McLaren 650S

The 650S may look like a face-lifted 12C, but there’s a lot more to it: The revised styling pays tribute to the P1 hybrid, the body tub is lighter, and about 25 percent of the parts are new. The heart of the car (and the name) is the 650-PS (641-hp) 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-8. Mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, the 650S can hit 60 mph in less than 3 seconds. There’s also a Spider version. For more power, there’s the 675LT, which makes 666 hp and hits 60 mph in a claimed 2.9 seconds This is a great time to be a billionaire gearhead, no question. Manufacturers are practically tripping over each other to bring their adjective-stretching hypercars to market, complete with their four-figure power outputs and seven-digit price tags. This is a golden era for those with bottomless pockets and an urge to go very, very quickly.

But what about those who are fractionally further down the pyramid, the unlucky ones who find they can’t quite crack the 1 percent of the 1 percent? These are the guys who can’t stretch to a McLaren P1 or a Porsche 918, but who don’t want to be stuck with one of the same entry-level supercars that their lawyers and chiropractors drive. All together now: Won’t somebody think of these multimillionaires?

McLaren has, with the new 675LT. The $350,000-plus sticker is still some ways short of affordability for most of us, but it looks like an outrageous bargain next to a $1.15 million McLaren P1. Because after driving the LT both on the track and on the road we can confirm that, despite costing less than a third as much as its hybrid sibling, it’s at least 97 percent as exciting to drive flat-out.
A Rolling Example of Overcompensation

One obvious problem to start: You can’t actually buy a 675LT, at least not from McLaren. The entire global production run of 500 already has sold out, with fewer than 180 of those likely to come to the United States. And those fortunate folks will find themselves owning what we predict will be one of this season’s hottest automotive tickets.  The 675LT is a spectacular example of overcompensation, a lightened and tightened response to the criticism that was leveled at the original McLaren MP4-12C’s relative lack of excitement. The 650S addressed that to an extent, but it’s the LT that shows just how far the common mechanical package that underpins all of McLaren’s current models can be taken in the direction of sweaty-palmed thrills. Nobody will ever accuse it of being too refined or dynamically aloof—indeed, it’s probably slightly more exciting than aerial combat.

LT stands for Long Tail, a reference to the evolved version of the McLaren F1 that was built to keep it at the sharp end of 1990s sports-car racing after rivals responded to its first surprise victory at Le Mans. Despite that, the 675LT is barely any bigger than the 650S (its length grew by only 1.3 inches), although it does have a redesigned back end and that irresistibly motorsport-grade polycarbonate engine cover. This and the other exterior modifications have mostly been done to improve aerodynamics, with more-aggressive diffusers front and rear as well as new end plates on the front bumper steering air into a new side channel. We’re told the 675LT produces 40 percent more downforce than the 650S and significantly improved engine cooling. The biggest visual difference at the back is the arrival of twin, howitzer-grade tailpipes made from a titanium alloy that turns blue after hard use.

The quest to trim weight has brought out McLaren’s innate tendency toward obsessive compulsion like nothing else. The claimed total savings are an impressive 220 pounds versus the 650S coupe, and that’s come by shaving mass from what is already the lightest car in its segment. Yes, there’s more carbon fiber, but you’ve got to love a company that switches to titanium wheel bolts to save 1.4 ounces on each one, a cumulative reduction of just 1.8 pounds across the whole car. The 10-spoke, forged-aluminum wheels are also 1.8 pounds lighter—total—than the optional lightweight ones on the 650S, and the carbon-framed seats save a combined 33 pounds. Both air conditioning and an adjustable passenger seat are no-cost options; the only way you’ll get the lightest possible 675LT is by foregoing both.