McLaren's 620R is a $325,000, Road-Legal GT4 Race Car

I don't think anyone said it was better to not bring a trailer.

Lets say I drove from my house in Newcastle, to Bathurst. Raced the 12H in the GT4 class. Bar crashing out, completed the 12H and drove the thing home with no problems. That's a pretty remarkable feat.

Even if a support vehicle towed a trailer with tools. It's nearly the same outcome if the car is crashed. Ride home with the support vehicle anyway.

If someone takes their daily driver tontrack days, there is still the risk of crashing in the way to treacle and having a mishap at the track itself. I don't see the problem if the 620R was such a double duty car.
 
I don't get it. I especially don't get it at this price point.

Maybe when you're competing on some kind of low-rent race, where you want to be able to pull up in your General Lee and win a race, and then take the same car and run moonshine, and outrun the law and angry fathers, then sure...

But there are so many reasons why it's better to trailer your track car to and from the track. So many. Also, I love the ridiculous idea that it's somehow easier to change out a set of tires at the track than it is to bring your track car on a trailer and not change the tires (and pads probably). I mean, where were you going to put 4 racing tires? In the trunk?

It's such a strange thing that car-guys seem to value for absolutely mind-boggling reasons. The idea that it's somehow better to drive your track car on the road, and if possible, to rely on it for transportation to/from a track day. Blows me away how pervasive this notion is.

Usually when we drive the cars on the road, it's for a parade or something similar. It's all for show and the city has agreed to it and has made adjustments to cater for the event. GT4 cars are much closer to their road variants than GT3's, but I can't imagine it being any different.

Nobody is going to be impressed that you drove your car to the track, because there's absolutely no benefit in it. That's like a fashion model wearing the designer clothes all the way from home to the show whilst everyone else changes in the locker rooms. What's the point exactly?

McLaren obviously must have a reason for this. Some people have more money than sense when it comes to cars and motorsport. These are the most likely buyers of this car. Again, doesn't hurt to have options - surely doesn't effect me in any way.
 
Can you buy any McLaren safe in the knowledge that in six months McLaren won't have released something even better?

I mean, I could. I've driven a few of the things and can't imagine wanting any more than a 570GT. But collector types must be steaming.
Honestly the orange 570S we had would be pretty much spot on for me - that colour too. I can see me wanting the McLaren GT, and the 600LT makes me wibble a little bit, but anything above that would be... too much. I'd probably not want a 720S (although the Spider is a great piece of theatre), simply because it's too much, and the 570S got enough attention as it was.
 
I don't think anyone said it was better to not bring a trailer.

Lets say I drove from my house in Newcastle, to Bathurst. Raced the 12H in the GT4 class. Bar crashing out, completed the 12H and drove the thing home with no problems. That's a pretty remarkable feat.

Even if a support vehicle towed a trailer with tools. It's nearly the same outcome if the car is crashed. Ride home with the support vehicle anyway.

If someone takes their daily driver tontrack days, there is still the risk of crashing in the way to treacle and having a mishap at the track itself. I don't see the problem if the 620R was such a double duty car.

If it's doing double duty, it's going to be awful (and expensive) for (at least) one of those duties.

McLaren obviously must have a reason for this. Some people have more money than sense when it comes to cars and motorsport. These are the most likely buyers of this car. Again, doesn't hurt to have options - surely doesn't effect me in any way.

It's about image... on the street.
 
Honestly the orange 570S we had would be pretty much spot on for me - that colour too. I can see me wanting the McLaren GT, and the 600LT makes me wibble a little bit, but anything above that would be... too much. I'd probably not want a 720S (although the Spider is a great piece of theatre), simply because it's too much, and the 570S got enough attention as it was.
That's why the 570GT is in that sweet spot for me. The 720S is spectacular and I love the way it looks, but the 570GT is already faster than I'll ever, ever need to go, is a bit less showy, and being softer than the 570S it's even better as a road car (I also happen to prefer the GT's rear deck treatment to the S).
 
Usually when we drive the cars on the road, it's for a parade or something similar. It's all for show and the city has agreed to it and has made adjustments to cater for the event. GT4 cars are much closer to their road variants than GT3's, but I can't imagine it being any different.

Nobody is going to be impressed that you drove your car to the track, because there's absolutely no benefit in it. That's like a fashion model wearing the designer clothes all the way from home to the show whilst everyone else changes in the locker rooms. What's the point exactly?

McLaren obviously must have a reason for this. Some people have more money than sense when it comes to cars and motorsport. These are the most likely buyers of this car. Again, doesn't hurt to have options - surely doesn't effect me in any way.

If you're driving cars for the sake of posing infront of people, you shouldn't be driving one in the first place.

All I am stating is, history has done this on numerous moments before. Driving a racecar to the track, and back. It may not be for you, so be it, but there are gentleman drivers who would be keen on that experience, and motorsports is largely made up of gentleman drivers, that would be an interesting demographic to target such a car for.

s_1_1980_Kremer_Highway.jpg


Porsche 935's were on occasion driven on public roads to the track, despite being some of the most competitive advanced racing cars in its early years.

