McLaren has introduced a track-only variant of its limited-production Senna at the Geneva Motor Show. With all 500 examples of the McLaren Senna being sold before launch, the auto maker will produce just 75 track-only Senna GTRs, each priced at circa US$1.4 million plus local taxes.
Based on the same carbon fiber Monocage III structure as the Senna, to ensure core strength and rigidity, the GTR will be similar in weight to the 1,198kg dry total of the road-legal variant. With more power and greater torque from the 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine than the 800ps and 800Nm developed in the road car – horsepower will increase to at least 825ps – the car will be faster than the standard model in a straight line.
The additional benefit of a race-style transmission, revised double-wishbone suspension and Pirelli slick tires – together with up to 1,000kg of downforce – means that the auto maker has claimed the Senna GTR will post the quickest McLaren circuit lap times outside Formula 1.
“Excelling on the track underpins the heritage of the McLaren brand and is as important and relevant today as it has ever been,” explained Mike Flewitt, McLaren Automotive CEO. “The track-only McLaren Senna GTR will have more power, more grip and more downforce than the McLaren Senna and post even faster lap times. The very limited number of customers who secure this car will be buying the closest experience you can get to a race car without actually lining up on a circuit grid.”
The front splitter of the McLaren GTR Concept is larger and contributes to improved front aerodynamic performance, as does the rear diffuser, which is both larger and extends further back. The rear deck is the lowest of any McLaren and aids both aerodynamic performance and cooling, as well as helping to optimize the performance of the active rear wing.
“The McLaren Senna was designed from the outset with the full spectrum of road and track requirements in mind, so developing a GTR version is within the scope of the original project,” explained McLaren Automotive’s design engineering director, Dan Parry-Williams. “The McLaren Senna GTR Concept unveiled in Geneva is not the finished article but it does give a clear indication of our thinking for the car, which promises to be the most extreme and exciting McLaren to drive for many years, if not ever.”
