McLaren 765LT 2020 Review

Officially, local pricing has yet to be confirmed for the small batch of McLaren 765LTs that will touch down in Australia from the end of this month.

Unofficially, that’s not strictly true, especially since the small number of cars heading Down Under are already spoken for, with owners thought to have parted with $600,000 (plus on-road costs) – a price premium of around $110,000 over the 720S on which it’s based.

For context, the Ferrari 488 Pista carries a $645,000 (drive-away) price tag, with a similar amount bagging you Porsche’s 911 GT2 RS.

For the extra premium you pay over the standard model, McLaren claims you get a car that’s closer to its flagship Senna than the 720S upon which it’s based, the 765LT benefiting from hundreds of detail changes and engineering normally associated with multi-million-dollar hypercars.

Tracing its heritage back to the 1997 Longtail McLaren F1 that won Le Mans, the latest 765LT benefits from the experience accrued when developing the 675LT (2015) and more recent 600LT (2018).

We’ve already mentioned the headline performance, but opt for the 765LT and you’ll also get the lightest car in its track-bred supercar class.

McLaren claims it has managed to save as much as 80kg off the kerb weight. In reality, for that total weight saving you have to sacrifice both air-conditioning (10kg) and an audio system (1.5kg) and pay extra for the ultra-cool fixed carbon-fibre race seats from the Senna, which saves a hefty 18kg.

If you want to shave off yet more weight you can also ask that the bonnet and front and rear fenders be made out of carbon-fibre and specified in naked carbon, as an alternative to aluminium.

Other options? There are plenty, but a front-axle lift is also a must on a car that rides so low. Same goes for the 360-degree camera that aids parking and low-speed manoeuvrability.

For those who track, the MSO Clubsport and Clubsport Pro packs add the Senna bucket seats and high-performance brake discs, plus fade-resistance pads. There’s also a titanium rear roll bar and six-point harnesses, which are crucial in our view considering the g-forces involved.

One option worth avoiding is the roof scoop. While it might look great, unlike previous models it’s not connected to the engine’s intake. Instead, it merely jets cool air to the engine bay, making it largely pointless.

The 765LT is fitted standard with an 8.0-inch infotainment system that offers track telemetry, and also comes with McLaren’s folding digital instrument cluster.

It is backed by a three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, while servicing for the track-bred McLaren is spaced across 12-month/20,000km intervals.

For a car dominated by its numbers, those who designed, developed and engineered the McLaren 765LT weren’t too worried about how fast it can lap a track like the UK’s Silverstone International Circuit.

If McLaren set out to make the very fastest track-bred supercar money can buy, the 765LT would look and feel very different to drive.

Instead of focusing on ultimate lap times, engineers were free to dial up the engagement and driver involvement already found in the 720S.

That hasn’t stopped the McLaren 765LT looking like a wild angry track refugee in the flesh, however engineers claim it was developed primarily for road use first and that it remains tame enough for a committed owner to use it every day of the year, without going deaf or needing weekly visits to the chiropractor.

Better still, the 765LT was developed to flatter those of varying driver abilities.

Beginning with the aerodynamic changes, the 765LT updates are not subtle.

Up front the more pronounced splitter sits closer to the ground, exaggerated by a ride height that’s been lowered by 5mm. The redesigned nose, meanwhile, has been extended by 48mm.

At the rear the active wing on the 720S has been stretched by 9mm, increasing the surface area by 20 per cent. Below it, designers have trimmed away much of the standard car’s bodywork to open up the rear of the car to evacuate heat generated by the uprated powertrain.

Helping guide air across the surface of the 765LT, engineers have employed front-side blades on the splitter and revised side skirts to keep air attached to the body, directing it to the rear wing to boost downforce and aid cooling.

The fender extractors, and the larger rear diffuser, both look inspired by the car-maker’s 570GT4 and 720S GT3 racers, because they are.

Other tech, lifted from F1, includes new calliper coolers that direct air onto the front brakes, reducing temperatures by up to 50 degrees Celsius during track work.

Also adopted from motorsport is polycarbonate rear glazing that’s significantly lighter than glass and allows for the rear screen’s double-bubble curves. Thinner laminated glass is used for the front screen and side windows.

McLaren cars don’t have to be tested by Euro NCAP but its rigid carbon-fibre monocoque, plus years of experience of top-flight racing, should make the 765LT among the best in its class for safety, should the worst happen.

That said, the Super Series McLaren is the last generation of models to not come with semi-autonomous driving aids like AEB and lane keep assist.

It seems ludicrous McLaren thought the 720S needed more power and torque – until you actually drive the new McLaren 765LT, that is.

It’s only then you realise how the aero, chassis tweaks and larger and more powerful brakes make it far easier to deploy its might, at least on track, than you ever thought possible.

To get the extra 29kW and 30Nm that boost the twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 to 563kW and 800Nm, the car-maker introduced some big changes.

Engineers borrowed forged aluminium pistons and a three-layer head gasket from the Senna, designed some low-friction carbon-coated valve followers, bolted on an additional fuel pump, recalibrated the ECU and, finally, added a full titanium quad exhaust that not only weighs 40 per cent less but reduces back pressure to increase peak power.

