McLaren made waves recently when it unveiled the 2020 McLaren GT, which aimed to breathe new focus and direction into McLaren’s ambitions of being a proper GT car. However, while the GT is a very compelling offering in its own right, it’s also an open canvas that is welcome to new ideas and custom interpretations. McLaren’s in house tuning firm MSO has taken a crack at the GT, and has formally revealed its version of the two door grand tourer ahead of its formal debut at Monterey Car Week on August 28th.
Known as the McLaren GT by MSO, the car retains much of the formula that we first saw on the standard issue GT, but MSO designers and engineers have made some notable changes to try and give this particular GT its own sense of identity. MSO started off by slathering the car in a stylish hue called MSO Defined Flux Silver. This particular shade of silver is infused with a subtle tint of gold, and this slight infusion of the shiny stuff helps give the silver a very eye catching allure that will certainly draw a few stares from casual observers. MSO balances things out by adding contrasting elements of MSO Bespoke Satin Graphite accents that adorn the door skirts, front splitter, side mirrors, rear bumper, diffuser, and the brake calipers. The body work also comes equipped with the MSO Bright Pack that brings chrome accents for the windows, titanium exhaust surrounds, and the chrome wheels that features contrasting black accents in the spokes.
The GT is already very comfortable to start with, but even here in the bespoke cabin, MSO designers managed to squeeze in more refinement and technology. For example, the interior features Flux White Leather that is seamlessly mixed with contrasting Satin Graphite Leather accents. The stitching and design on the seatbacks, sun visor, door panels, and armrests takes inspiration from the roof of the Great Court at the British Museum. While we are still scratching our heads on that, there’s no denying that the interior has a renewed sense of style and focus. Rounding things out are silver tinged carbon fiber accents for the shift paddles and the steering wheels clasp, as well as an MSO painted key fob that matches the Flux Silver bodywork.
Amid all of these changes, MSO chose to leave the powertrain alone, which is fine with us since the 4.0 liter twin-turbocharged V8 and the 620 horsepower it produces didn’t need fixing to begin with. The 465 lb-ft of torque on hand helps the GT leap off the line with brisk authority, and this potent torque along with a seven speed dual clutch automatic transmission helps the GT make the sprint to 62 mph in a swift 3.2 seconds. While MSO chose to leave things alone this time around, we will not be surprised if a hotter GT variant eventually makes its appearance to appease the needs of enthusiasts that like to have more muscle and performance in their GT ownership experience.
As for the current generation GT, it goes on sale here in the U.S. later this year, with prices expected to start at $210,000 before various options and fees are factored into the equation. MSO has also confirmed that it will be offering bespoke accessories for the GT, and we are curious to see if these accessories can help the GT compete with rival tuning operations from Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Bentley.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.