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THE new McLaren GT – with a starting price of BD85,000 excluding VAT – was unveiled at a special ghabga gathering held in Bahrain with key VIPs and stakeholders in the Middle East amongst the first people in the world to have seen the marque’s first grand tourer.
Mumtalakat, the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, has a major stake in the British creator of luxury, high-performance sports cars and supercars and this was the fourth model launched under the company’s Track25 business plan.
“We are extremely proud to unveil the new McLaren GT in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” said Brett Soso, MD of Middle East, Africa & Latin America for McLaren Automotive, speaking at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay. “Our goal with the launch was to set a benchmark in the Grand Touring category and open our brand to a completely new audience.
“The result is a true McLaren, with the best in class power-to-weight ratio coupled with enhanced luggage capacity and high levels of everyday usability. The order books are now open, and I am confident that this sophisticated vehicle will appeal to both our existing and new customers in the Middle East region.”
At as little as 1,530kg (DIN), the McLaren GT is more than 130kg lighter than its heaviest competitor and with 620PS from its 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 engine, the power-to-weight ratio is a remarkable 405PS-per-tonne. Torque of 630Nm is produced between 5,500rpm and 6,500rpm and the new engine is mated to a 7-speed SSG transmission.
It boasts a launch control function optimising acceleration from a standing start, 0-100km/h (0-62mph) is achieved in 3.2 seconds (0-60mph in 3.1 seconds), 0-200km/h (0-124mph) is dispatched in 9.0 seconds. The maximum speed of the McLaren GT is 326km/h (203mph).
The bespoke MonoCell II-T carbon fibre monocoque also incorporates a carbon fibre rear upper structure, which allows the creation of a 420-litre luggage area below the front-hinged, full-length glazed tailgate.
The resulting storage capacity allows for a golf bag, as well as luggage to be carried with ease, while a further 150 litres of storage at the front means that the McLaren GT can accommodate a total of 570 litres.
Its 10-degree approach angle allows the car to cope with the most aggressive traffic calming measures and speedbumps. In combination with underbody clearance of 110mm (130mm) with vehicle lift, this ensures the vehicle is usable in all urban situations, not only it is competitive with all rivals, but in ‘lift’ mode it is the equal of mainstream sedans.