Crucially, to ensure not a single kilowatt is wasted, McLaren shortened the gear ratios in the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission by 15 per cent on average, ensuring the 765LT offers “significantly quicker” in-gear acceleration compared to the 720S.

McLaren is most proud of the 0-200km/h time of 7.0 seconds – and the fact that the 765LT can sprint from rest to 300km/h in just 18 seconds. It’s 330km/h top speed is limited by drag.

With the bigger Senna braking hardware that also includes the hypercar’s booster, the track-focused McLaren can brake from 200km/h to standstill in a mind-blowing 108 metres – a feat it can accomplish repeatedly.

The revised transmission’s shorter ratios, meanwhile, must be mentioned for its ability to keep the 4.0-litre V8’s twin-turbos perpetually on boost on rapid down-changes. Turbo lag for a 765LT driver is an alien concept.

Forget aiming for a sub-seven-minute Nurburgring lap with the McLaren 765LT. The car-maker isn’t interested. Instead, the brief for the 765LT was upping the level of driver engagement.

The changes over the 720S are, again, considerable. The 765LT gets a quicker-ratio steering rack that’s linked to its Proactive Chassis Control II suspension, which has in turn come in for software and hardware changes that are both inspired by both the Senna and Speedtail.

The car sits 5mm lower at the front, rides the same height at the rear, the front track has been widened by 6mm, and there’s stiffer spring rates front and rear.

To cope with the extra torsional forces at work, McLaren has added more rigid engine mounts. Along with the lack of sound-deadening material and carpets, plus the noise of the titanium quad pipes, the mounts amp up the drama within the cabin considerably.

Our test was limited to the track, but engineers insist the 765LT is still refined enough to cruise on the highway and have a hands-free phone call. They also promise the track-focused McLaren remains comfortable for regular use on the road.

All we can say is the greater connection felt between car and driver sees your fingertips fizz after a flat-out drive, not an altogether unpleasant experience and reflective of the higher NVH levels that permeate the cabin.

Originally, McLaren had planned to make it even noisier, but some feared it would put off owners from using their cars on the road, so the two-valve titanium exhaust’s repertoire was dialled back.

Still, its high-pitched scream is very welcome and, yes, the 765LT continues the grand LT tradition of being able to spit flames from its pipes on overrun.

Strapped into the optional Senna’s race seats with full harness, crash helmet and HANS device, it’s hard not to feel mildly terrified by what’s about to happen.

As I squeeze the throttle open for the first time the acceleration experienced is nothing short of explosive in second, third, fourth and fifth gear.

With senses now at DEFCON 1-levels of readiness, I stab the brake pedal. Hard. The resulting force is, if anything, more shocking than the acceleration as I almost brake to a standstill for a corner.

It’s an intense and overwhelming and very physical experience driving a 765LT, but after less than a lap your senses have adjusted enough to drop your shoulders and begin to lean on the vehicle’s immense limits of adhesion.

Switching from ‘Sport’ to the dedicated ‘Track’ mode, we soon play chicken with our braking point at 270km/h along the straights.

The speed we’re racking up has little to do with my meagre driving abilities, but the 765LT inspires huge confidence, the way it telegraphs when you’re at the very limit of tyre adhesion is astounding, and the smoothness of its traction control system is commendable.

Perhaps most astonishing is we’re driving on the optional road-biased Pirelli P Zero tyre. A quick swap to the preferred Trofeo R tyres developed for the McLaren ramps up grip, traction and cornering speeds considerably.

Brake fade wasn’t an issue, but tyre temp was. McLaren won’t offer slick tyres with the 765LT, but others will.

Better still is what happens when you wind the ESP to its dynamic mode: the 765LT becomes a drift monster. Untether the vehicle further (we didn’t), and the poor Le Mans racer in the front passenger seat assures us the McLaren can be both quick and precise or utterly wayward, depending on your style.

In other words, it’s a car that flatters all skillsets and one that allows even mere mortals to scratch the surface of its abilities.

Given the phenomenal levels of performance already offered by the base 720S, it would have been easy to dismiss the McLaren 765LT as a noisier, poor-riding, less practical track day toy for those with more money than sense.

Now we’ve experienced it, it’s easy to make excuses for the $110,000 premium charged over the 720S and, compared to the $2 million charged for its Senna, the 765LT is an absolute bargain – especially since it misses out on the McLaren hypercar’s questionable looks.

As for its rivals, the 765LT’s straight-line performance alone has the measure of both the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and Porsche 911 GT2 RS, with only the Ferrari 488 Pista running it close.

From where we’re sitting, the McLaren looks likely to edge the Italian but only a true test on road and track will confirm.

And after our first drive, the 765LT is right up there with the British car-maker’s very finest.

How much does the 2020 McLaren 765LT cost?
Price: $600,000 estimated
Available: Late September
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol
Output: 563kW/800Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 12.3L/100km (NEDC)
CO2: 280g/km (NEDC)
Safety Rating: Not tested