RE: MSO Bespoke McLaren 600LT revealed

RE: MSO Bespoke McLaren 600LT revealed

Friday 22nd February 2019

MSO Bespoke McLaren 600LT revealed

Well if a limited-run, £200k McLaren isn't exclusive enough, there's always McLaren Special Operations...



Individualisation is big business for new cars; from Minis to McLarens, it seems the desire of customers to create something bespoke is matched only by manufacturers' willingness to accommodate them. What need is there for aftermarket work if everything you could possibly want is available from the factory?

McLaren Special Operations has been offering all manner of customisation to buyers for years now, with this 600LT Spider its latest creation. According to McLaren the car is "aiming to inspire prospective owners... with a specially curated design, adding visual excitement". The main colour is Dove Grey, with accents in Napier Green (bonus points if you've recognised that as a 675LT colour). The highlights are on the splitter, sills, rear diffuser and door inserts, applied using a method new to McLaren road cars. Previously reserved for GT3 and GT4 racers, the Napier Green colour isn't traditionally painted on, but rather "compressed into a light and flexible film which ensures a premium quality bespoke colour match." From now the film will be an MSO option.


This particular 600LT has also been treated to the full roster of MSO carbon kit - including the Defined Visual Carbon Fibre Front Fender Louvres, the Carbon Fibre Sill Finishers and what looks like both Visual Carbon Fibre Exterior Upgrade Packs - but in a satin finish that evokes the old 675 rather than the gloss finish often seen now. Inside it's fitted with Napier Green contrast stitching, the Senna seats, embroidered headrests plus "a range of 'surprise and delight' features for owners to find" - interesting...

Given almost 50 per cent of LT Coupe customers made use of MSO's services, expect a similar proportion of Spider customers to follow suit. Perhaps more, in fact, given a Spider arguably lends itself even better to the often outlandish side of personalisation. We'll see how it looks in the metal when the wraps are taken off on March 5th - if past Geneva shows are anything to go by, it'll likely be pretty modest by the standards of the modified cars on display...





Author
Discussion

HardMiles

Original Poster:

313 posts

85 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
Do I not understand the ultra expensive car thing correctly? Surely, with enough money you could have someone paint your car any colour you wanted anyway? How is this so special? You'd expect them to offer a service like that as a standard extra-over?

It seems somewhat of a waste when you cover what could potentially be a lighter car with paint (Weight). make them lighter, not brighter!

WCZ

10,492 posts

193 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
waste of money, although the 688hs did look nice and was functionally an improvement over the 675

MX6

5,983 posts

212 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
Looks good, I like the 600LT and this colour scheme looks pretty cool. I did assume that you could have bespoke colours anyway if one was spending this kind of money on a car, for an additional fee of course. Other brands like Bentley say, seem to catter to all manner of tastes in colour, trim, etc.

Greg the Fish

1,410 posts

65 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
MX6 said:
Looks good, I like the 600LT and this colour scheme looks pretty cool. I did assume that you could have bespoke colours anyway if one was spending this kind of money on a car, for an additional fee of course. Other brands like Bentley say, seem to catter to all manner of tastes in colour, trim, etc.
Wasn't the 'matte' effect paint on the Conti GT SS something like a £27 THOUSAND option when it came out?

Tomatogti

362 posts

168 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
HardMiles said:
Do I not understand the ultra expensive car thing correctly? Surely, with enough money you could have someone paint your car any colour you wanted anyway? How is this so special? You'd expect them to offer a service like that as a standard extra-over?

It seems somewhat of a waste when you cover what could potentially be a lighter car with paint (Weight). make them lighter, not brighter!
Well 50%+ of owners opt for some sort of MSO treatment (though admittedly not ness the paint mods) so it's clearly working. I also suspect there's an element of not wanting anyone other than McLaren to bespoke it for fear of them saying you modified it without their permission if ever you had issues with your car. If you've got the money to buy one new, you've probably got the money to pay a premium to have only them modify it.

