The 2019 McLaren 720S GT3 is Ready to Succed Where the 650S GT3 Failed

TopSpeed

By Ciprian Florea

Published Aug 24, 2018

Want to go racing? It'll cost you half a million bucks!

Announced and previewed in November 2017, the McLaren 720S GT3 is ready to hit the race track for the 2019 racing season.

Tested intensely in Europe and the United States over the last few months, the 720S GT3 is almost ready for delivery to customer teams for entry into major GT3 championships in 2019. McLaren also unveiled pricing for U.S. customers, who can purchase the race car for $564,000. That's almost double the price of the road car, but it's not all that expensive for a full-blown GT3-spec racer.

Just like any GT3 car out there, the British racer is based on its road-going counterpart, the 720S. However, while two are similar, McLaren actually modified or optimized more than 90 percent of its components. The car is also much more aggressive on the outside, featuring all sorts for carbon-fiber splitters, spoilers, winglets, and vents. A massive wing atop the decklid rounds out the race-spec package.

The twin-turbo, 4.0-liter, V-8 mill was also altered, and now features an improved torque curve and revised internals. The six-speed sequential gearbox is equipped with an electric shift actuator. McLaren also added a Salisbury-type limited-slip differential, cockpit-adjustable traction control and ABS, and a new braking system. Of course, everything was built to FIA-approved GT3 standards.

A replacement for the 650S GT3, the 720S GT3 will face stiff competition in Europe, the U.S., and Asia. Notable contenders in GT3 championships like the Blancpain GT Series include the Mercedes-AMG GT3, Audi R8 LMS, Bentley Continental GT3, Ferrari 488 GT3, Lamborghini Huracan GT3, Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3, BMW M6 GT3, Aston Martin Vantage GT3, and the Porsche 911 GT3 R. It will be interesting to see if the 720S will have a better career than the 650S, which won the Bathurst 12-Hour race in Australia.

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