Reviews
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The ‘softer’ version of McLaren’s 419kW entry-level supercar has room for a picnic hamper? Who’s going to buy that?
WHAT IS IT? The second variant for the less expensive McLaren Sports Series and sister to the existing Coupe and forthcoming Spider versions. The GT has extra luggage storage area above its mid-mounted V8. It’s also been given retuned suspension to help it deliver on the Grand Touring claim implicit within its name.
The big change is the arrival of what McLaren calls the “Touring Deck”, a secondary luggage compartment at the back of the car above the mid-mounted engine, accessed through a side-hinged glass hatchback. It might sound like a relatively minor tweak – the 570S Coupe already has some squashy bag space behind its seats – but it’s effectively a whole new body style and one that requires the GT to pretty much wear a rucksack. Yet it looks as good as, if not better than, its Coupe sister.
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There’s 220 litres of space at the rear – in addition to 130 under the front bonnet – and the rear deck is also insulated to stop the 3.7-litre twin-turbocharged V8 underneath it from cooking the contents of any bags you entrust to it. McLaren demonstrated this by loading up a Fortnum and Mason hamper packed with delicacies and then ordering me to try as hard as I liked on a 130km driving route over some of the twister parts of Tenerife. The lunch emerged unscathed. The GT also gets a standard panoramic glass roof, which makes the cabin feel far lighter and more spacious than the 570S and gave the drive a suitably widescreen sensation. A tough gig, but somebody’s got to do it.
The 570GT is probably the closest thing to a GT that McLaren will produce. It’s not as effortless as most of its obvious rivals are – owners will be reminded they’ve bought a junior supercar every time they have to clamber over the sill and past the upward-hinged doors. But it adds both utility and character to the 570S without requiring you to make any significant sacrifices in return.
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Three-way battle
McLaren admits it doesn’t know how many Sports Series buyers will opt for the GT. “It’s a new part of the market for us,” says Andy Palmer, the company’s Vehicle Line Director (and no relation to Andy Palmer, Aston Martin’s CEO). “We think there is enough differentiation over the S, but it doesn’t matter if buyers opt for one or the other.” McLaren hopes to reach its target of producing 4000 cars per annum next year, with around two thirds of those being Sports Series.
SPECS Model: McLaren Sports Series 570GT Engine: 3799cc V8, turbocharged, 32-valves Max power: 419kW @ 7500rpm Max torque: 600Nm @ 5050rpm Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch Weight: 1350kg (dry “with lightweight options”). 0-100km/h: 3.4 sec (manufacturer) Fuel economy: 10.6L/100km (EUDC) Price: TBC
