McLaren is wasting no time in getting its customers to part with their money and help fund its racing endeavours, revealing not only its upcoming Le Mans and World Endurance Championship challenger, but also its private-buyer counterpart.
The McLaren MCL-HY will be the brand’s racer to take on the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the WEC (read more about it on Speedcafe here), bringing the squad back into outright contention again, having last won the endurance classic in 1995 with the F1 GTR.
To honour its upcoming attempt at endurance racing glory, the MCL-HY GTR has been revealed as a track-only machine, designed for the extremely well-heeled amateur racer to feel what it’s like to drive a Hypercar, though without some of its key elements.
While the MCL-HY racer features a hybrid MGU system to assist its twin-turbo V6 engine, the GTR goes without electrification, delivering approximately 537kW from its 2.9-litre engine, purely from petrol power.
According to McLaren, “this decision ensures that clients benefit from a purer driving experience on track days; one that delivers authentic Hypercar performance and feel without additional complexity, and a simpler ownership model that prioritises accessibility above all else”.
This also allows the GTR to weigh slightly less than its circa-1030kg racing counterpart, while retaining the same lightweight carbon-fibre monocoque chassis construction.
McLaren claims this is the first time that its Racing (responsible for WEC, F1 and IndyCar) and Automotive (road cars) divisions have collaborated, allowing the sporting side to develop the car’s package, while the design of its production cars has been implemented.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen a brand competing in the WEC do this, with Aston Martin, Ferrari and even Porsche (sort of) offering track variants of their Le Mans racers.
There’s no purchase price for the MCL-HY GTR as yet, though McLaren says that owners will also get the chance to “ take part in a two-year, six-event track driving programme curated across premier international circuits, which includes opportunities to drive their car on PURE McLaren track events.
“Each client will benefit from professional driver coaching, a dedicated pit crew and race engineering support, participating on a fully inclusive arrive-and-drive basis.”
The first deliveries of the McLaren MCL-HY GTR track car are due to begin towards the end of 2027.
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