotland as an option. The seats have more padding than in the Sports Series cars and are electrically adjustable and heated on the Pioneer and Luxe trim levels. A 7-inch central touchscreen controls the infotainment, and the 12.3-inch driver display changes its layout with the Comfort, Sport and Track modes. Sound insulation was improved compared with the Sports Series.

On the road

Goodwood Road & Racing, which tested the GT in 2019, described it as the most dynamically capable grand tourer on the market, with strong lateral grip and stability in corners, and well suited to covering long distances with little effort. The acceleration is fierce, but the V8 does not boom inside the cabin at a steady cruise. The reviewer also found weaknesses: in Comfort mode the adaptive dampers handled broken road surfaces badly, the standard steel brakes lacked immediate bite (carbon-ceramic brakes were optional), and the car offered few small comforts - two slim cupholders and one USB socket. The ground clearance, roughly that of a Mercedes C-Class, surprised the tester; a vehicle lift was available as part of an optional practicality pack.

In everyday use the front compartment takes two weekend bags, and the rear tray under the powered glass tailgate holds a set of golf clubs and a weekend bag. There is also a small shelf behind the seats.

McLaren GTS (2024)

McLaren announced the updated GTS in December 2023, and it reached dealers in the middle of 2024. The engine was raised to 467 kW (635 PS) at 7,500 rpm, with the same 630 Nm now available from 5,500 to 6,500 rpm. McLaren quotes 0–200 km/h in 8.9 seconds and the same top speed of 326 km/h as before. The basic concept - mid-engine, carbon tub, large rear luggage area - stayed the same.

Legacy

The GT showed a different side of McLaren. Instead of chasing lap times, it focused on comfort, space and long-distance speed, and it gave the brand a car for buyers who would otherwise choose a front-engined grand tourer. Its continuation as the GTS means that this idea is still part of McLaren's range. The company's history is told in our McLaren history.

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