The new sports car will be called the Gran Turismo, and like GT’s from other automakers, McLaren’s version will focus on offering high performance in a more usable package. To accomplish the task, McLaren will start with the 570S’s carbon fiber chassis, twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8, and sophisticated suspension, but will mute the aggressive styling of the 570S and redesign the roofline to improve visibility.
The Gran Turismo will adopt a “fastback”-style roofline and a softened suspension to help it stand out from the rest of McLaren’s Sport Series models. Inside, the cabin will be adapted to make long drives more enjoyable. While that’s vague, it stands to reason that the seats will focus on comfort more than corner-hugging bolsters and the interior will otherwise will be more welcoming than recent McLaren offerings.
While McLaren also designed the 540C to be more usable, at a lower price point, the Gran Turismo will come with a premium over the 570S’s $185,000. The unique styling, suspension setup, and the equally powerful 562 horsepower engine of the Gran Turismo will serve as justification for a larger sticker price.
With the vast majority of the Gran Turismo’s development already accomplished via the 570S, we can expect to see a production version of the Gran Turismo debut at an auto show sometime next year while sales will follow, “when McLaren thinks the timing is right.”
It’s unclear whether McLaren plans to expand its model range beyond pure sports cars, it’s worth noting that just four years ago, the automaker had just a single model, and now its range has grown to seven, including all versions of the 650S, P1, and 570S.
