The McLaren 600LT Bests the 570S with More Grunt and Less Weight

TopSpeed

By Ciprian Florea

Published Jun 28, 2018

The McLaren 600LT is the most extreme Sports Series model yet

Teased for quite some time now, the hardcore version of the McLaren 570S has been unveiled ahead of the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. As predicted by TopSpeed, it's called the 600LT, a name that includes the engine's output in PS and the fact that it's a member of the "Longtail" lineage, which pays tribute to the original McLaren F1 Long Tail race car. As you might have already guessed, it's the most powerful and most track-focused member yet of the Sports Series family.

To be built in limited quantities over 12 months starting October 2018, the 600LT is heavily inspired by the 675LT. Thus it features extreme weight-saving measures, a minimalist, track-focused interior, an aggressive exterior with new aerodynamics, and a beefed-up engine.

On the outside, the 600LT boasts extra carbon-fiber body elements and a three-piece splitter with side flics up front. Race-inspired side skirts and lightweight wheels highlight the profile, while the rear end stands out thanks to a big wing, a massive diffuser, side winglets, and a rerouted exhaust that exists from the engine hood. It's by far the most aggressive Sports Series yet and a car that could easily fit among full-fledged race cars.

The minimalist interior is equally dramatic. It's fitted with the carbon-fiber race seats first seen in the P1; almost everything is wrapped in Alcantara, extra carbon-fiber bits on the center stack and console, and a sportier-looking steering wheel. Options include the Super-Lightweight carbon seats created for the McLaren Senna and more carbon features from MSO.

Under the hood of the 600LT lurks the already familiar twin-turbo, 3.8-liter, V-8 engine, but in a more powerful iteration. An updated cooling system, reduced back pressure in the short exhaust, and other upgrades increase output to 592 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque. That's a 30-horsepower and 14-pound-foot increase over the 570S. There's no word on performance figures yet, but the extra oomph and the fact that the 600LT is 211 pounds lighter than the 570S should shave at least a tenth-second off the latter's 0 to 62 mph sprint of 3.2 seconds.

Stay tuned for a full review of the 600LT.