Under GT3 regulations, the race-ready 720S isn’t on par with the road-going 720S in terms of horsepower. What the British automaker calls GT3X is a track-only machine that doesn’t follow the rulebook to a T, which is why the twin-turbo engine develops 740 horsepower in push-to-pass mode.
Factory test driver Rob Bell mentions “an extra 200 horsepower” over the GT3, which is obviously a lot for a car that isn’t hindered by the weight of airbags, ESP, and other nannies. Every force-fed engine is assembled by hand, and the biggest differences over the 720S in GT3 specification come courtesy of blueprinted cylinder heads, upgraded cooling, bigger turbos, and manifolds.
The dive planes at the front corners work together with the rear wing to create downforce, helping the GT3X carve every single corner of any given circuit better than the X-less model. Upgraded brakes front and rear, a revised roll cage, an optional passenger seat, lots of carbon fiber on the dashboard, and a motorsport steering wheel need to be mentioned as well.
Developed specifically for track days, the GT3X doesn’t have a price tag because McLaren hasn’t opened the order books. Based on the modifications brought to the GT3 racing car, it’s clear that prospective customers will have to spend more than $564k, excluding optional extras.
Back in the real world, the 720S and the limited-run 765LT can only be described as incredible performers in a straight line although both of them were designed to exhilarate in the corners. The no-nonsense Long Tail has also been confirmed to pack 765 rear-wheel horsepower, not 765 metric horsepower at the crank, as the British manufacturer wants you to believe.
The 765LT may have sold out long ago, but fret not because McLaren is much obliged to sell you the 720S for a cool $299,000 excluding freight. The only genuine competitor to the 720S would be the Ferrari F8 Tributo, which is an idea more affordable at $276,550 in the United States.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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