Sharpening up its baby car, McLaren made some intricate changes geared towards giving the 600LT the character of a devil. As everything with McLaren, everything the engineers did to turn the 570S into the 600LT is quantifiable and extremely precise. It has made the ultimate Sport Series car by gifting the 570S with 23 percent new parts and dedicating 12 months to its production at their assembly lines in Woking. The new McLaren 600LT Coupe will be in production for a year starting in October. It is an extremely limited car as is the case with every “Long Tail” from McLaren. Order books are opened now.

The next time we see the 600LT will be at its dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed next month. McLaren should disclose more about its performance and dynamic virtues on the occasion. For the time being, we do know the 600LT is a devil. Making sure its buyers can handle extreme tendencies, McLaren included a Pure McLaren Road Owner Track Day at a race circuit with a racing driver. The driver will teach you how to tame the 600LT, not die in it.

These are eight incredible changes McLaren made to turn the 570S into the 600LT

Carbon-Fiber Wing

The Long Tail designation came from the Nineties and the first longtail McLaren - the racing 1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail which competed in the FIA GT Championship. One of its most important virtues was its length and rather strange rear spoiler which increased downforce without many air drag penalties. Fast forward to today, and we have a new Long Tail - the 600LT. Based on top of the 570S, the 600LT also received a unique rear wing. This one is a fixed unit which provides exceptional downforce at speed. However, as it sits just behind the new remodeled top exhausts, the wing had to be fire resistant. The central matte part is coated in heat-resistant material. After all, that double exhaust will spit a lot of flames when pushed hard. No spoiler except this one can handle that.

Aerodynamic Elements

Interestingly enough, the McLaren 600LT grew in size by just under 3 inches. And not only because of that large spoiler. Actually, the spoiler makes for a small part of its total growth. McLaren designed an extended front splitter, a prominent rear diffuser, and a rear wing giving the 600LT more inches in length and, more importantly, better aerodynamic features compared to the rest of Sports Series Cars. Moving fast will throw enough air over the surfaces to provide far more downforce compared to the 570S. No exact numbers were given, but McLaren made some serious sacrifices to create this aero feature. For one, the exhaust is fundamentally redesigned to give the designers enough freedom for the creation of such an impressive rear diffuser. Also, looking at the front fender, you can see the side sills which are designed to lower the pressure within the wheel wells and additionally lower drag.

McLaren 720S Brakes

I can think of several nerd facts about McLaren cars, but one of them really stuck in my mind. Sometime in 2017, I read that the McLaren 720S can brake from 124 mph to 0 in 4.6 seconds over a distance of 127 yards. Just to put that into perspective I’ll point out this result is as good as that of the McLaren P1. Now, the new 600LT received exactly the same brakes. However, the 600LT is 80 lbs lighter than the 720S. Ladies and gents, we might be glazing over a McLaren that can brake better than any other, save for the Senna... probably. The brakes are massive carbon-ceramic units with 6-Piston aluminum calipers. Apparently, the calipers should be lighter but stiffer than any other in the business. Kudos to you McLaren.

211 pounds Less Weight

The McLaren 570S is not a heavy car. At all. Yet, McLaren was focused on bringing the weight down for the 600LT. And, not just by a few pounds, but by a total of 211.6 pounds. The weight-saving measures introduced to the 570S to transform it into the 600LT are rather extreme. Apart from those light 720S brakes, the 600LT also received forged aluminum, double-wishbone suspension components. These are lighter units compared to stock stuff on the 570S. Some serious weight has been saved just by cutting the exhaust, but the most important dietary plan included the installation of the carbon fiber bodywork. And then, just for the sake of saving a few extra pounds, the buyers can opt for a carbon fiber roof, vented carbon fiber fenders, and carbon fiber bucket seats from the Senna.

With all these installed, the weight of the McLaren 600LT drops to incredible 2,749.2 lbs. That’s something like the Ford Fiesta diesel. Only with freaking 600 horsepower.

