Wednesday 15th February 2023

McLaren 720S GT3 Evo breaks cover

Upgraded racer sports bigger wings, improved suspension - and will be eligible for Le Mans next year...

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McLaren hasn’t had a huge amount of success in Formula 1 in recent years and, judging by comments made at the new MCL60 launch earlier this week, things aren’t looking great for 2023, either. Where McLaren has had success, however, is with its customer racing programme, the 720S GT3 scoring victories in major sports car series across the globe since its debut at the 2018 Gulf 12 Hours – which it led for a fair chunk of the race.

The motorsport world never stands still, though, and now we have the next iteration of Woking’s customer racing machine. McLaren says the new 720S GT3 Evo features a host of upgrades designed to make it “accessible to customer outfits and drivers of all abilities”. Presumably, it’s also much faster.

From a visual standpoint, the GT3 gets a new front bumper and splitter, boosting downforce and helping the car handle better in traffic. McLaren has also made it easier to swap the front end out for a new one during a pit stop if shunted, a bit like changing the front wing on a Formula 1 car. Cooling has been improved, too, as have the headlights for better visibility during 24-hour races. The rear wing, meanwhile, features tweaked support struts that make setup changes a little easier, while the gurney is slightly taller to promote downforce. Expect this thing to absolutely fly around twisty circuits like Brands Hatch.

Peel back the carbon body and many winglets and you’ll find “all-new” four-way adjustable Ohlins dampers, which form part of an overhauled suspension layout with redesigned front and rear wishbones. These all contribute to a wider setup window and offer teams more options to stop the tyres from shredding to bits during long stints.

McLaren Automotive’s motorsport chief, Ian Morgan, said: “we’ve maintained a close relationship with our customer racing teams and have incorporated many of their recommendations into the new EVO package, improving consistency of performance and serviceability, which will ensure that the McLaren 720S will continue to set the pace in GT3 racing for many more years to come.”

The 720S is the latest in a series of GT3 races to receive major upgrades over the past 18 months. Both Audi and Lamborghini recently released evolutionart variants of their GT3 cars, while Ferrari and Porsche have introduced all-new models with the 296 GT3 and 992-gen 911 GT3 R respectively. Not only will you be able to see all of these in action in GT series across the planet, but from next year they’ll be eligible to enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans in place of the old GTE category. Does this spell a McLaren Le Mans return? We certainly hope so.

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• 2023 McLaren Artura vs. Audi R8 AWD
• Porsche reveals 2023 911 GT3 R

[Gecko1978]

Saw this an thought wow Mclaren F1 LM. So looks great wonder if MSO could make you a 720 that looked like that but was road legal (I could care less if it was slower etc)

Small issue I can't afford a race car or a road car but still looks cool

[Krikkit]

Gecko1978 said:

Saw this an thought wow Mclaren F1 LM. So looks great wonder if MSO could make you a 720 that looked like that but was road legal (I could care less if it was slower etc)

Small issue I can't afford a race car or a road car but still looks cool

Quite a few companies have turned track-only cars into road cars, Lanzante for example did a P1 GTR.

[Gecko1978]

Krikkit said:

Gecko1978 said:

Saw this an thought wow Mclaren F1 LM. So looks great wonder if MSO could make you a 720 that looked like that but was road legal (I could care less if it was slower etc)

Small issue I can't afford a race car or a road car but still looks cool

Quite a few companies have turned track-only cars into road cars, Lanzante for example did a P1 GTR.

I was more thinking on the outside it looks like this but on the inside an under the skin it's standard 720 etc because carbon and titanium aren't as comfy as leather an alacntara

[PJ_Parsons]

In GT3 racing, Evo packages are a big con. Balance of performance aims to allow cars to achieve the same lap time. So, none of these changes will mean better lap times. If they do, the car will be penalised in other areas. That sounds weird but is basically how it is. Customers are forced to buy the package (for homologation)and the only winners are the manufacturer who gets to sell the parts. That said, I see McLaren have mostly added bits that make the car more driver friendly, which in an indirect way could make the car faster. But directly much faster, no way.

