First test of the McLaren 600LT 2019: balanced and bonkers

There is a fear that this may have been exceptional. A stroke of luck McLaren claims that the 600LT is the fourth LT, but in reality this is only the second.

The Long Tail GTR F1 could technically be the first LT, but it's a race car back when the company was McLaren Cars and not McLaren Automotive. It was an LT for purely aerodynamic reasons. The second and third LT are much more relevant than the 600LT, but are really the same as McLaren has just chosen to differentiate the 675LT Coupé from the almost identical 675LT Spyder. So the new 600LT is really only the second LT and it is important because it will clarify what is the LT sub-category. What traits of the awesome 675LT will we recognize in this new car? Will it have the same feel, interactivity and (most non-McLaren things) emotions? I certainly hope so.

Given that I long for things that are much more than bald facts, it seems almost wrong to start by framing the 600LT in numbers, but they are interesting and give a clear idea of ​​the difference of this car compared to a 570S . . Power and torque increases are quite low at 30 horsepower and 15 foot-pounds and although the time of 0.92 km / h in 2.9 seconds and the 0-125 mph time of 8.2 seconds are hugely impressive, the 220 pounds weight reduction is really more important to the LT philosophy.

True, weight gain is with the car in an "optimal specification", but even if you choose to add a few pounds for storage convenience and a few others to be able to listen to music and be guided by the navigation, weight savings are always important. Things such as triangles and light amounts that save more than 20 pounds of suspension and, combined with a 37-pound saving on wheels and tires, can have a very noticeable effect on driving and road holding. Spectacular exhausts at the top exit are not just for the theater (they spit blue flames under certain circumstances!), Because they save 27 pounds compared to the standard system. It should be noted that the car comes standard with sport bucket seats (46-pound economy) and not the ultra-light Senna seats (which save an additional 8 pounds). As impressive as the Senna seats are, I think I will stick to the already excellent sports seats because they are one of my favorite perches and make getting in and out a lot easier.

Whatever you choose, the sitting position is extraordinary and the visibility as wonderful as the one we now expect from McLaren. Going down the pit lane in the sun at Hungaroring, Normal mode was avoided (even if I try it briefly later – that's about what we expect, everything is just cut a bit) and we jumped with the Sport mode. The first thing you notice is the gear change. It's hard not to do it because every gear change accompanies a loud creak of the exhausts behind and a jolt that looks like an unexpected slap of a drunk friend in a pub. If I had a pint, she would have been upset.

I'm still trying a few changes at different diets with the same result. I like the sound of the ignition cut, but the bad mood is not something I've found in a McLaren before and it actually reminds me of the single-clutch box of the # 1. Aventador, which is not a good thing. This is apparently because of the new Inertia Push technology that we have seen in the other clutch systems of other manufacturers in the past, but it's a first in a McLaren. In fact, I would fear that the car would be disturbed if you moved at the wrong time on the track, certainly in the wet. Fortunately, the jolts disappear (or at least considerably lessen) if you put the power switch on Track, but the exhaust reports remain. Much better

I'm moving slowly in the first corners just to get an idea of ​​the direction – the weighting is fantastic. This is a pleasant reminder of the extra-oily weights that a hydraulically assisted system seems to be able to compare to an electrically assisted mount. It should be nice on the road.

Then it's time to increase the pace. I've already done a few laps in a 570S to acclimatize to the ruses of the Hungaroring and hit the main right for the first time in 600. I've braked where I was in the 570s. The difference is incredible. For starters, it's clear that I'm going to clear the necessary speed well before it's needed, but that's also the behavior of the back part that is so different. The 570S gives the impression that it has a lot of height when braking and that the tail tends to come off. I really like this feeling, but it requires very careful management. The 600LT, with its lower tread height of 8 millimeters, its stiffer springs at 34% at the rear (compared to 13% stiffer at the front) and its larger tip on the rear wheels, is much more stable . You can always tip the corners carefully on the brakes and easily turn the car early, but it is so much more controllable.

Relax the stability control at its dynamic setting and there is quite a lot of latitude in the turns, but what is good is that the 600LT feels completely natural beyond the limit. adhesion. Whether bouncing on a high curve in fourth gear and you feel that the car drifts towards the exit or that it sinks a little as the back slides to the left, the 600LT always gives you confidence. . Some cars cause a peak heart rate and a panic panic when they lose traction, but the new LT does not, as the progression of the grip to slip is as transparent as going from one to another. One room to another.

Tires certainly play an important role. The 600LT carries the custom-made Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R rubber that has been developed alongside it from the start. The engineers apparently went through 80 iterations before agreeing on the final version and the proof is that it was work to be done.

In acceleration, the 600LT will undoubtedly be incredibly fast on the road, but on the track, it is perhaps the most banal piece of the puzzle. This is the crazy world that sports cars live now. What is important is that there is a lot of torque to adjust the balance of the car, but this torque is now provided in a more linear fashion, so that the transition to power oversteer is well controlled.

My track time in the McLaren was too short (just 12 laps) and we'll have to wait a bit more to try it on the road but, even if I hesitate to make a final verdict, everything suggests that the 600LT was not a fluke. Braking hard in a bend, feel the grip through the ball of one foot on the left pedal, listen to the explosions activated with each pull of the left paddle and then play with the balance of the car in , through and out of a corner I could not stop myself from smiling. I guess you too. And it is surely the best metric to judge an LT.

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