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The Stunning McLaren 720S GT3 Is Here to Dominate Race Tracks Around the World

Andries Van der WaltComments Off on The Stunning McLaren 720S GT3 Is Here to Dominate Race Tracks Around the World
The Stunning McLaren 720S GT3 Is Here to Dominate Race Tracks Around the World McLaren’s replacement for the 650S GT3 is finally here.
McLaren has finally gotten around to building a replacement for the mighty 650S GT3 race car, and today, it’s released all the details. Based on the 720S road car, the 2019 McLaren 720S GT3 promises to be faster, more efficient, and more accessible than its predecessor. It also looks phenomenal.

Though it uses the same carbon fiber monocoque chassis, McLaren claims that 90 percent of the 720S GT3 has been either changed or upgraded from the road car. A race-prepared version of the road car’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 makes an appearance, but instead of being paired to a dual-clutch transmission, it gets power to the wheels via a six-speed sequential. The 720S GT3 has received a host of changes inside and out to comply with 2019 FIA GT3 regulations, too. The cabin features a newly developed roll cage, a fixed carbon-kevlar racing seat, a six-point harness, a roof-hatch extraction system, and side-impact foam. And as you can see from the pictures, there’s a whole lot of new aero.

McLaren significantly revised the front and the rear for maximum aero efficiency using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Like wind-tunnel development, CFD helps make sure air travels around the 720S GT3 as smoothly as possible, but it’s a lot cheaper and less time-consuming. There’s also new suspension geometry with four-way adjustable dampers and coil-overs, as well as an air-jack system and driver-adjustable traction control and ABS.

McLaren says one of its main focuses for the 720S GT3 was to make it more accessible for teams and drivers not just in terms of drivability, but from financial and serviceability perspectives as well. Fuel efficiency and tire management have been given lots of attention, too, with the company working with Pirelli to run 36-hour endurance tests.

McLaren promises the 720S GT3 will be ready for customer teams for the start of the 2019 race season. It already has two development cars testing in Europe and the US, and plans further testing in the Middle East. As far as pricing goes, a 720S GT3 will cost you $564,000—around double that of the road car.

We can’t wait to see this thing on track next year.

Source: Roadandtrack.  Image: McLaren