McLaren marks 25 years of Longtail
In 1997, the F1 GTR LT took Le Mans by storm. Its maker pays tribute...
“Is this the secret door that I’ve heard so much about,” asks Daniel Ricciardo? “It may well be,” replies Ian Howshall, McLaren’s Global Product Manager. And if you want to find out what lies behind this ‘secret’ door, then spend a moment – well, 10 minutes – to check out this video, which is a conversation between Ricciardo and Howshall, as the latter explains to the ever-enthusiastic Honey Badger how the Longtail legend came about.
First up, of course, the Gulf-liveried McLaren F1 GTR Longtail. It is a pretty special-looking thing, it has to be said. One of my personal favourite cars, actually. Howshall talks about the need to create it and what was involved, including lopping 100kg out of its running mass. This fact leaves Ricciardo wide-eyed. “If we can save 100g [out of an F1 car] we’re killing it,” he says.
Howshall goes on to describe how the GTR laid the blueprint for the road-going LT models to follow - i.e. taking out weight, changing the bodywork for increased aerodynamic downforce, improving the chassis dynamics, upgrading the powertrain.
Ricciardo hardly seems to need telling: “this was the first sportscar I purchased,” he exclaims when confronted with the 675LT. It was blue, in case you’re wondering. Apparently for a total hand, it was like a go kart - because you could “throw it around and play with it.” Classic Honey Badger.
Next up is the 600LT, based on the 570 S, and the talk of those famous flames that shot out from its high-set exhausts – and how these dictated the materials use for the rear wing. And then there’s the 765 LT Spider, which Ricciardo tells us he used while in California and “in the most positive way possible it scared the **** out of me. It is so fast.” Now, for a current F1 driver to say that it means something. Having driven just the regular 720S, I’m not sure it was for effect, either.
There are more snippets for fans of McLaren’s road cars in here, so it’s well worth investing 10 minutes in. Which one of the cars shown would Ricciardo take away with him? All is revealed at the end…
The name is marketing lead for sure but the cars are pretty special none the less. They are all significantly improved from the standard models.
Personally I couldn’t care less what they called them as long as they are proper specials that enhance the driving experience - not just paint jobs and big wheels.
I enjoyed this film. More of this stuff please.
It's a decent vid, the points about the engineering etc are good, however the PR rep's attempt to make out the "LT" cars have anything to do with the F1 Longtail doesn't ring true.
The Longtail is a pure racing homologation special to add downforce to try and keep up with Porsche's "911" GT1 in the BPR series.
The LTs have nothing to do with competition, they're model variants which trade civility for more excitement, like Porsche's GT cars. Arguably for a racing team like McLaren, learning how to make a car fun and involving is actually a more impressive achievement than merely bolting on a load more downforce to be quicker around a circuit.
I'd love an LT, they're very cool, but best to leave it at the name being a homage, rather than trying to spin a connection that's not really there.
They make some good cars, even great ones, but they have very little actual road car heritage and this is important to a lot of buyers. It's not their "fault" - this is always going to be the case of a young company - but it does make their situation very challenging when it comes to competing against Ferrari et al in the £150K to £300k market.
They'll try their best to manufacture a heritage but not sure anyone is really convinced....
They make some good cars, even great ones, but they have very little actual road car heritage
McLaren build superb drivers cars, they have yet to release anything which could even vaguely be considered a duffer.
Having been lucky enough to spend some time in a 720S the idea of a more focused, faster LT variant is genuinely mind blowing.
It's the other stuff that is weak - they don't have a proper GT and they don't have an SUV - both of which need to have a different recipe to the same old Riccardo developed V8 / carbon fibre tub / mid-engined layout
It's the other stuff that is weak - they don't have a proper GT and they don't have an SUV - both of which need to have a different recipe to the same old Riccardo developed V8 / carbon fibre tub / mid-engined layout
.
Just for the record, Ian Howshall isn’t a PR rep, he’s a Product & Engineering Project Manager and ex Le Mans team engineer.
In short, he knows his onions.
That said, I think you might be right about the F1 LT being different gravy to the road cars.
He said when selling it 5 years later and the car having 47,000 it's worth too much now to keep and sold it for 8million, not bad profit on a car he had for nearly 20 years and was in a bad accident,His car was also the F1; that raced a Bugatti veyron in Down town Abu Dhabi on Top gear , Hammond Driving the Veyron and Stig the McLaren ,
That was also when Topgear was also the best TV motoring program IN. THE. WORLD now it's just rubbish.
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