Can you believe McLaren’s modern line of “Longtail” exotics is 10 years old already? It seems like just yesterday we saw the 675LT for the first time, the hardcore version of the 650S, revealed to the public at the now-defunct Geneva Motor Show.
The LT moniker has come a long way since then. Three years after the 675 came the 600LT, a lighter-weight, aero-laden version of the already excellent 570S. Then, in 2020, came the 765LT, a missile on wheels based on the near-flawless 720S.
The Longtail name is steeped in history. Like any good sports car trim, its origins can be found in racing, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. But the name has made more history since then, dominating comparison tests and lining collections in the form of the cars mentioned above.
Those two little letters have quickly become code for the best McLaren has to offer. Using a 765LT as a lens, let’s take a look back at how that happened.
History of the Longtail
The Longtail name made its first appearance way back in 1997, when the United Kingdom still ruled Hong Kong and Princess Diana was alive. McLaren, hot on the heels of its overall win at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, realized its competition was walking away from the F1 GTR as it sat with near-production bodywork.
Following some relaxation of the FIA’s homologation rules, which allowed further development so long as one road model was produced, McLaren made some significant changes to the F1 GTR for the 1997 GT championship. Most notable was the extended bodywork at the rear, earning it the Longtail nickname. The redesigned shape—also greatly reworked up front—reduced drag and increased downforce, while at the same time making the car easier to drive.
“I hadn’t driven the ‘95 or ‘96 cars back then, but I have more recently, and the Longtail is a massive evolution,” Chris Goodwin, former chief test driver for McLaren, said recently. “While you have to drive within the limit of the earlier GTRs and be more delicate, the Longtail encourages you to be more aggressive, so you can brake deeper and overdrive it immediately. Naturally, that leads to a faster lap time.”
The new body lines, paired with a 220-pound weight loss and a sequential transmission in place of the H-pattern manual, did wonders for the F1’s competitiveness. That year, it dominated the FIA GT championship, winning five of 11 races. The F1 GTR Longtail also finished second and third overall at Le Mans, taking first and second in class.
The legend of the Longtail was born, immediately cemented into the history books.
The Modern Longtail
In all, McLaren built 13 Longtail F1s, 10 GTR race cars, and three road cars. Despite their low production numbers with the F1, the Longtail name has blossomed into a full-on model line within McLaren’s range, meant to represent the most extreme, hardcore road cars the company offers.
Leaning on its legendary status as a race car, McLaren had the bright idea to revive the Longtail name in 2015, 18 years after it first debuted. But instead of bestowing the name upon another race car, the company built 1,000 road cars. The 675LT echoed the original Longtail’s purpose: To be more capable on a race track, through less weight and improved aerodynamics. Oh, and a longer tail.
McLaren managed to cut 220 pounds from the 650S thanks to more carbon panels, lighter wheels, a new exhaust system, carbon bucket seats, and a plastic rear window. The interlinked hydraulic suspension was retuned for the lighter body, while the aero balance was recalculated to account for the longer wing and deep splitter up front.
The original Longtail stretched 25.0 inches longer than the standard F1. The 675LT, however, is only 1.5 inches longer than the 650S. Though the visual change wasn’t nearly as distinctive, the jump in performance was obvious. The twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V-8, tuned to a sinister 666 horsepower, slung the carbon-tubbed car to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds, onto a top speed of 205 mph.
In our original review, we called the 675LT “a ridiculously quick and capable car” that’s also “exploitable and engaging, whether in track mode on a circuit, or just out on the road in a day-to-day driving.”
A worthy successor to the original, then.
The second modern McLaren to carry the LT moniker, the 600LT, was more of the same. It used a similar formula, stripping off 211 pounds by means of lighter equipment and more carbon. It also leaned on extra aerodynamics to improve downforce and lay down quicker lap times. And, of course, it had more power: 592 horses from its 3.8-liter V-8—up 30 hp from the 570.
The 600LT was even quicker to 60 mph, able to lay down a time of just 2.8 seconds when using launch control. But straight-line speed wasn’t its biggest feat. In our first drive from 2018, we called the 600LT “arguably the firm’s best product ever,” praising its balance, feel, and precision.
Then, in 2018, came the 765LT. A sharpened version of the transcendent 720S, it rewrote the book on just how wildly capable a supercar could be. For McLaren, it could’ve been rinse and repeat: Take weight out, then add power and downforce. But this time, the company did even more to set the Longtail apart.
In addition to all of the lightweighting and extra power, McLaren also added a new dual-clutch transmission with shorter gears and borrowed carbon-ceramic brakes from the Senna. Forget a missile on wheels. With a curb weight under 3,000 pounds and 755 horsepower under your foot, the 765 is a railgun trained on the next corner, ready to blow it to pieces.
The first time I drove the 765LT was in 2020, when I managed to snag just two laps at Lime Rock Park—a circuit I quickly discovered was far too small for a car as obscenely quick as this one. Straights were erased in seconds, and so were corners, if you knew what you were doing.
Even five years later, the latest Longtail is a mind-bender. Driving it on the street is a constant exercise in restraint, the lack of sound-deadening and ultra-stiff suspension reminding you with every foot of travel that this car is meant to be going flat-out at all times.
As soon as the road opens up, though, the 765LT is a revelation. Even at five years old, it’s impeccably modern in its delivery, with only a second of lag before the turbos kick in and launch you three football fields ahead. The steering is typical McLaren perfection. With hydraulic assistance and a thin wheel to grip, it’s a wonder competitors haven’t copied the LT’s homework here.
The real beauty lies in the 765’s chassis tuning and lack of weight. Heavier cars can handle just as well, but they end up feeling more synthetic, hiding behind a bunch of tech to make the same corner or reach the same speed. Here, there’s still a purity you can feel when you turn the wheel. That’s down to all the carbon fiber and McLaren’s funky interlinked suspension, which uses hydraulic connections in place of traditional sway bars.
But like that F1 GTR from 1997, the 765LT remains indefinitely approachable at those high speeds. Despite the massive power-to-weight ratio, short gears, and eye-popping brakes, it’s never scary or overwhelming. That Longtail spirit remains the same, even after all this time.
The Longtail’s Future
Through all three modern LTs, there is a string of constants. All rely on lightweighting, more horsepower, and greater aerodynamics to push the performance envelope. More importantly, these changes come without compromising on driver pleasure. Any upgrade brings joy to the person in the driver’s seat, whether they’re ripping through their local back road or pushing for a personal best at a race track.
There are surely more Longtails on the horizon. McLaren’s current Artura and 750S, which themselves use many learnings from the 600LT and the 765LT, don’t yet have LT variants of their own. When those cars do arrive, you can be sure they’ll carry the same ethos as that original race car from the ‘90s: Less weight, more engagement, and a longer tail.
Gallery: McLaren 765LT Review
