McLaren has revealed its latest low-volume track special, complete with power from a 5.2-litre V10 redlined at 10,000rpm.
Unlike the rest of the McLaren range, the Solus GT doesn’t feature a turbocharged V8 engine. Where the brand has sourced the V10 – which makes 618kW of power and 650Nm of torque – isn’t outlined in the media materials.
Evo reports it’s from motorsports supplier Judd (which in the 1980s and ’90s built engines for Williams and Arrows in Formula 1) and features a unique crank, intake system, and exhaust.
Regardless of where it’s sourced, the engine helps propel the Solus GT to 100km/h in around 2.5 seconds. Flat out you’ll be doing more than 322km/h.
As is the case in other McLaren customer racing cars, the Solus GT features a motorsports-derived ABS and traction control system to help keep all that performance in check.
Power is sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed sequential gearbox with straight-cut gears, and the engine and transmission are stressed parts of the vehicle structure.
A carbon tub has underpinned every McLaren road car since the MP4-12C, but it’s been replaced by a monocoque that helps keep the car’s weight below 1000kg here. Attached to it is a 3D-printed titanium halo, which also serves as an air intake for the V10 engine.
Given the aero package creates 1200kg of downforce, the Solus GT could theoretically drive on the roof of a tunnel upside down.
The exterior design might look like an Artura and a Caparo T1 got busy in a secluded garage, but it actually borrows heavily from a virtual 2017 Vision Gran Turismo concept.
The design is faithful to the virtual car, although McLaren has removed the electric motors augmenting the petrol engine in the VGT car. Unlike most VGT cars, the Solus GT sticks with a fixed aerodynamics setup instead of an active setup that changes based on your speed.
Behind the wheel, the Solus GT is part race car and part fighter jet. You enter through a one-piece canopy that slides forward, and the wraparound windscreen is designed to deliver a panoramic view of the world around you.
Every owner gets a seat tailored to their body, just like McLaren Formula 1 drivers, and the seat itself is fixed in place. Almost all the vehicle controls are on the carbon-fibre steering wheel, although the cockpit does offer creature comforts in the form of a full heating and cooling system.
Just 25 examples will be built, and they’re all sold. Every buyer has worked closely with McLaren Special Operations (MSO) to personalise their car, and will be supplied with all the tools required to run such a specialised racer.
Owner events will also be held by McLaren, allowing all 25 owners to cut their cars loose without worrying about other weekend warriors getting in the way.
