MCLAREN 675 LT: THE BEST FROM MCLAREN?

Hey, remember the last time when I discussed the McLaren 600 Lt and said that’s it a better driver’s car than the 675 Lt I got some nice suggestions and responses to that post. Many said to write my viewpoints on the McLaren 675 Lt too to explain my point in the previous post and thus this time in the spotlight is the McLaren 675 Lt, simply put it is to McLaren, what the Speciale is to Ferrari, the faster one (around the Track). Now starting with the obvious thing, you might not know what Lt in the name stands for. According to McLaren, Lt Stands for “Longtail” which is evident considering that it is significantly longer than the car it has been derived from the 650s which was also one of the best Supercars at its time in the McLaren Line-up. But the 675 Lt isn’t just a modified version of the 650s, it’s much more than that and that is what we are going to focus on in today’s post.

Design:-

The 675 Lt is longer than the 650s, 35 Mm to be precise, but how does this make any difference, you may ask. To start with the design elements, the 675 Lt Sits lower than the 650s. Apart from looking meaner and aggressive, the design changes in the 675 Lt are functional. The aerodynamic upgrades like the larger intakes, more aggressive splitter, diffuser, and rear wing combined to generate 40 Percent more downforce than the standard 650s, lots of weight has been shaved off the car and it can be be seen in the design. Even though the 675 Lt is a thoroughbred track Supercar that has been made to do insane stuff and break lap records all day long, it certainly won’t be very behind in a beauty contest with cars like the 458 Speciale, Porsche 911 GT3. It still retains its beauty from the 650s, McLaren proved that just because it’s a track-focused supercar doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful. The lines of the car start flowing right from the front splitter, through the front headlights, going through the doors and ending at that rear wing. The wide tires in the back stick out more prominently than the 650s and the areas like the side skirts also have some more carbon fiber elements involved in it. Also, if you have the money you can get an MSO (McLaren Special Operations) certified roof scoop. If you don’t know the use of rood scoop it is a special feature that’s used to throw in some fresh air inside the car, the reason being that cars like these are often driven relentlessly on the track and due to their tightly packed structure, the air in the cabin can get pretty tight and thus to prevent claustrophobia a roof scoop can be added to the car and in my opinion, it looks pretty cool too, doesn’t it?

Engine and performance:-

The 3.8-liter Twin-turbocharged V8 engine from the 650 s has made its way into the 675 Lt and now it’s more powerful and aggressive. Total power output now sits at 675Ps or 666 Horsepower at 7,100 Rpm, torque is also monstrous at 700 Nm and that is the reason why the 675 Lt accelerates from 0 to 62 Mph in just 2.9 seconds, but what’s more impressive is that the 0 to 200 Kmph time is just 8.1 seconds. Top speed isn’t an area of focus when designing cars like the 675 Lt, but even though with that huge wing generating an immense amount of downforce, the 675 Lt can go to a top speed of 203 Mph and that’s good for a track-focused supercar. One of the ways that the 675 Lt can accelerate so fast is that because of the engine being turbocharged it starts building torque lower down in the Rpm and you have maximum torque available at just around 5,200 Rpm. McLaren has tuned the 675 Lt in such a way that the powertrain in the car is very aggressive. All of these changes combined with the aerodynamics, more power, and stiffer ride makes the 675 Lt a literal monster in every sense. It might seem like I am just making words or exaggerating these cars but trust me this is a car that’s more mental than any other road-going supercar, it’s even faster than some of the race cars you might see on the track. With Pirelli P zero Trofeo tires at its foot, the 675 Lt can approach the corners t high speed and leave them at ferocious velocities as well. You can change the modes in the cars from the road to sport and track but 2 more modes have been provided by McLaren, the Dynamic ESC mode that allows you to change your slip angle while cornering, Oversteer isn’t always bad, if done right it can be fun and also be used to chase down quick lap times, the slip angle change system provides you that and then there is the off button which allows you to turn everything off, I would suggest that mode only if you are capable enough as a driver and you are on a race track, if you are on an open public road, you shouldn’t be in this mode. Braking is spot on, they are probably the only thing that can put a leash to this thing. In a nutshell, I would like to call the 675 Lt a baby P1.

Interior:-

Now let’s talk about the part about which most of the people might not be interested in, the interior. I know that the driver spends most of its time in the interior, but McLaren has not made the 675 Lt to be the most feature-loaded and comfortable supercar of all time, they have put their whole attention on to the driving feel, that’s all that they wanted and they have been pretty successful at it. The interior being minimalistic is good enough for the driver and the co-passenger to be comfortable for a ride around the town. The infotainment system is pretty good and the best part would be how well the digital instrument cluster in the car has been laid out. There is a whole lot of presence of Alcantara all around the car and if you spec it right, the 675 Lt can turn out be a very special car indeed, unfortunately, all the 675 Lt’s have been sold out and the only way to buy them is through 2nd hand purchases. There isn’t much too talk about the interior so let’s wrap it up.

Conclusion:-

The 675 Lt is surely a wonderful car, I am confident enough to say that the 675 Lt has joined the pantheon of road-going track cars which includes the Porsche 911 GT3, the Lamborghini Huracan Performante, and the 458 Speciale. I won’t call it legendary as it isn’t a car that is earth-shattering or had a huge impact on the supercar world. The 600 Lt is still a better driver’s car in my opinion but if you want to go all-in there is no better car than the 675 Lt and since McLaren has also launched the 765 Lt now we will check out in the future what this Longtail is packing.

That’s it for this time, thank you

Ciao

Photo by SAUD AL - OLAYAN