E65Ross

34,946 posts

211 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
HardMiles said:
Do I not understand the ultra expensive car thing correctly? Surely, with enough money you could have someone paint your car any colour you wanted anyway? How is this so special? You'd expect them to offer a service like that as a standard extra-over?

It seems somewhat of a waste when you cover what could potentially be a lighter car with paint (Weight). make them lighter, not brighter!
I think, perhaps, you understand what MSO do.

breadvan

1,985 posts

167 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
It's just the Geneva showcar. Marketing nonsense.


SpeckledJim

31,608 posts

252 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
Tomatogti said:
HardMiles said:
Do I not understand the ultra expensive car thing correctly? Surely, with enough money you could have someone paint your car any colour you wanted anyway? How is this so special? You'd expect them to offer a service like that as a standard extra-over?

It seems somewhat of a waste when you cover what could potentially be a lighter car with paint (Weight). make them lighter, not brighter!
Well 50%+ of owners opt for some sort of MSO treatment (though admittedly not ness the paint mods) so it's clearly working. I also suspect there's an element of not wanting anyone other than McLaren to bespoke it for fear of them saying you modified it without their permission if ever you had issues with your car. If you've got the money to buy one new, you've probably got the money to pay a premium to have only them modify it.
It's not bespoke. It's just a selection from a list of possibilities.

95% of what McLaren call 'MSO' is just what everyone else just calls 'options'.


thegreenhell

15,115 posts

218 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
Wow, it's got some stickers on it. They really tried hard there, didn't they...

epom

11,399 posts

160 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
McLaren make a new rich person easily parted with their money model. Good luck to them.

Andy665

3,599 posts

227 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
So the green highlights are not painted on but is actually paint compressed into a thin flexible film - that will be a set of stickers then!

WCZ

10,492 posts

193 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
SpeckledJim said:
It's not bespoke. It's just a selection from a list of possibilities.

95% of what McLaren call 'MSO' is just what everyone else just calls 'options'.
this, people spec the mso sports exhaust on the options list on a standard car etc

E65Ross

34,946 posts

211 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
WCZ said:
SpeckledJim said:
It's not bespoke. It's just a selection from a list of possibilities.

95% of what McLaren call 'MSO' is just what everyone else just calls 'options'.
this, people spec the mso sports exhaust on the options list on a standard car etc
Is this a problem?

DaveTheRave87

2,079 posts

88 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
Anyone else read this article in Shmee's voice?

GranCab

2,902 posts

145 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
Just Yiannimize it bruv ....

thegreenhell

15,115 posts

218 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
E65Ross said:
Is this a problem?
It just means it loses its exclusivity and meaning, just like when everyone has ///M or AMG trim and badges on their diesel barges.

I doubt I'll ever be in a position to spec anything MSO, so crack on...

E65Ross

34,946 posts

211 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
thegreenhell said:
E65Ross said:
Is this a problem?
It just means it loses its exclusivity and meaning, just like when everyone has ///M or AMG trim and badges on their diesel barges.

I doubt I'll ever be in a position to spec anything MSO, so crack on...
So, if having those options to tick as "options" rather than "MSO options", does that make it better? confused

daveco

4,122 posts

206 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
Andy665 said:
So the green highlights are not painted on but is actually paint compressed into a thin flexible film - that will be a set of stickers then!
I was waiting for the "but these aren't just bits of film stuck to the car" line, but it wasn't in the article hehe

Ferrari and Bentley also take the proverbial with emblems, badges, stitching, embossing etc,

Personalisation will always be a big thing with those who like to consume conspicuously. Might as well charge 'em for it!

Robert-nszl1

401 posts

87 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
It's nice to see it isn't just Aston Martin that ruin a perfectly OK looking car with fluorescent green/ yellow decals

Baddie

606 posts

216 months

Friday 22nd February 2019
quotequote all
Profiteering on the part of MSO and McLaren.

And if people will pay through the nose for it for it, good luck to their business model. Hopefully they’ll one day make a car not based on the same carbon tub and Ricardo V8.