JVCKENWOOD and McLaren Automotive->ke284 have teamed up to bring us the wildest McLaren 675LT we’ve seen to date. The car is known as the McLaren 675LT JVCKENWOOD Concept and has debuted today at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show->ke3008 in Nevada. The 675LT,->ke5052 if you remember correctly, is the most driver-oriented McLaren ever. It has seen such a high demand that all 500 units to be built were sold out within a matter of months.

What JVCKENWOOD and McLaren have done now, is take a prototype 675LT and incorporated JVCKENWOOD’s CAROPTRONICS system with it, while greatly modifying the interior of the car. Sure, there were some minor changes to the exterior, but nothing like the inside – it is certainly something out of this world. I must say that as I look at the technology inside this concept, I think we’ll eventually move away from having glass windshields and end up staring into high definition touchscreens.

Anyway, without wasting any more time, let’s take a look at this concept and why it is interesting enough to debut at the 2016 Consumers Electronics Show.

Continue reading to learn more about the McLaren 675LT JVCKENWOOD Concept.

Exterior

On the outside, neither JVCKENWOOD or McLaren were quick to make many changes. I mean let’s be realistic here – that exterior is already pretty intense as it is. As you can see, silver racing stripes have been added to the hood and roof, as well as the sides, where those black-hole-like air intakes seem to devour them from existence. This silver helps to accent the vehicle and ties the super-lightweight alloy wheels to the rest of the car.

There are a couple of other exterior features as well, but they are all about function and not aesthetics. The doors have been equipped with blade-type rear view cameras, and another camera has been mounted in the rear, above the number plate. That rear camera, by the way, is painted in Palladium Grey. These cameras are linked to the systems available inside the vehicle, effectively making the car safer and providing more blind-spot visibility for the driver.

Interior

Here is where the concept really gets interesting. The 675LT already has a minimalist interior, but with the help of JVCKENWOOD that has been taken a step farther. First, the little things. The dashboard has been topped with Carbon Black Nappa leather, as well as the upper beltline and central floor tunnel. Calypso Orange Nappa leather has been applied to the bolsters of the seats and armrests. The restraints on the tunnel have also been given the Calypso Orange treatment, and even more orange has been added to the seat belt guides. The center of the seat and floor mats have the 675LT logo but have been covered in a Strata Ribbed Textile, which happens to be a new material used in this concept.

Now for the technology, and boy is it something else. First off, you’ll notice the 675LT’s steering wheel has been replaced by the Steering wheel from the McLaren P1 GTR – it has been modified, however, with buttons installed to control the Heads-Up Display. That HUD, by the way, has graphics reminiscent of something you would see in fighter jets and made it possible for McLaren to remove the instrument panel altogether. Since all of the information the driver needs is displayed on the HUD, McLaren and JVCKENWOOD was able to completely remove the instrument cluster and replace it with a cooling vent for the driver – notice the Calypso Orange fins inside the vent?

Look above the driver seat, and you’ll see the Digital Rear View Monitor. It also received the Carbon Black Nappa leather, with Deep Cobalt Blue stitching. This is where the functionality from those exterior cameras come into play. All three cameras work together to display a wide view of what is behind the driver – effectively giving the driver a better line of site and practically eliminating blind spots.

Drivetrain

As far as we know, there has been no drivetrain alterations made to the JVCKENWOOD concept. That means it is still powered by the 3.8-liter V-8 that puts out an evil 666 horsepower and 515 pound-feet of torque. Of course, who really needs to up the power when you can hit 60 mph and 2.9 seconds on the way to 205 mph?

Conclusion

What we have here is a concept that displays just what technology can do for us before the cars take over and start driving themselves. The fact that the Heads-Up Display can be effective enough and display enough information that we can do away with the traditional instrument cluster altogether is phenomenal. The side-view and rearview cameras will ultimately be used by autonomous cars in the future, but integrating a system like this – with the digital rear-view monitor – will make driving that much safer today, if we can integrate such a system into our everyday vehicles. Blind spots have always been and will be a problem, but if we can use cameras to do away with them altogether, driving will be that much safer. As I mentioned before, at this rate, windows will be replaced by display screens, but that won’t be so bad will it? Sometimes a second set of eyes helps solve a problem, well maybe technology like this can help us identify hazards quicker than ever before.