ESCAPE
HIGH ROAD
Practical MAGIC
McLaren’s stunning new GT is the EVERYDAY SUPERCAR that can deliver you to the golf links at 203 mph By Howard Walker I love McLarens—with a passion. I love the rock-out-of-a-catapult acceleration, the spooked-squirrel handling, the mind-reading steering that can almost predict your intentions before you even nudge the wheel. For me, these British-built projectiles are the very definition of the mystical term “supercar.” To drive one, to feel that 600-plus twin-turbo horsepower, is like downing a quadruple espresso after a lifetime of decaf. But, they do come with the odd compromise or two. The endless drone from those monster tires at each corner is like driving with a leaf blower in the passenger seat. Hitting any kind of lump or bump is like colliding with a Florida sinkhole. As for carrying personal items aboard, if they won’t fit into a squashy gym bag, you’re going to need to call FedEx. However, the new McLaren GT is a kinder, gentler McLaren with more refinement, comfort, and civility. Oh, and did I mention there’s 38
space in the back for a golf bag? Thank McLaren for listening to its customers—or its dealers, who likely moaned about losing another sale to more accommodating rivals, such as Bentley’s grand touring Continental GT or Aston Martin’s DB11. What we have here is the first McLaren hatchback. One tap of the key fob and the huge rear tailgate pops open to reveal a long, wide luggage area. And although it is rather oddly shaped, it works. According to McLaren, it can accommodate 14.8 cubic feet of “stuff.” That total climbs to 20.8 when you factor in the small forward trunk. While this new feature does transform the versatility of the GT, it too is not without its compromises—like having a heat-blasting 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 sitting beneath it. McLaren engineers had to develop a thermal heat shield to reduce temps from 900 degrees Fahrenheit around the engine to a still toasty 100. Stow that box of Godiva back there at your peril. More worrisome is the fact that the luggage area is open to the cockpit. Yes, there are numerous tie-down rings, but that loose jar of Petrossian beluga caviar could become a high-speed projectile under heavy braking. And as with all McLarens, this GT can stop with the same immediacy as hitting a brick wall. In keeping with the slightly more mellow image of this new GT, the design has also been softened. Unlike the angry-bird McLaren 720S on which it’s based, the GT sheds the track-focused rear wing, huge wheel-arch
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