British manufacturer McLaren has gained a reputation as an auteur of the sports car realm. In less than a decade’s time they have transitioned from a one hit wonder—the amazing and now legendary F1—to a maker of a small line of cars that are held in the same regard as those from Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche. That’s quite the achievement, especially as they seem able to sustain their momentum. Have you been taking notes, Lotus?
McLaren’s not calling it quits in the sports car melieu either. Their upcoming 650S replacement, the 720S is rumored to have a 4-litre V8 in its middle that will propel the car to sixty in well less than three-seconds. That’s some eyebrow-raising performance, but it will only be able to be experienced by the car’s driver and a single one that driver’s friends at a time. That’s too bad because it really limits McLaren’s audience to those who appreciate the ultimate in edge cutting. How might that translate into something a little more social?
Ferrari offers both rabid sportsters (witness the new 812 Superfast) and gentlemen GT cars, both designed to eat up the miles, but also both in different ways. If you need to cross a continent what would your preferred mode be—staccato sports car or capable grand tourer? And if Ferrari can capably do both, why can’t McLaren? Wouldn’t they sell the hell out of a GT car? I think so, but I’d like your take on the notion.
Image: ©2017 Hooniverse/Robert Emslie, All Rights Reserved
Hooniverse Asks: Should McLaren Build a GT Car?
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20 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: Should McLaren Build a GT Car?”
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I mean, who shouldn’t build a grand tourer?
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Mahindra? Oh, never mind, I’d rock that too.
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Lotus.
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I dunno, how do you feel about the Evora? I like it, and it’s not far off (4 seats, decent ride, a bit of luggage space). Even the Eclat/Elite are borderline GT, and had Colin Chapman sign off on them.
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I like the Evora, but the interior snugness (even for a skinny guy), poor visibility, and noise levels rule it out as a GT for me. I see it as more of street-oriented sports car, like a Cayman S. That’s in no way a disparagement of Lotus; my Elise is daily driven… to the point where I couldn’t see replacing it with anything else, and consequently believe that Lotus should stick to what they do best- sports cars of varying degrees of streetability.
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I should add that I physically cannot fit into an Eclat or Elite without removing either my head or the middle 6″ of my torso, so I’ll have to take your word on those.
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I don’t know. It’s a slippery slope to a McLaren crossover.
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Ferrari has been able to get away with it so far.
Maybe Maserati has been teasing the Levante long enough to keep that from happening? -
Yeah… and they’ve already started down that slippery slope, dammit
http://www.autoblog.com/2016/11/16/mclaren-bp23-three-seat-successor-f1-hyper-gt/ -
Yes, but on the other hand it’s a shorter, uphill sort of slope to a McLaren FF…
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Just get it over with and build an SUV and get super profits. We can all mope and cry but it’ll make no difference to any one of us schlubs.
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I’d rather McLaren produce Murray’s T.25 and certify it for US sale, to be honest. It’s a car I might actually be able to buy someday.
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If we’re being entirely honest, I’d rather see McLaren license Murray’s IGM Minibug.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fRhlBw_aghE/SdS8pPxhiYI/AAAAAAAABzA/-1D4GeWLfU8/s1600/GMurray_jeroen.jpg-
Where do you keep coming up with these absolute gems from? That is just brilliant!
http://velocenews.blogspot.co.nz/2009/04/gordon-murrays-oldest-known-car.html
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How many Rapides does Aston sell each year?
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Until Porsche does a new 928/Panamera coupe, I’m not too concerned
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Panamera Coupe? I always thought the leather-coated-vents versions of the 911 had that role, but now I’m looking forward to buying a Panamera in 15 years with rusted sills, and a sawzall. (ignore the chrome job, I suck at PhotoGimp)
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That’s probably another reason Porsche hasn’t done a Panamera coupe.
The other good use for a rusty Panamera in 15 years time would be to gut the shell and cut the middle of the rear bumper and join it to the hatch, and use it as a garage for an air-cooled 911.
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McLaren should do whatever they damn well please. They should build an extended cab pickem up, if it helps keep them in sports cars and F1.
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It depends on the definition of Grand Tourer. Gentlemans club on wheels or “a sports car with just enough civility to make touring possible”, if the latter, they already do.
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