New McLaren Mcl 6GT gets first manual since F1
McLaren claims to have realised founder's 'supercar dream' with production-ready concept
We were pleasantly surprised last month when McLaren unveiled a wonderfully restored M6GT at Festival of Speed. Aside from frequent, indulgent hat tips to the F1 (a mighty presence in any firm’s back catalogue; downright monolithic in Woking’s), the manufacturer has not been particularly attentive when it comes to its deeper history. Understandable, perhaps, when so much of that history was written not by a traditional carmaker, but by an F1 team. Yet the M6GT was a reminder that Bruce McLaren imagined a future for his company on the road as well as the race track. He just never got to see it.
Well, it turns out the M6GT: Restored was less an evocative side project for MSO, and more of an amuse-bouche before the main event. McLaren has today revealed the Mcl 6GT, a concept that previews a full production model coming in 2028 - and in so doing, take the brand beyond its ‘core portfolio’ for arguably the first time. Certainly nothing so obviously dedicated to ‘reimagined heritage, modern tactility and pure driver connection’ has been attempted before. That it will feature McLaren’s first manual gearbox since the F1 probably says all you really need to know about the project.
Yet clearly there is more. McLaren has not deigned to identify the engine its new transmission will be connected to - except to say that, like the original M6GT, it will be a V8. As you might expect, the drivetrain is fundamental to the ‘tactile, analogue and deeply mechanical’ vibe being targeted, though we’re told to expect ‘purity of involvement’ across the board, from hydraulic steering and machined aluminium controls to visible engineering details and tactile switchgear. The gearstick, sweated for its feel and throw, is called out as an example of the painstaking attention to detail brought to bear, with a three-dimensional Speedy Kiwi mounted within its upright.
It is this evolutionary interpretation of the past, much as Ford has attempted with various iterations of GT40 successor, that inevitably defines the look of the new Mcl 6GT. While the proportions are familiar from McLaren’s existing mid-engined lineup, the inspiration for the body is the clean, flowing surfaces of ‘60s sports prototypes - i.e. the design DNA of the M6GT. And while it cannot fully embrace the snout or the minute, teardrop cabin, the car is distinguished from the likes of the Artura or 750S by attempts to evoke a ‘single continuous form’.
At the back, the M6GT’s taillights have inspired the ‘Racing Loop’ motif, and the Kammback tail and low-mounted twin exhausts help provide that rare thing in 2026: a supercar rear end not entirely defined by a preposterously large diffuser. Predictably, mostly everything you can see is in carbon fibre (including the very modern monocoque beneath), and it will definitely be felt inside, too - not least in the digital instrumentation that appears to be a carryover from elsewhere in the current McLaren range.
Liberal sharing of the firm’s wider parts bin was inevitable, of course, in a car not claimed to be new from the ground up - but McLaren will feel optimistic that its choice of transmission, and the decision to move away from the often identikit styling of the outgoing Sports and Super Series will stand it in good stead when it comes to the production model. Moreover, given the presence of new leadership, the decision to launch a car that leans heavily on its lineage - and speaks to Bruce McLaren’s vision for his eponymous company - not only reflects the proven demands of the high-end market, but also makes for safer ground than a more progressive (i.e. electrified) option might have done.
“The McLaren McL 6GT imagines what our inspirational founder had wished to complete but with six additional decades of innovation and passion woven through every element, creating a modern icon of driver connection,” said Nick Collins, McLaren’s CEO. “It is symbolic of the bold, provocative and hugely exciting future that we are preparing to realise.” No word on price or availability yet, but expect to learn a good deal more about the car as we head into 2027.
On the other, it doesn't look like a McLaren, not in the modern sense, and it's a tricky fit with the techy, F1 brand image overall. Will it make the series cars seem even more like rich-guy-go-fast cars than they already do?
Assume it will still have McLaren's farty, boosty turbo V8, too, so not sure that it will quite deliver the puristic driving experience that you might think this kind of car is all about. But what the heck. It's quite elegant and it's manual, and I assume a real manual. So, it's probably positive overall!
Front Profile - Not wow but harmless enough....I would like a better look front on and at the lights. Refreshing that its different though.
Side Profile - Very promising, might be exaggerated with the colour differences.
Rear Profile - Nailed it from my point of view, very nice.
Interior - Looks decent, like the detail around the gear mechanism. Not sure on knob shape (ooo errr) but not likely to be an issue for me......ever!
All in all, love it.
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