A lot of people may associate McLaren as a purveyor of exotic cars, but those who know their McLaren history know that the British automaker traces its roots to the race track. This particular information comes in handy when considering the genesis of the automaker’s new Track Pack option for the McLaren 570S.

Introduced in 2015, the 570S was developed specifically to open McLaren up to a range of new customers, specifically those who don’t have the finances to afford any of the brand’s more exotic lineup of supercars. Despite the description though, the 570S is still a menacing piece of machinery that boasts a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine, producing 562 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. That’s enough power to propel the sports car from 0 to 62 mph in 3.2 seconds to go with a top speed of 204 mph.

Clearly, the 570S isn’t lacking in power and performance, but it was developed to be a road car above everything else. That’s a big reason why the new Track Pack option for the 570S is an important addition to owners of the sports car who may want to get more out of their prized beauty when it hits a race track.

The Track Pack does not include any engine upgrades so let’s get that out of the way. What it does have though are subtle aerodynamic additions that not only makes the 570S lighter, but also more in-tune for the race track. It also comes with cosmetic upgrades courtesy of McLaren Special Operations so let’s not forget about those too.

Consider what the McLaren 570S is in “standard” form and think of what it can turn into when it receives the Track Pack. A slimmer, tighter, and more polished 570S? Sounds delightful, doesn't it?

Continue after the jump to read more about the McLaren 570S Track Pack.

What makes the McLaren 570S with Track Pack special

The McLaren 570S Track Pack package’s singular focus is to give the 570S sports car enhanced performance credentials. These improvements may not manifest themselves on public roads, but they are significant enough to be noticeable on the race track.

Arguably the most significant of these upgrades is one that’s unlikely to be noticed by the naked eye. That would be the rear wing of the 570S, which has been increased by 0.47 inches. It’s hard to notice physically, but that increase, incremental as it is, is responsible for boosting the car’s high cornering downforce by an additional 29 kg (around 64 pounds) at speeds reaching 150 mph. Try tackling a corner at those speeds and you’re going to notice the improved stability of the 570S as it sling-shots around it. The slightly raised rear wing is likewise complemented by visual upgrades to the 570S’s exterior, most notably a Dark Palladium roof finish from McLaren Special Operations, a new stealth-finished sports exhaust, and a new set of super lightweight alloy wheels. If the car is going to get performance upgrades, it might as well look good doing it too.

The extent of the upgrades also extends to the sports car’s interior where the Track Pack succeeds in shedding 25 kg (55 pounds) off of its weight. The new wheels play a part in that too, but so do the carbon fiber racing seats and new Alcantara-covered surfaces on the seats, dashboard, and steering wheel. There may not be anything extravagant in the way of fancy-named leather trims, but the upgrades included in the Track Pack are by no means mundane.

Lest we forget, McLaren’s Track Telemetry system also counts itself as one of the most important features of the 570S Track Pack. Given the purpose of of this package is to enhance the track capabilities of the 570S, this system plays as crucial a role as any feature of the Track Pack. That’s all due to the system’s ability to provide real-time information for the drivers, including lap times, section splits, post-drive analysis, and data-logging of all the pertinent information that’s transmitted from a specific lap of the 570S.

The package itself serves a specific purpose, but it’s not unlike what Porsche and Audi are offering with their own packages for the 911 Turbo and R8, respectively.

Porsche, for example, has its own aero kit option for the 911 Turbo and Turbo S. It’s not as extensive a package as the Track Pack, but it’s still good enough to include a front spoiler lip, a redesigned rear lid, and an automatically adjustable and retractable rear wing. I know what you’re thinking. “That’s it?” Well, yeah, but the good news is that the front spoiler lip of this aero kit is similar to the ones used by the competition-spec 911s like the GT3 Cup racers. The benefits of the aero kit are also evident in that they provide improved downforce for both the 911 Turbo and Turbo S. Just as important as the kit’s function was the price tag it came in when it was offered back in 2015. In Germany, the aero kit cost €5,355, which converts to a little over $6,000 in today’s exchange rates. No matter though because that still amounts to less than what you’re going to pay for when you avail of McLaren’s Track Pack for the 570S.

Similar upgrades were also available for the Audi R8 Competition, although Audi didn’t necessarily sell the upgrades as a stand-alone package. Instead, it presented the R8 Competition back in 2014 as a 60-piece limited edition model that carried a higher price tag than the range-topping R8 V10 Plus. Some prominent of the upgrades included in the R8 Competition were the carbon-fiber splitter and race-inspired canards found on each side of the bumper. A fixed rear spoiler and a carbon fiber diffuser were also included in the special edition car, as was a set of gloss-black wheels wrapped in high-performance tires.

In a nutshell, the 911 Turbo aero kit and the R8 Competition were still road cars that were feted with aerodynamic upgrades to give them refined driving characteristics. By contrast, the purpose of the McLaren 570S Track Pack is clear, if not directly straight-forward: it’s a package meant to give the 570S performance qualities on the race track without compromising its road-going credentials.

So if anybody wants to give their 570S legitimate track-worthy performance credentials, prepare to shell out £16,500 for the Track Pack. That converts to around $20,600 based on current exchange rates. The pack is already available for order with deliveries expected to start sometime in the early part of 2017.