McLaren has shown off the final version of its Senna GTR car, which it describes as its “most extreme” track car yet, just a year after it was first revealed as a concept car at the Geneva Motor Show.
The track-only car has been changed in several areas and according to McLaren and is able to lap circuits faster than any McLaren car outside Formula 1.
Compared to the road-legal McLaren Senna, the GTR version is more powerful, weighs less, possesses 1,000kg plus of aerodynamic downforce and has suspension derived from McLaren’s GT3 race program.
Mike Flewitt, CEO of McLaren Automotive, “The McLaren Senna was designed from the outset to be an extreme track car, but the 2018 GTR concept suggested how much more further we could go and now, free from the constraints of road car legislation and motorsport competition rules, we have pushed the limits of what is technically possible to advance circuit driving capability to another level entirely.”
The McLaren Senna GTR, joins the McLaren Senna and McLaren Speedtail in the company’s Ultimate Series.
Its 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged McLaren V8 produces 813bhp, 25bhp more than the standard Senna, while its dry weight of 1,188kg gives the car a power-to-weight ratio of 694PS-per tonne.
The GTR version’s weight is 10kg less than the road-legal Senna. The reduction has been achieved through modifications to the Monocage III-R chassis it shares with the other cars, principally the addition of more carbon fiber components and the reduction of road-car parts.
The extra 25PS has been achieved by engine control recalibration and removing the secondary catalyst to reduce back pressure.
The McLaren Senna GTR generates downforce of 1,000kg, a significant increase over the 800kg developed by the road-legal McLaren Senna at 250km/h (155mph). A different downforce curve means the Senna GTR can call on an equivalent amount of downforce to the McLaren Senna at a 15% lower vehicle speed, while still benefitting from reduced drag.
The aero package of the McLaren Senna GTR delivers positive effects in high-speed corners but also in low-speed curves and under braking, making the car even less pitch- sensitive and enhancing stability in all situations.
The front splitter has been reprofiled and the rear diffuser reduced in size compared to the components on the 2018 GTR Concept, to optimize performance and meet the required track performance standards.
Other changes in comparison to the concept include new dive planes on the front corners and vortex generators either side of the car to ensure a stable airflow underneath.
The McLaren Senna’s variable ride control suspension has been replaced with aluminum double wishbones, springs, uprights and anti-roll bars developed from the suspension of the GT3 cars used for McLaren’s customer racing program.
The Senna GTR also gets 19in rims like the road-legal Senna, but of a centre-lock design. The forged alloy wheels are also wider than current GT3 regulations allow, being 10J at the front and 13J at the rear. The 19-inch tyres are Pirelli slicks, sized 285/650 front and 325/705 rear.
McLaren is making 75 of the cars and all have been sold.
