McLaren hasn’t officially revealed this car exists. Search ‘McLaren Senna LM’ and the company’s website returns zero results.
But after months of rumours and images posted on social media, Giltrap Group in New Zealand has given us our first detailed look at this Le Mans-inspired supercar. It’s unclear exactly how many of this limited edition the British brand will make, but we do know that this one featured is the only example headed to Australasia.
This new model is a tribute to the McLaren F1 LM, one of the rarest cars the company has built. Only five were created to celebrate the company’s triumph in the 1995 Le Mans 24-hours, making it one of the most desirable; one sold at auction in 2019 for £16.3m ($29m). While McLaren isn’t back in the famous French endurance race it seems it wanted to celebrate that success with its current supercar, the Senna.
As if the Senna, the company’s most track-focused car, wasn’t special enough this Senna LM has been given a significant makeover by McLaren Special Operations (MSO), the company’s in-house customisation department.
While there’s very little in the way of information from head office, the video from McLaren Auckland does tease some of the special touches that make the Senna LM unique.
There’s more power from the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, but no specific power figures are revealed, only that it’s “more than 800hp” thanks to some tweaks from MSO. What we do know is the exhaust system has been redesigned for the LM as it now features four tips exiting at the rear of the car; instead of the usual three. The exhaust is also gold-plated which is a nod to the same treatment in the race-spec F1 LM.
The suspension arms are also gold plated and they sit behind grey wheels are a tribute to the original’s five-spoke Speedline rims. The set-up is complete with matching brake calipers and different coloured centre caps – blue on the driver’s side and red on the passenger’s side.
Another unique element for the Senna LM are the new louvered front and rear wheel arches that give it a different appearance. The Senna LM is also differentiated from the ‘regular’ Senna by the body-coloured headlight surrounds and the doors no longer have the lower window, instead replaced by a body-coloured piece of carbon fibre.
While customers can opt for any colour they like, thanks to MSO’s almost limitless options, this NZ-based version is finished in the brand’s trademark Papaya Orange; the same colour as the F1 LM.
The car is currently on display at the McLaren Auckland showroom.
Check out the full video below:
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