The new McLaren GT is aimed at competing against the Ferrari Portofino, Aston Martin DB11 V8 & Porsche 911 Turbo S says McLaren. The McLaren GT has been designed for touring and not track work, it is a lot different than the 570 S or any other in its twelve-car line up. Their line up being the following; ‘Super’ series, ‘Sports’ series, ‘Ultimate’ series and ‘Motorsports’ series. However, the GT falls into a separate series of its own, the ‘Grand Tourer’ series.

On the outside of the car the changes from the 720s are the aluminium body which is completely different and less aggressive in its styling, the front end sits a lot higher and with the nose lift even higher again to battle the speed humps in your neighbourhood. The tyres are Pirelli P Zeros with special sound deadening foam, this in conjunction with the laminated rear window and roof panel help reduce in cab noise whilst providing great visibility.

The engine is a 4.0 litre twin turbo V8 which is cooled by large side ducts and hip ducts, the engine produces 612hp with 630nm of torque. Combined with its weight of 1530kgs it will carry you from 0-100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 326 km/h, which is comparable to the 570 S.

So, what makes it more a GT car, the steering is hydraulic, the brakes are more heavily assisted to help at lower speeds. The suspension components have been set up softer & the adaptive dampers have been re-tuned. But of course, the main contributing factor of a GT car is the luggage space, McLaren still give you the standard 150 litres of storage in the frunk. But the rear storage boot space is the main area with a capacity of 420 litres which McLaren says will hold a full set of golf clubs for you budding golfers.

Moving onto the interior which is an important aspect of any GT car, the McLaren GT differs to its other cars where you sit about 2cm higher in the front seats, the front seats are not racing bucket type seats with minimal cushioning, you get nicely padded selectable leather or cashmere fabric seats for those long distance drives. The interior also isn’t a stripped-out carbon fibre cabin, on the dash you get leather and luxury aluminium trim pieces. A faster, more improved infotainment system is all new with maps etc. As if this wasn’t luxury enough you get an electrochromic glass roof that uses electric current to adjust the amount of light coming in through it, combined with five different settings that range from clear to dark.

So, even though it’s not a traditional front engine big boot GT car, it’s a mid-engine type of GT car with storage to use for touring, you just must decide which you prefer.