Updated 3.4.15 With 50 New Photos

You really have to admire McLaren Automotive’s brand and product savvy. On either side of the 650S, we now have two tweaked variants to suit individual buyer tastes. Complementing the Asia-only 625C and its softer suspension setup is this new 675LT, a thoroughly revamped 650S with an all-new tail, advanced GT3-style aero pieces for the sills and nose, and a cabin with racing seats and details.

The biggest change is in back for this new LongTail model. You instantly see how different the design is versus the 650S, with a longer rear spoiler and unique fender vents behind the wheels.

This vague sense of P1 coolness in the design is also evident in the shape of the body-color fenders versus the cabin-fiber of the entire lower rear end. This area is highlighted by two high-mounted exhaust pipes like the P1 GTR.

Five ‘Hero’ themes are available for the 675LT from launch, with four new colors joining the iconic McLaren Orange. These colors are just thought-starters — of course any shade is available. The new 675LT-specific colors are Silica White, Delta Red, Napier Green and Chicane Grey.

We expect the 675LT to be on sale fairly soon as a 2015 model, with first deliveries likely by mid-2015 at around a $50,000 premium over the $27,000 650S.

 

2015 McLaren 675LT

 

 

McLAREN 675LT: POWER, A BEAUTIFUL THING

 

• 675LT re-establishes the McLaren ‘Longtail’ heritage, focusing on light weight, optimized aerodynamics, increased power, track-focused dynamics and driver engagement
• 0-62 mph in 2.9 seconds; 0-124 mph in 7.9 seconds
• 220 lbs weightsaving makes the 675LT the lightest in its class, and gives a power-to-weight ratio of 4 lbs per bhp (549PS per ton)
• 33 percent of parts are different from the 650S which it sits alongside in the McLaren Super Series
• Significantly enhanced M838TL engine in the 675LT features more than 50 percent new components
• Five unique ‘By McLaren’ hero specifications offered
• Global premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2015 on stand 1240, at 12.15 CET (11.15 GMT / 6:15AM EST)

 

The McLaren 675LT will make its world debut at the 85^th Geneva Motor Show, with a clear focus on performance, light weight and ultimate levels of driver engagement – all key attributes of a McLaren ‘Longtail’. Offered as a Coupe only, the 675LT will be the most track-focused, yet road legal, model in the McLaren Super Series, with a power to weight ratio that eclipses established rivals. The sprint from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) takes just 2.9 seconds, with controlled torque delivery ensuring optimized traction off the line. Acceleration continues at relentless pace with the 124 mph (200 km/h) barrier broken in 7.9 seconds, on to a top speed of 205 mph (330 km/h).

 

The first images of the car demonstrate a more aggressive look for the McLaren brand than has been seen before. Styling cues run from the extended carbon fiber front splitter, through an extended doorblade and additional cooling intake, to the circular twin titanium exhaust pipes, giving a hint to the performance available for the most powerful andlightest model in the McLaren Super Series. The active ‘Longtail’ Airbrake is 50 percent bigger than the one fitted to the 650S yet, due its carbon fiberstructure, is actually lighter. This is just one of the enhancements that add up to a dry weight of just 2,711 lbs (1,230kg).

 

More than 50 percent of parts have been changed in the 3.8-liter V8 engine to deliver increased levels of power, torque and driveability. Upgrades include new, more efficient turbos, detail design changes to the cylinder heads and exhaust manifolds, new camshaft and lightweight connecting rods, and a faster-flowing fuel pump and delivery system. These changes are so significant, that the engine unit receives a new, unique code – M838TL. The low weight, low inertia power unit produces, as the name suggests, a power output of 675PS and a power-to-weight ratio of 4 lbs per bhp (549PS per ton).

 

The 675LT is as fully track-focused as it is road legal with around a third of its parts modified to suit this purpose compared with the 650S Coupe and Spider that continue in production alongside it.  Yet, like its iconic predecessor, the McLaren F1 GTR ‘Longtail’, from which the LT name is derived, this is a car that is as exciting to look at as it is to drive. It also embodies the key attributes of the ‘Longtail’ ethos targeting light weight, optimized aerodynamics, increased power, track-focused dynamics and driver engagement.

