REVEALED: McLaren MSO Carbon Series LT
By: IOL Motoring Staff
No sooner had McLaren Special Operations unveiled the all-carbon fibre P1 show special at the 2016 Geneva show than the company began fielding queries along the lines of “Could you do that for a 675LT Spider?”
Turns out they could, and here you see the first of just 25 Carbon Series LTs - all already sold - that will be built, starting in the third quarter of 2016.
The front bumper with larger splitter and end plates, front underbody, side skirts, side intakes, lower side intakes, rear bodyside lowers, rear fenders, rear deck, rear bumper, diffuser and 'Longtail' Airbrake on the standard are all carbon-fibre on the standard 675LT Spider (of which 500 will be made and yes, they're all sold).
On the Carbon Series cars, these will all be finished in gloss clear-coat coat to showcase the carbon-fibre weave and, in addition, they'll have a gloss clear-coated carbon-fibre electrically retractable roof and tonneau, A-pillars, bonnet and rear deck, side blades, complete front and rear wings, and fuel filler flap.
Also read: M cLaren's Longtail Spider has fury
From the outside, everything you see will be gloss-finished carbon-fibre weave, right down to the GT3-inspired functional louvres in the front wings.
Creating the Carbon Series wasn't as simple as it sounds; about 40 percent of the body components are different from those on the standard LT and you can't just bolt the special carbon-fibre panels on to a standard body shell, as a number of customers waiting for their LTs have asked - they won't fit.
The Carbon Series LT has the same powertrain as the 675LT Coupé - a tweaked version of McLaren's 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 with new, more efficient turbos, revised porting and exhaust manifolds, new camshafts and lightweight connecting rods, and a high-flow fuel pump.
It's rated for 497kW at 7100 revs and 700Nm from 5000-6500rpm; it'll get off the line to 100km/h in 2.9 seconds and to 200 in 8.1 seconds - even with torque delivery in first gear limited to 600Nm to limit wheelspin and protect the final drive. Top speed is quoted at 326km/h.
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