New McLaren Solus GT is a Vision Gran Turismo racecar made real!

Unveiled at the recent Monterrey Car Week event, the McLaren Solus GT is more than just a limited-run, no-limits and track-only hypercar. In fact, the Solus GT sees McLaren turning what was once a mere video game concept into a high-speed reality.

The Solus GT can trace its roots in the Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo concept that McLaren designed for famed Sony Playstation driving title franchise Gran Turismo back in 2017. Said concept saw McLaren envision an extreme racecar with a motorcycle-like driving position, plus a hybrid petrol-electric twin-turbo V8 that outputs well over 1,100 hp.

Fast forward to last weekend’s reveal in Monterrey and, aptly, McLaren have made said digital vision a reality, albeit with some changes. For starters, the cockpit is somewhat traditional, as in it the motorcycle-like driving position has been dropped for a regular racecar’s single-seat affair. It does get a cool fighter jet-like sliding canopy for easier access, plus a halo-styled central spar for driver protection.

Similar to the digital concept mentioned, the Solus GT builds upon what McLaren claims to be a “unique monocoque chassis with motorsport-derived powertrain a structural element”. However, the concept’s hybrid V8 setup has been ditched in favour of a naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 mill instead. Reportedly sourced from Judd, it makes 829 hp and 650 Nm, and it’s also able to rev all the way up to 10,000 rpm.

By the way, the engine acts a stressed member, whilst the rear suspension is mounted off the seven-speed sequential gearbox itself. Altogether, the powertrains propels the Solus GT’s claimed bulk – less than 1,000kg, according to McLaren – up the speed rapidly. Nought to 100 kmh takes just 2.5 seconds whereas V-max stands well beyond the 322 kmh mark.

Visually, the Solus GT has remained faithful to the original 2017 design. Aptly, the design also sees a lot of extreme aerodynamics being engineered into it. McLaren says the track-only hypercar generates over 1,200kg of downforce as a result, and that’s despite it not incorporating any active-aero tech – it’s a simplistic racecar in a sense here.

McLaren hasn’t set any targets as yet, but the Solus GT is expected to be its fastest track car yet and surpass things like the Senna GTR and P1 GTR.

The extreme performance of the Solus GT is also reflected with the ownership experience that McLaren has planned for it. The firm is promising A full ‘racing driver experience’ that covers creating a custom-moulded driving seat, followed by the provisions of an FIA-homologated race suit, helmet and HANS (Head And Neck Support) device bespoke to each owner, as well as a driver-development coaching programme.

As mentioned, the McLaren Solus GT will be a limited-run offering, of which just 25 are planned. McLaren also confirmed that all 25 units are already spoken for, each tagged at a whopping  £2.5 million (approx. RM13.24 million). Yep, this video game concept turned real race car commands serious money – significantly more than the 1 million Credits the original concept commanded in the game.