An Extra 30 Horsepower and 15 Pound-Feet of Torque

An all-aluminum, twin-turbocharged, 3.8-liter, V-8 is the backbone of many McLaren cars. Produced and developed in conjunction with Ricardo, this V-8 has been offered in many states of tune - from 500 horsepower in the MP4-12C GT3 racing car to insane 737 horsepower in the McLaren P1. So, adding 30 horsepower and 15 pound-feet of torque on the top 570S tune isn’t that hard of a job. McLaren added 30 horsepower by uprating the cooling system and installing a shorter exhaust for reduced back pressure. This way, the power output has been increased to 592 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque. With the considerable weight loss, the McLaren 600LT has the power-to-weight ratio of 471 horsepower per tonne. The Ferrari Enzo has a power ratio of 434 horsepower per tonne. Think about it a bit.

Engine

twin-turbo, 3.8-liter, V-8

Horsepower

592 HP

Torque

457 LB-FT

0 to 60 mph

3.1 seconds (est.)

Weight

2,749.2 lbs


Miniaturized Exhaust

Without a doubt, the upward facing exhaust system is one of the highlights of the new McLaren 600LT. This system was developed for a few reasons. Firstly, McLaren had to make room for that massive diffuser in the back. Secondly, it had to find every possible way to save weight. I think you’d agree that shortening the exhaust qualifies as saving weight. And thirdly, McLaren had to integrate something unique and special for its new Long Tail. Ok, the Porsche 918 Spyder offered something like this a few years ago, but this is an awesome design nevertheless. One more thing - the exhaust on the McLaren 600LT is shorter than the one on the Senna. Just a pub-worthy fact.

Optional Ultra-Lightweight Barely-Padded Seats

Dwelling into the MSO (McLaren Special Operations) offerings, one can find really cool and definitely really uncomfortable Senna ultra-lightweight seats. While the standard seats in the 600LT are the same as in the McLaren P1, the seats in the Senna are even lighter, they come with less padded material and provide true race car characteristics. This means you will feel even more connected with the car, thus being a bit more engaged in hitting the apex at the right angle and understanding the car even better.

In numbers, the seats (without the padding) weigh only 7.3 lbs each. Plus, they are designed to offer the best possible cooling for the back, something racing drivers can really appreciate considering all the sweating and hard work they do. How cool is that? MSO could tell you how cool. In dollar numbers too.

Special Tires

McLaren partnered with Pirelli to develop bespoke rubber for the new 600LT. The Italians came up with special track-focused Pirelli Trofeo R tires. These are installed on forged lightweight wheels (19 inches up front and 20 inches in the back.)

Designed for tracks and exceptional dynamism, the tires measure 235/35 at the front and 285/35 at the back. Obviously, this rubber is worthy of a supercar. And they had to be exceptional as McLaren improved the steering (now it’s quicker), sharpened the throttle and brake pedal response, plus installed firmer engine mounts. These features, along with everything else on the car, ultimately rely on the tires. So yes, these Trofeo R units had to be as amazing as the car itself. If they weren’t, much of the work McLaren did would be in vain.

McLaren-Only Owners Track Day Included in the Price of the McLaren 600LT - 185,000 British pounds in the U.K.

I already told you that McLaren needs to show you how to drive your new 600LT because it is that mad. Although the pricing for the U.S. bound cars has not been disclosed yet, the U.K. McLaren 600LT price of 185,000 British pounds ($243,260 at the time of writing) does include a visit to the Pure McLaren Road Owner Track Day. There, with the help of a team of professional McLaren racing drivers, you’ll get to hone your driving skills and “maximize your performance around some of the world’s finest race circuits.”

The Video

0:50s - 0:53s watch now.

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. When you see it... I told you it’s the devil.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2019 McLaren 600LT.

Read our full review on the 2016 McLaren 570S Coupe.

Read our full review on the 2016 McLaren 675LT.

Read our full review on the 2018 McLaren 720S.

Read more McLaren news.