20191211_020422.jpg


Even James Cameron Glickenhaus himself has repeatedly expressed through the decades how his vision is designing his future competitive racing cars to be driven on public roads to the track and meet your team there, and having minimal changes done to them on location to be in full competitive spec, i.e tyres, exhaust.
And potentially saving on transport truck costs.

A9qL-Y1B1LfluVLaFayE2Q=s880.jpeg

Here we see an SCG 003 racing competitively on the circuit, and a competitive car it was, it has been driven on the public road to numerous racing venues throughout its career.

2880-1800-crop-scg-003c-c722104052016134700_1.jpg


But is this all practical? Of course it's not. But when you're a gentleman driver who can afford all this in the first place, you wouldn't be doing it for the practicality of it, but the unique experience as a whole.

This is why gentleman drivers do all this in the first place, for the experiences. If they were thinking only on being practical, they wouldn't be racing in the first place. But they have a passion for driving, and thats what matters.

For some, it amplifies the personal experience of actually truly owning said car, to own it and experience it on any public road, and any race circuit.

You could go as far as asking those at DragWeek why they drive their ProMods hundreds of miles towing trailers to numerous locations.

red-1968-camaro-drag-week.jpg


Do they do it because it's practical? Or because it's "cool"? Or perhaps for "street credit" as someome previously stated.
All this, I doubt.

hqdefault (3).jpg


I'm sure most of them do it because they can, and for the experience of it, for the hell of it.
Do they have to? Of course not. But they choose to, and that's fine, we all have a choice to cater towards our preferences.

042-HOT-ROD-Drag-Week-2015-lpr.jpg


Why have people traversed accross the antarctic on foot? Why was everest climbed and topped? Why does the Bobsleigh exist?

I'm pretty sure arctic adventurers dont look cool when they return home either.
(excuse the cheap pun)

It doesn't need to be practical to have a reason to be done, they were done for the hell of it, for the experience, perhaps even the uniqueness of it.

10-Fastest-Rides-of-Drag-Week-2015-02.jpg
 
Last edited:
I mean it's literally in the first line of the rules, so yeah, they do kinda have to.
Right, that was an overlook on my part. My bad.

However the point remains, DragWeek is well respected partly because of the fact many hotrodders take part in the first place is because of the drives inbetween on public roads, in even ProMods, and still slamming record times at the strip after each drive, I'd personally say there is something admirable about doing the drive and the race itself in one, especially when coming out on-top.

If you have a car that can do all that, and win, and keep winning despite the odds and drives between, she sure would be tough as nails

Again, James Cameron Glickenhaus himself likes to express this, and developes it in a competitive package.
 
Last edited:
If you're driving cars for the sake of posing infront of people, you shouldn't be driving one in the first place.

So judgey.

All I am stating is, history has done this on numerous moments before. Driving a racecar to the track, and back. It may not be for you, so be it, but there are gentleman drivers who would be keen on that experience, and motorsports is largely made up of gentleman drivers, that would be an interesting demographic to target such a car for.

I'm saying I don't get it. What's to be keen on?

Why have people traversed accross the antarctic on foot? Why was everest climbed and topped? Why does the Bobsleigh exist?

I'm pretty sure arctic adventurers dont look cool when they return home either.
(excuse the cheap pun)

Those I get. I mean I don't want to do it, but I get it.
 
Usually when we drive the cars on the road, it's for a parade or something similar. It's all for show and the city has agreed to it and has made adjustments to cater for the event. GT4 cars are much closer to their road variants than GT3's, but I can't imagine it being any different.

If you're driving cars for the sake of posing infront of people, you shouldn't be driving one in the first place.

We did this for the Spa 24h and the Nurburgring 24h. I even got to share the spotlight with a pair of Manthey-Racing Porsches that drove in front of our car in Belgium. Please tell me again that we shouldn't be driving in the first place. If your argument that one should drive their GT4 racecar to and from the track is to bring up Kremer's 935's from the 70's, which were far from advanced by any means and were just customer modified 935's, and some photos of weekend club racers with their hot rods, then perhaps that's my cue to leave this conversation behind. As for Glickenhaus, the man advertises his brand when he takes it onto the road. There's no actual benefit to what he's doing and not a single soul down the paddock in Germany (the last I saw his team) looks at their car and says "I wish our GT3 could do that."

Like I said, it's an extremely niche market. It's not practical, causes more trouble than it resolves, nobody thinks you're 'cool for doing it and I'm not entirely sure what the benefit is - seeing as how 'saving money on a trailer' is probably not an issue owners of a McLaren 620 R would be troubled by.
 
We did this for the Spa 24h and the Nurburgring 24h. I even got to share the spotlight with a pair of Manthey-Racing Porsches that drove in front of our car in Belgium. Please tell me again that we shouldn't be driving in the first place. If your argument that one should drive their GT4 racecar to and from the track is to bring up Kremer's 935's from the 70's, which were far from advanced by any means and were just customer modified 935's, and some photos of weekend club racers with their hot rods, then perhaps that's my cue to leave this conversation behind. As for Glickenhaus, the man advertises his brand when he takes it onto the road. There's no actual benefit to what he's doing and not a single soul down the paddock in Germany (the last I saw his team) looks at their car and says "I wish our GT3 could do that."