 

THE KEY TO THE ‘LONGTAIL’ SUCCESS: LIGHT WEIGHT AND AERODYNAMIC

Despite the revised, longer bodywork, the 1997 McLaren F1 GTR ‘Longtail’ was over 220 lbs (100kg) lighter than its hugely successful predecessors. As it was nearly 20 years ago, weight reduction has been a key focus throughout the development program for the 675LT and, in a subtle nod to its bigger brother, the result is a savings of over 220 lbs (100kg) over the other models in the Super Series. This savings have been achieved through the extensive use of carbon fiber for the body panels, along with lightweight engine, chassis and body structure parts. In the pursuit of minimal weight, and to suit itspurposeful intent, even air conditioning has been removed, but can specified as a no cost option.

 

Below a newly designed front bumper sits a prominent carbon fiber front splitter, which works the air harder, complementing new front wing end plates to increase downforce levels over the front bodywork. The turbulent air from the front wheel arches is ‘cleaned’ as it flows towards the rear bodywork by sculpted carbon fiber side sills which run the full length of the lower bodywork. A subtle air intake is incorporated ahead of the leading edge of the rear wheel arch, below a more pronounced side intake behind the door, both of which feed clean cool air into the side-mounted radiators.

 

The aero balance is optimized by the active ‘Longtail’ Airbrake which, as with the McLaren F1 GTR ‘Longtail’, is larger – 50 percent larger than on other Super Series models. The reprofiled design flows into the lines of the new carbon fiber rear wings. Two circular exhaust pipes, forged from titanium, exit centrally through exposed bodywork below the rear wing. Despite a more complex design, the bespoke crossover system is designed to optimize performance and reduce weight, saving 2.4 lbs (1.1kg). The rear deck and sections flanking the exhaust pipes remain exposed; designed to evacuate hot air from the engine bay as efficiently as possible, while a lightweight polycarbonate rear screen features further louvers. A louvered carbon fiber rear bumper reduces air pressure over the rear wheels, while the rear design is completed with a dramatic integrated carbon fiber diffuser.

 

FIVE UNIQUE ‘BY McLAREN’ 675LT THEMES

The 675LT is offered in five ‘By McLaren’ hero specifications, which includes four bespoke colors never previously offered: Silica White, Delta Red, Napier Green and Chicane Grey are all newly formulated paint hues for the 675LT. The famous heritage McLaren Orange completes the themes unique to the model. Each of the five ‘By McLaren’ specifications is complemented within the stripped out interior with carefully selected materials and colors.

 

The purposeful driver-focused cabin of the 675LT gives even further indication of track potential. A pair of ultra lightweight carbon fiber-shelled bucket seats, upholstered in Alcantara® as standard and modelled on those in the McLaren P1™, provide comfort and support with no compromise on overall weight. A subtle 675LT logo features on the headrest of each seat, and is also present on the rev counter. In a change to the other models in the Super Series, the climate controls are now incorporated within the intuitive touchscreen infotainment system.

 

The McLaren 675LT will make its global debut at the 85^th Geneva Motor Show at 12.15 CET (11.15 GMT / 6:15AM EST) on Tuesday, March 3, 2015.

 

 

McLAREN 675LT TECHNICAL STATISTICS

PERFORMANCE

0-62 mph (0-100 km/h)                        2.9 seconds

0-124 mph (0-200 km/h)                      7.9 seconds

Top speed                                           205 mph (330 km/h)

Power-to-weight                                 4 lbs per bhp (549PS per ton)

 

ENGINE & POWERTRAIN

Engine Configuration                           V8 Twin Turbo / 3799cc

Power                                                 666 bhp (675PS) @ 7,100 rpm

Torque                                                 516 lb ft (700Nm) @ 5,500-6,500 rpm

Transmission                                       7 Speed SSG

CO₂                                                      275g/km

 

DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT

Dry weight                                          2,711 lbs (1,230kg)

Weight distribution                               42.5 / 57.5

Length                                                 4,546 mm

Width                                                   2,095 mm

Height                                                 1,188 mm