Edited by PJ_Parsons on Wednesday 15th February 12:54

[nismo48]

Gecko1978 said:

Saw this an thought wow Mclaren F1 LM. So looks great wonder if MSO could make you a 720 that looked like that but was road legal (I could care less if it was slower etc)

Small issue I can't afford a race car or a road car but still looks cool

+1 with you on the affordability

[Mark_Blanchard]

Where's the rating stars? This is 5/5. Stunning looking car. I wish them luck.

[sege]

PJ_Parsons said:

In GT3 racing, Evo packages are a big con. Balance of performance aims to allow cars to achieve the same lap time. So, none of these changes will mean better lap times. If they do, the car will be penalised in other areas. That sounds weird but is basically how it is. Customers are forced to buy the package (for homologation)and the only winners are the manufacturer who gets to sell the parts. That said, I see McLaren have mostly added bits that make the car more driver friendly, which in an indirect way could make the car faster. But directly much faster, no way.

Edited by PJ_Parsons on Wednesday 15th February 12:54

An Evo model gives the opportunity to reset the BoP and also alter the performance so it can be more consistent and therefore stronger at a wider range of tracks with a wider range of (amateur) skill levels and as you rightly say, there's a lot more to it than performance like ease of maintenance and certainly not least for private teams, costs.

And Evo model should make the car more competitive and popular on the grids which is excellent. In the Euro and international SRO series the McLaren's have got very thin on the ground. I hope this gives the car a boost and we see more of them.
So it's very good news imo.

I thought homologation only last so many years anyway so it's either release an Evo model or simply don't race the car surely? So not a con at all. I could be wrong though.

But the article is also right that with the other recent cars like the 911, Huracan, 296, it shows GT3 is in general still very healthy which is awesome as it's the best motor racing on the planet right now.

[RichTT]

Gecko1978 said:

Saw this an thought wow Mclaren F1 LM. So looks great wonder if MSO could make you a 720 that looked like that but was road legal (I could care less if it was slower etc)

Small issue I can't afford a race car or a road car but still looks cool

There are cheaper ways to get a certain % of the experience.

[Gecko1978]

RichTT said:

Gecko1978 said:

Saw this an thought wow Mclaren F1 LM. So looks great wonder if MSO could make you a 720 that looked like that but was road legal (I could care less if it was slower etc)

Small issue I can't afford a race car or a road car but still looks cool

There are cheaper ways to get a certain % of the experience.

That is an epic sim racing set up sir if I had to guess is that a fanatec wheel. The owner of the company I believe made so much from his wheels and other gear he has funded a GT3 career for himself (or at least is a sponsor).

For me if I won the lotto I want a 720 that looked like this in papya orange but inside comfort leather an soft seats etc. I have no illusions money would make me a driving god but like many it would be fun to look like one and this one does that.

[RichTT]

Gecko1978 said:

That is an epic sim racing set up sir if I had to guess is that a fanatec wheel. The owner of the company I believe made so much from his wheels and other gear he has funded a GT3 career for himself (or at least is a sponsor).

For me if I won the lotto I want a 720 that looked like this in papya orange but inside comfort leather an soft seats etc. I have no illusions money would make me a driving god but like many it would be fun to look like one and this one does that.

It's the Simline 720s GT3 in forged carbon. Didn't want the fanatec base so went Simucube and this wheel.

https://simline.eu/en_US/p/Simline-720s/91

Was picking up the other halves new car about a month ago and the dealer had a black on black 720S sitting in the workshop ready to be detailed and flipped. Managed to blag a quick seat inside and a rev of the loud pedal. What a thing of beauty it is.

[whp1983]

It was on track with me today at Donny….. absolutely bonkers, love it

[whp1983]

[anonymous-user]

RichTT said:

There are cheaper ways to get a certain % of the experience.

Looking at that setup not much cheaper!

[Bencolem]

Is the duct tape over the grill (3rd picture) a cost option?