McLaren honours F1 Longtail with special 570GT

McLaren has released pictures of a special 570GT that's been created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the famous F1 XP GT 'Longtail'.

The legendary Longtail was built to satisfy FIA homologation rules that allowed the car-maker to extend the bodywork of the original F1 for a greater aero effect at high speed.

The special-edition, based on the baby McLaren, is named the XP Green 570GT after the famous bottle-green exterior paint the famous F1 XP GT Longtail wore.

Inside, the 570GT gains a saddle tan leather interior with green inserts, while a special dedication plaque mounted centrally on the dash lets you know which one of the six cars you own.

Commissioned by McLaren Special Operation, the limited-run commemorative model also comes with unusual pin-striping on the front aero blades, side skirts, rear diffuser and rear spoiler.

Under the rear boot lid, the 419kW/600Nm twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 with its seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission carries over unchanged.

That means it takes the same 3.4 seconds to reach 100km/h as the regular car.

Sadly, for anyone Down Under in the market for a Longtail tribute based on the 570GT, prepare to be disappointed.

The six cars made are already sold to customers in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands for a hefty £21,000 ($A35,000) premium over the sticker price in those countries.

Back in 1997 McLaren made just three F1 GTs, keeping the prototype and selling two of the road-legal homologation specials to customers. It thought those cars individually are now worth in excess of $20 million.