Pack It Up, Pack It In

McLAREN’S IDEA OF A PRACTICAL CAR MIGHT BE A BIT DIFFERENT FROM YOURS.

- Mike Duff

FORGET CRICKET AND CHEESE ROLLING. The British— the automakers at least—are seemingly engaged in a weird new competition to see who can stomp harder on the others’ toes. In May, we told you about Aston Martin’s AM-RB 003, a mid-engined supercar clearly aimed at Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren. Now meet the GT, McLaren’s return volley—a car whose luxurious mission and name plant a heel squarely on Aston Martin’s lower dactyls, even if its engine is in the wrong place. McLaren has used those letters before, but the outgoing 570GT was an evolution of the brand’s entry-level Sports Series. The new GT is a model in its own right, one that McLaren promises will offer unprecedented levels of both practicality and comfort, even if its major components sound awfully familiar.

CHASSIS

The GT’s most obvious disadvantage is its relative lack of passenger accommodations. Almost every significant rival offers at least the suggestion of a back seat, but McLaren’s GT is a true two-seater. The massively more expensive —and limitedproduction and sold-out —three-seat Speed tail remains the only car in McLaren’s lineup for those who want to travel with more than one passenger.