McLaren McL 6GT previews manual V8 supercar due in 2028

McLaren has unveiled the McL 6GT at Monterey Car Week, previewing a new limited-production supercar that will reach customers in 2028.

The McL 6GT draws heavily on the M6GT, the road-going supercar project conceived by company founder Bruce McLaren in the late 1960s but never put into series production. Unlike that car, however, McLaren has confirmed the modern interpretation will progress beyond the concept stage.

Perhaps its most significant feature is its transmission. The McL 6GT combines a V8 combustion engine with a manual gearbox driving the rear wheels, making it the first manual McLaren road car since the F1.

1

McLaren has yet to disclose the engine’s capacity, outputs or performance figures.

The company says the car is intended to provide a more mechanical driving experience than its existing supercars. Along with the manual transmission, it uses hydraulic steering and physical switchgear, with machined aluminium controls featuring prominently inside.

Its gearlever incorporates a three-dimensional version of McLaren’s historic Speedy Kiwi emblem.

The exterior also takes cues from the original M6GT and the M6A Can-Am racer on which it was based. The McL 6GT has a particularly low and wide stance, with relatively simple body surfaces extending from its low nose to a Kamm-style rear.

5

Several smaller details reference Bruce McLaren’s original car. The rear lighting incorporates a “Racing Loop” design influenced by the M6GT, while its original number plate has been reinterpreted as a graphic element. Bruce McLaren’s signature appears in the engine bay, and another Speedy Kiwi is etched into the fuel filler cap.

Inside, boxed quilting provides another link to the 1960s car, although the McL 6GT uses modern digital instrumentation.

Construction centres on McLaren’s latest carbon-fibre monocoque, supplemented by carbon-fibre exterior panels. Exposed carbon is also used throughout the cabin.

McLaren CEO Nick Collins said the project considers what Bruce McLaren might have created had the original M6GT project continued, updated with six decades of subsequent development.

The McL 6GT follows McLaren Special Operations’ recreation of an original M6GT, shown at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

McLaren has not yet announced how many production McL 6GTs will be built, how much they will cost, or when orders will open ahead of the planned 2028 launch.

1