McLaren 570GT debuts in Melbourne

McLaren has today revealed its new 570GT model in its Melbourne showroom, just weeks after the car's premiere in Geneva.

Running the same drivetrain as the 570S – producing 419kW (570ps) and 600Nm – the 570GT will knock over the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.4 seconds.

But the point that differentiates the 570GT from the 570S is its added practicality, as we reported around two weeks ago. Revised C pillars and a lift-back tailgate provide additional luggage space not available in the 570S. Boasting 150 litres of luggage space ahead of the front axle and 220 litres in the rear, the 570GT can accommodate more luggage than a Ford Focus, the prestige brand claims.

For fans of British grand tourers and sports cars, the new McLaren variant will recall the similarly configured Jaguar E-Type from the 1960s.

On hand for the local unveiling were McLaren marketing manager for the Asia/Pacific region, Geoff Tink, and McLaren's chief designer, Robert Melville.

After assisting Tink to lift the shroud off the new car, Melville conducted a 'walk-around' of the 570GT, highlighting changes to aid aerodynamics and packaging. Frontal styling would pass for that of the 570S at a glance, but those with a keen eye will note the different diffuser – an "airplough feature that guides the air into the low-temperature radiators" – the different 'tendon' along the car's flanks, and scalloped arms for the external mirrors. This feature alone improves cooling air flow to the rear radiators by 2.2 per cent, compensating for the higher side tendon which makes the car look faster, but was obstructing airflow.

McLaren offers the 570GT with the tailgate hinged on the same side as the steering wheel for left and right-hand drive markets respectively. The 570GT's is set up for "kerbside loading" tailgate opens up and outwards on the left in Australia.

"It's a safety-based decision," Melville explained, who subsequently offered the additional information that side-hinged was a more practical solution than a front-hinged tailgate that would foul loading and reaching the furthest corners of the load section.

The 570GT is 37kg heavier than the 570S and comes with steel brakes rather than the ceramic brakes of the 570S.

Melville says that the response to the 570GT from its debut in Geneva has been "really very strong".

"We didn't compromise the exterior just to get three sets of golf bags in…" he noted, and that is central to the positive feedback the company has received since the Swiss motor show.

Melville will be heading back to the UK, rather than accompanying the 570GT pre-production vehicle to China, on the next stop of its world tour. The new McLaren variant's stay in Melbourne will be short, with the car flying out tomorrow.

"We brought the 570GT down here this weekend to obviously coincide with the Australian Grand Prix," Tink said, ahead of presenting the new vehicle to the local motoring press.

"This is one of two units of 570GT that currently exist. The first one was obviously at the Geneva motor show, and this is the first public showing of the 570GT since the car was launched in Geneva."

According to Tink the car's arrival here reflects the importance of the Australian market to the McLaren brand – despite selling just 51 units here in 2015. Tink believes the 570GT – promoted with a 'drive-away' price of $438,000 – could be one of the key elements in the brand doubling its sales in Australia.

Another element is the opening of a new McLaren dealership on the Gold Coast, bringing to three the prestige brand's local dealer network. The Queensland dealership is due to open around the middle of the year. And according to Tink, the Melbourne dealership will shortly relocate to Zagame's strip of dealer facilities along Swan Street in Richmond.

The McLaren marketing exec tells us that McLaren buyers are heavily skewed toward males, averaging between 40 and 50 years old. While the sales base here is quite small as yet, owners are likely to be small business owners who are "self-made".

They're likely to settle on McLaren for a number of reasons, including its essentially British character, the company's motorsport heritage, and the design and presentation of the car – sitting somewhere between the clinical character of German rivals and the "flamboyance" of the Italian brands, Tink claims.