675LT Coupe

Make
McLaren
Segment
Coupe

There are some cars that hit the market and using the model's history to make a few educated guesses, it's easy to predict that more powerful derivatives will come soon after, just the way it was a given that Lamborghini would debut SV version of the Aventador for example. However, McLaren is young enough that we haven't quite learned its patterns yet, but its previous midrange supercar did get a track-focused version and now, thanks to what CEO Mike Flewitt told Car and Driver, we can expect another.

Thanks to a correct guess that a track-hardened version of the 650S would be in high demand, the supercar was made lighter, more powerful, and sharper only to be badged as a 675LT. And though McLaren has just revealed the 650S' replacement, the 720S, Car and Driver couldn't resist asking Flewitt if that version would get an LT variant as well. The answer, in short, is a yes. "The 675LT was a huge success," he said. "I was delighted from a market perspective, but also internally because we love that car. We have a huge enthusiasm for it. We'll certainly repeat Long Tail, and now that the LT brand is established, if we announce an LT derivative of a car, then everyone will know what to expect."

The expectations of an LT model are that it "will be lighter, the chassis dynamics will be way sharper, and it will have more power. We'll definitely repeat that in models going forward." That's great news for lap time lovers because the 720S is already slated to be within whispering distance of the 675LT's capabilities. If cars like the Lamborghini Huracan Performante tell us anything, it's that this generation of souped-up supercars is even faster than the currently aging fleet of hypercars (sorry Porsche 918 Spyder). So where does that leave McLaren's entry-level Sports Series that houses the 540C, 570S, and 570GT? We already know these cars can stand on their own merit.

However, according to Flewitt, these cars may see performance versions of their own. "There's huge potential to do that," Flewitt told Car and Driver. "I think that a lighter, faster Sports Series has great appeal, although whether it would be an LT or not is another question. But yes, I'm sure there would be an appetite for it." Let's keep our fingers crossed with the knowledge that even Ferrari tends to stay away from modifying it's entry-level segment for track work, allowing McLaren to come in and save the day.