Photo: McLaren
The 720S is as good as supercars get in this segment, but wouldn’t be even radder if McLaren were to offer a GT3-spec 720S? Oh wait, the Woking-based outfit will do exactly that, and it will look something like this!
Staying true to their motorsport roots, the McLaren boys decided that the time is right for the 720S GT3 to suceed the 650S GT3. For reference, the preceding racing car went official at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed, and the 2015 model used to retail from 330,000 pounds sterling (plus tax).
“These two concept sketches show a car that will be developed in a new dedicated facility in Woking, England,” highlights McLaren Automotive in a Facebook post, with the 720S GT3 scheduled to start on-track development in 2018. The competitive debut of the V8-powered, mid-engine brute is set for the 2019 season of the Blancpain Endurance Series.
The FIA’s Balance of Performance regulations allow McLaren to keep the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 from the road-legal 720S, though some changes are in store for this application. For starters, the transmission will come in the form of a six-speed sequential. Then there’s the track, which is wider front and rear, as you will notice from the widened quarter panels.
Major design changes are also on the menu, most obvious at the front bumper and frunk, but more so at the rear end. The latter part of the hell-bent for leather racecar is where you’ll find a ginormous rear wing, lots of Venturi tunnels in the diffuser, and a high-exiting exhaust system that exists from the area where the regular 720S flaunts the McLaren badge.
Truth be told, the GT racing scene is getting more crowded with each and every year. Bentley took the veils off the Continental GT3 at the beginning of the month, but BMW has set its sights higher still, challenging the GTE class with the M8. That means BMW is taking the M6-replacing M8 to the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. McLaren is also eyeing the WEC, but only if LMP1 regulations get more cost-effective for 2019.
“These two concept sketches show a car that will be developed in a new dedicated facility in Woking, England,” highlights McLaren Automotive in a Facebook post, with the 720S GT3 scheduled to start on-track development in 2018. The competitive debut of the V8-powered, mid-engine brute is set for the 2019 season of the Blancpain Endurance Series.
The FIA’s Balance of Performance regulations allow McLaren to keep the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 from the road-legal 720S, though some changes are in store for this application. For starters, the transmission will come in the form of a six-speed sequential. Then there’s the track, which is wider front and rear, as you will notice from the widened quarter panels.
Major design changes are also on the menu, most obvious at the front bumper and frunk, but more so at the rear end. The latter part of the hell-bent for leather racecar is where you’ll find a ginormous rear wing, lots of Venturi tunnels in the diffuser, and a high-exiting exhaust system that exists from the area where the regular 720S flaunts the McLaren badge.
Truth be told, the GT racing scene is getting more crowded with each and every year. Bentley took the veils off the Continental GT3 at the beginning of the month, but BMW has set its sights higher still, challenging the GTE class with the M8. That means BMW is taking the M6-replacing M8 to the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. McLaren is also eyeing the WEC, but only if LMP1 regulations get more cost-effective for 2019.
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