The 765LT is the ultimate expression of McLaren’s now-discontinued 720S. It’s a rare breed of midship excellence, the kind of supercar that you’ll often see locked away in a climate-controlled garage rather than on the road. This particular example, one of 765 coupes ever produced, is a happy exception to the rule. Its owner enjoys it whenever possible, in this case enjoying it in the rolling kilometer against other exotic machinery.
Pictured at the SCC500 Rolling50 1000 in Germany, the British supercar is first challenged by a Lamborghini Huracan. Solely from the on-paper specifications, the Raging Bull is certain to lose this race. The rules of the SCC500 Rolling50 1000 are pretty simple. Two vehicles launch off the starting line, get to 50 kilometers per hour (31 miles per hour), then duke it out at full throttle in a straight line over a kilometer (make that 0.6 miles).
Heavier, less powerful, and not as torquey as the Macca, the better-sounding car finished the rolling kilometer with a respectable 271.73 kilometers per hour (168.84 miles per hour) under its belt. As for the rear-drive and twin-turbocharged 765LT, it clocked 299.90 kph (186.34 mph).
The second run ended worse for the Huracan, whereas the special edition from Woking improved its trap speed to 304.64 kilometers per hour (189.29 miles per hour). The following races prove that it’s a consistent performer, always recording in the ballpark of 300 kph (186.41 mph). The Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro is arguably the most exotic rival the McLaren faced that day. On the opposite side of the spectrum, a 600-horsepower Audi RS 3 couldn’t hold a candle to the British car’s savage acceleration.
Events such as SCC500 Rolling50 1000 are often blessed with the participation of dark horses, in this case, a previous-generation BMW M3 tuned like crazy. The white-painted F80 from the penultimate race produces approximately 900 horsepower, double what it belted out in bone-stock trim from its twin-turbocharged sixer. Similar to the GT R Pro mentioned earlier, it got really close to the Macca in terms of trap speed, but simply could not stretch its legs as well as that heavy-hitting 765LT.
Given that 720S has been recently discontinued, what’s next for the Woking-based automaker’s mid-range series of supercars? A high-ranking executive understands that something is on the horizon, that something probably being a thorough update of the 720S under a different designation. It’s not known if McLaren will switch to a more conventional nameplate (think Artura) or keep the alphanumeric nomenclature for this model, but we do know that the heir apparent is sold out well into next year.
Once staunchly opposed to designing a super sport utility vehicle like Ferrari’s controversial Purosangue, the British automaker has recently opened up to this body style. McLaren Automotive is facing plenty of financial pressures. In this case, a higher-volume product like an SUV would be a godsend for the Woking outfit. A final decision hasn’t been made in this regard, at least not one that has become public knowledge.
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
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News