McLaren Automotive unveiled the Senna hypercar as a road-legal track missile late last year. Now, at the Geneva Motor Show, the British supercar maker is showing off a concept of the track-only version of the Senna, the GTR Concept.
When the McLaren Senna finishes its production run of 500 vehicles, the Ayrton Senna homage car will see a track-only version based on the Senna GTR Concept being shown in Geneva. McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt says that up to 75 of the GTRs will be made, as the most extreme hand-made track car ever made in Woking.
"Excelling on the track underpins the heritage of the McLaren brand and is as important and relevant today as it has ever been," explained Mike Flewitt. "The track-only McLaren Senna GTR will have more power, more grip and more downforce – up to 1,000kg – than the McLaren Senna and post even faster lap times; the very limited number of customers who secure this car will be buying the closest experience you can get to a race car without actually lining up on a circuit grid."
Technical details for the car will be revealed later this year, but the GTR is based on the carbon fiber structure of the standard (if such a word can be used) Senna model, and will hold a similar dry weight of around 1,198 kg (2,641 lb). The plan is to get more output from the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, upping the 800 PS (789 hp) of the road-going model to 825 PS (813.7 hp) and at least the same 800 Nm (590 lb-ft).
McLaren will also be adding a race-style transmission, revising the double wishbone suspension, and adding Pirelli slick tires to the vehicle. This will go along with the up to 1,000 kg (2,204.6 lb) of downforce the car can generate. That should put the fastest lap circuit time for a car outside of Formula 1, McLaren says of the GTR.
As seen at the Geneva show, the McLaren Senna GTR has a slightly wider track, more performance-minded fenders, and a few aerodynamic tweaks to its bodywork – especially at the front clip and on the rear of the car. The "clip on" modulation of the Senna's design for fenders and other off-the-fuselage structures means that they can be modified readily and swapped out as needed. This also means different wheel and tire options will become available, shown with the new wheels clad in Pirellis that are shown at the Geneva show.
Other modifications for the Senna GTR include polycarbonate "ticket" window designs, door panels that are pulled inward for better aerodynamics, and a revised windscreen for track use. Intake enhancements will improve cooling when under load on the track as well. McLaren says that the new Senna GTR Concept being shown is an indication, but not a final product, for the Senna GTR track-focused offering.
McLaren is now accepting "expressions of interest" for the Senna GTR and will begin production when the Senna runs its course, sometime in 2019.
Source: McLaren