Woking, Surrey - McLaren is to revive the evocative 'Longtail' name, given to the purest GT sports-car in its history, for the launch of the new McLaren 675LT at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.
This street-legal supercar will embody the endurance racing ethos with its focus on performance-optimised aerodynamics, increased downforce, power and reduced weight.
The 675LT will join the McLaren sports car line-up alongside the existing 650S and Asia-only 625C to form the newly named McLaren Super Series, which sits above the recently announced Sports Series in the model range.
Continuing the convention begun with the 650S, the model number denotes the power produced by the 675LT's engine in PS - the equivalent of 497kW - making it the power king of the series. Which is why it will be offered in coupé format only when deliveries start later this year.
A NICKNAME THAT STUCK
The Longtail name was born during the 1997 sports car racing season; the McLaren F1 GTR already had already completed two successful seasons - which included a win on its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995 - so for 1997 McLaren developed the most efficient race-focused version yet seen.
Its distinctive stretched silhouette soon gave rise to the nickname 'Longtail' - and it stuck. To this day the car is better known as the Longtail McLaren than by its official designation of F1 GTR.
More details of the 675LT, including its performance figures, will be announced in the weeks running up to the Geneva Show.