Like I said, it's an extremely niche market. It's not practical, causes more trouble than it resolves, nobody thinks you're 'cool for doing it and I'm not entirely sure what the benefit is - seeing as how 'saving money on a trailer' is probably not an issue owners of a McLaren 620 R would be troubled by.

As I did mention many times, its not practical, we covered that, and it really doesnt matter if people think you're cool or not, somehave done it fir their own personal experience, I never said you have to and must drive your GT4 McLaren to every race, I was simply asking if it fully complied to GT4 regulations despite being a road car, giving a potential option (if such gentleman drivers wanted to) to drice to the track. Obviously its not practical, neither is racing as a whole you could say, for these businessmen/gentleman drivers. Just thought it would be interesting to have the option/concept there if it did happen/was fully eligable to race in GT4.
 
Just thought it would be interesting to have the option/concept there if it did happen/was fully eligable to race in GT4.
So you're just going to drive there with no extra equipment and parts whatsoever? Sounds like you'd need a trailer to bring the necessaries with you, and at that point, the vehicle might as well be on it as well.
 
it really doesnt matter if people think you're cool or not, somehave done it fir their own personal experience, I never said you have to and must drive your GT4 McLaren to every race, I was simply asking if it fully complied to GT4 regulations despite being a road car, giving a potential option (if such gentleman drivers wanted to) to drice to the track. Obviously its not practical, neither is racing as a whole you could say, for these businessmen/gentleman drivers. Just thought it would be interesting to have the option/concept there if it did happen/was fully eligable to race in GT4.

None of it matters. That's the point. The race, itself, matters - hence the famous Steve McQueen quote; "Everything before and after is just waiting."
It's not practical. It's not cool, which is what you suggested it would be when you said "What isn't cooler than driving your race car to the track," and it's just a huge pain in the ass and you'd have to bring a trailer for your equipment anyway - and no, you can't fit multiple set of tires in the trunk of a McLaren.

But you could drive it to the track if you wanted to, but I doubt people will because it adds nothing but potential trouble and racing is all about mitigating your losses. If you are in the market to buy one of these, then who am I to tell you how you should run your team - do as you please - I'm just clarifying the pitfall that this presents 'cause it didn't seem like you possessed the experience to foresee it on your own. The only time we ran our racecars on the road was for parades before the event - and the cars were delivered to the parade in trucks and trailers. Trust me if racing drivers, be it a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum driver, wanted to drive their cars to the track, they would. I would never want to, the team would never let us and it's one of those things that sounds neat in theory, but falls flat on its face in practice.
 
That's why the 570GT is in that sweet spot for me. The 720S is spectacular and I love the way it looks, but the 570GT is already faster than I'll ever, ever need to go, is a bit less showy, and being softer than the 570S it's even better as a road car (I also happen to prefer the GT's rear deck treatment to the S).

I also like the baby Mclaren. Apart from the C8 Corvette which is vaguely supercarish, it's a shame that supercars now kind of have to have well over 600hp - probably more like over 700hp these days. While there are plenty of 500hp machines around, you can't get a contemporary supercar shape with all the other contemporary supercar tech (a lot of which is pretty neat and desirable) but with a more reasonable 500hp. Does a car need to be faster than an F40 to be exciting? I'd guess the answer to that is a very strong no.

For me ideally (and verging off topic)
Supercar: 500hp @ 2800lbs
Muscle car: 400hp @ 3500lbs
Sports car: 380hp @ 2700lbs
Hot Hatch: 200hp @ 2400lbs
Roadster: 150hp @ @ 2400lbs

I miss the late 90s / early 00s. :lol:
 
I also like the baby Mclaren. Apart from the C8 Corvette which is vaguely supercarish, it's a shame that supercars now kind of have to have well over 600hp - probably more like over 700hp these days. While there are plenty of 500hp machines around, you can't get a contemporary supercar shape with all the other contemporary supercar tech (a lot of which is pretty neat and desirable) but with a more reasonable 500hp. Does a car need to be faster than an F40 to be exciting? I'd guess the answer to that is a very strong no.
I think I've said here before, or at least somewhere before, that the perfect McLaren is the Alpine A110 :lol: It actually drives quite similarly to McLarens in many ways (it's a little softer but the control weights/responses/feedback are all similar), but has a usable amount of power for the road.

Really my perfect McLaren would be a 570GT with nearer 400hp instead of nearly 600hp. Would still be crazy fast but you'd feel like you're getting more from it more of the time.
 
"No end to the power" isn't an appealing sensation to me*, rather feeling as though you're wringing a sporty car for all it has to offer is very satisfying.

*Edit: Perhaps save for a luxo boat, which should feel completely unstressed at all times.
 
Back