McLaren 675LT already sold out

Australia’s allocation of McLaren’s new 675LT supercar have already been accounted for — even before its official release.

Although priced at a heady $657,000 on-road, the 15 units (of 500 worldwide) slated for this market were snapped up even before McLaren had a finished 675LT (for Longtail) to display.

Speaking at the local unveiling in Melbourne today, when a Japanese-market 675LT was shown to journalists, McLaren Automotive Asia-Pacific Regional Director David McIntyre told motoring.com.au that he is “talking about securing additional units” but added that with high global demand it would be difficult.

“There would have to be an order cancellation in another [right-hand drive] market for that to be considered,” he said.

“It’s a real success story, making a car that fits our target group so almost every car globally could be sold even before media had driven it… people understand what the car is and bought it on the promise of the package,” he added.

According to McIntyre the first Australian-market 675LTs – seen as the pinnacle of the local McLaren range given the P1’s road illegality in this country – are currently being built in Woking, with deliveries expected by December this year.

McIntyre also envisages the LT nameplate will be incorporated across McLaren’s other series (Sports and Ultimate in addition to the 675LT’s place in the Super Series) as part of each level’s product life cycles.

“Similar to Porsche 911, where you know there will be a Carrera 2, Carrera 4, GT3, GT3 RS etc., McLaren will roll out C, S, LT and possibly some other variants in future.”

“LT within the different series will signify [a] light-weight car with a strong aerodynamic package and I imagine some [extra] power as well,” McIntyre said, though he couldn’t confirm if LT-badged McLarens would be limited in production as is the case with 675LT.

The car itself is immediately impressive, with notably more focus on aerodynamic detail over the 650S McLaren placed alongside the LT version for comparison. The extended rear diffuser, front splitter and additional side intakes, as well as the full-width rear wing, are particularly noticeable.

The Longtail weighs 100kg less than the 650S (at 1230kg dry), with 31kg of those savings down to the use of more exotic suspension materials, including titanium, which is also used for the bespoke exhaust system.

On the other side of the power/weight ledger is an increase in power and torque for the twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V8. Some 50 per cent of the engine componentry is new compared to the 650S, including specific turbochargers.

Power sits at 497kW at 7100rpm -- up from 478kW – while torque swells to 700Nm from 5500-6500rpm; a 22Nm increase.

Shifts for the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox are said to be twice as fast in the most brutal Track mode, thanks to the adoption of ignition-cut technology, and the ESC has been recalibrated to match the increased overall performance, which sees the 675LT hit 100km/h from a standstill in only 2.9 seconds.