Photo: McLaren
Longtail is a name with tradition in the house of McLaren. It all started with the GT Championship-prepped 1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail, then the British marque revived the iconic moniker at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, with the advent of the 675LT.
Following the great reception from the go-faster take on the 650S, McLaren plans to treat the 720S to the Longtail treatment as well. “Are they mad?”
That’s exactly what I thought to myself after the information was confirmed by head honcho Mike Flewitt. But then it hit me like a hurricane: there’s definitely a niche market for a low-volume 7xxLT, and in the ongoing horsepower wars, the 720 PS of the 720S won’t cut it. It’s preposterous how the supercar realm is evolving, but that’s how the cookie crumbles.
Beyond the obvious bump in oomph over the 720S, it’s also worth noting that LT vehicles have always been about handling. A case in point comes from McLaren, which describes the 675LT as “the purest distillation of what McLaren stands for - pure driving pleasure.” Speaking to Car & Driver, Flewitt also said, “We’ll definitely repeat that [the LT treatment] in models going forward.” C&D asked if that means the Sports Series is also considered for it, and Flewitt let it slip that it’s a candidate. “There’s huge potential to do that."
“I think that a lighter, faster Sports Series has great appeal, although whether it would be an LT or not is another question," explained Flewitt. "But yes, I’m sure there would be an appetite for it.” LT or not, there’s definitely more performance to be squeezed out of the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8-engined 570S.
The fundamental member of the entry-level Sports Series helped the company build its 10,000th production car at the halfway point of December 2016, counting from the first MP4-12C to roll off the assembly line in 2011. The bottom line, the automaker will continue to pursue performance, first and foremost because high-performing cars are crucial to the brand’s affluence.
The Formula 1 team, meanwhile, is still struggling to cut the mustard.
That’s exactly what I thought to myself after the information was confirmed by head honcho Mike Flewitt. But then it hit me like a hurricane: there’s definitely a niche market for a low-volume 7xxLT, and in the ongoing horsepower wars, the 720 PS of the 720S won’t cut it. It’s preposterous how the supercar realm is evolving, but that’s how the cookie crumbles.
Beyond the obvious bump in oomph over the 720S, it’s also worth noting that LT vehicles have always been about handling. A case in point comes from McLaren, which describes the 675LT as “the purest distillation of what McLaren stands for - pure driving pleasure.” Speaking to Car & Driver, Flewitt also said, “We’ll definitely repeat that [the LT treatment] in models going forward.” C&D asked if that means the Sports Series is also considered for it, and Flewitt let it slip that it’s a candidate. “There’s huge potential to do that."
“I think that a lighter, faster Sports Series has great appeal, although whether it would be an LT or not is another question," explained Flewitt. "But yes, I’m sure there would be an appetite for it.” LT or not, there’s definitely more performance to be squeezed out of the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8-engined 570S.
The fundamental member of the entry-level Sports Series helped the company build its 10,000th production car at the halfway point of December 2016, counting from the first MP4-12C to roll off the assembly line in 2011. The bottom line, the automaker will continue to pursue performance, first and foremost because high-performing cars are crucial to the brand’s affluence.
The Formula 1 team, meanwhile, is still struggling to cut the mustard.
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