Automotive

The 570GT: McLaren's most luxurious car to date

The 570GT: McLaren's most luxurious car to date
The 570GT is designed to be more appropriate for long trips, thanks to a unique suspension setup
The 570GT is designed to be more appropriate for long trips, thanks to a unique suspension setup
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McLaren's dihedral doors and a low, narrow sill should make it easier for people to get into the GT
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McLaren's dihedral doors and a low, narrow sill should make it easier for people to get into the GT
That glass hatch frees up an extra 220 liters of luggage space, perfect for weekend jaunts
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That glass hatch frees up an extra 220 liters of luggage space, perfect for weekend jaunts
The 570GT is designed to be more appropriate for long trips, thanks to a unique suspension setup
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The 570GT is designed to be more appropriate for long trips, thanks to a unique suspension setup
Just in case the unique design didn't give it away, McLaren has bestowed unique badges upon the GT
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Just in case the unique design didn't give it away, McLaren has bestowed unique badges upon the GT
The luggage space means the 570S has lost its flying buttresses
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The luggage space means the 570S has lost its flying buttresses
The gorgeous wheels from the 675 LT Spider seem to have made the switch down the range
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The gorgeous wheels from the 675 LT Spider seem to have made the switch down the range
That larger rear spoiler has the same effect as the flying buttresses on the sportier 570S
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That larger rear spoiler has the same effect as the flying buttresses on the sportier 570S
The panoramic roof gives the 570GT an airy, light-filled cabin
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The panoramic roof gives the 570GT an airy, light-filled cabin
We're big fans of the way the 570GT looks, with its simpler rear end
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We're big fans of the way the 570GT looks, with its simpler rear end
The 570GT is all about making McLaren more comfortable for long trips
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The 570GT is all about making McLaren more comfortable for long trips
With softer spring rates and a unique steering setup, the 570GT should be a slightly more relaxed drive than the 570S
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With softer spring rates and a unique steering setup, the 570GT should be a slightly more relaxed drive than the 570S
This luggage space is neatly trimmed, and looks like it fits in with McLaren's luxury ethos
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This luggage space is neatly trimmed, and looks like it fits in with McLaren's luxury ethos
There are plenty of options available on the GT, including high-end audio
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There are plenty of options available on the GT, including high-end audio
We'd love to jump behind the wheel and cross a continent
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We'd love to jump behind the wheel and cross a continent
With softer spring rates and a unique steering setup, the 570GT should be a slightly more relaxed drive than the 570S
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With softer spring rates and a unique steering setup, the 570GT should be a slightly more relaxed drive than the 570S
View gallery - 15 images

Up until now, McLaren's entire range has been launched with an unashamed focus on out-and-out performance. With a lack of luggage space and track-ready tire setups, the 570S, 650S and 675LT are great performance cars, but not necessarily the right choice for a cross-country jaunt. The 570GT should change all of that, thanks to some extra luggage space, a more luxurious interior and unique suspension tuning.

It's no surprise McLaren has chosen its Sport Series as a base for its long distance tourer. Compared to the smaller 650S and 675LT, the latest entry into the McLaren range has a lower and narrower sill on its MonoCell that makes getting into the cabin easy: even if you're wearing a slim-cut power suit or breezy sundress.

The GT takes that everyday-friendly design and adds a panoramic glass roof for a light, airy feeling inside. This extends to a new side-opening glass hatch which, when combined with the 150 L (40 US gal) of stowage in the front luggage area, adds up to a total of 370 L (98 US gal) of storage space for everything you might need on a weekend away.

That glass hatch frees up an extra 220 liters of luggage space, perfect for weekend jaunts
That glass hatch frees up an extra 220 liters of luggage space, perfect for weekend jaunts

Because of the redesigned glasshouse, the 570GT has lost the flying buttresses that provide the sportier 570S with high-speed downforce. To replicate the effect, McLaren has fitted a larger rear spoiler at the back of the car, although the distinctive front splitter has made the transition unchanged. It works in tandem with the creases running along the bonnet to direct air over the front fenders and into the air intakes running along the side of the car.

No one wants to be pummelled by stiff suspension or deafened by road noise on their long distance road trip, so McLaren has gone to great lengths to make sure the cabin is a refined place in the 570GT. There's high quality leather spread throughout, electrically adjustable seats and the steering column rises to make entry and egress easier.

The 570GT is all about making McLaren more comfortable for long trips
The 570GT is all about making McLaren more comfortable for long trips

There's extra noise cancelling, as well as specially developed Pirelli P Zero tires that cut up to three decibels from the in-cabin noise. If that doesn't work, buyers can opt for a 12-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system, made up of aluminum tweeters, Kevlar mid-range drive units and two carbon fiber subwoofers, driven through a 1280W amplifier.

In keeping with the GT's more relaxed feel, McLaren has reduced the spring rates at the front by 15 percent, as well as dialling back on the rear spring rates by 10 percent, although owners are still able to tweak the feel of the car by switching between normal, sport and track modes. Power is still pegged at a healthy 562 hp (419 kW), and peak torque from the 3.8-liter V8 twin-turbo is still 600 Nm (443 lb-ft).

So, how much will Gizmag's ideal road trip car cost? Pricing starts at £154,000 (US$214,480) in the UK, although that's likely to balloon as soon as you tick some boxes on the option list.

McLaren will launch the car at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, where we'll be sure to snap a few pics. Until then, you can check out McLaren's snaps in the gallery.

Source: McLaren

View gallery - 15 images
2 comments
2 comments
sgdeluxedoc
I can't help feeling that this new increasingly large crop of ever more luxurious, ultra fast and ultra expensive supercars coming out at the same time as the world economy crashes and burns all around us is almost a case of Nero fiddling while Rome burns. I suppose the ultra weallthy won't be affected by all this because they can just short all these companies and they'll only get even richer, so there's always a market for these cars.. but isn't it a bit tastless to be wvwn seen driving around in one right now? The problem is that there is only a limited amount of *real* money, and it's slowly all ending up in the hands of the super rich who are spending it on cars like this to add to their "collection". Thus permanently taking that money out of circulation. I have been a car fanatic all my life.. but here is where I must draw the line , considering the current economic catastrophe... Sorry.
Daishi
@sgdeluxedoc I don't think your position is dependent on the economy of the day. I think anyone with any belongings is at some level guilty of having more than someone else. Part of the problem is some of the most progressive liberal people in the world live pretty comfortably. Have you ever seen Oprah's $85 million mansion? Bill Gates lives in a $145 million mansion. Most rappers that complain about inequality in one song/video go on to boast about amassing enormous wealth in the next and flaunt around cars like Bugatti Veyrons. It's like hollywood celebrities that drive a prius to events before returning home to park it next to their fleet of other cars at their sprawling Malibu mansions. It's like televangelist religious figures asking huge stadiums of people to donate money when they are by far the richest person in the building.
Regardless of where they are on the political spectrum people with the means to live extremely lavish lifestyles almost always do and it makes it extremely difficult to take people holding that position seriously.