If you’re anything like me, you’ll get a strong sense of individual freedom from driving. There’s no better feeling than being set free on an open road. Especially if you’re driving a super car.
All you seasick sailors out there, yeah I get it, the ocean is pure freedom, but as someone who likes to keep their feet firmly on the ground, the most honest sense of liberty I can find is in putting myself behind the wheel of a car and just going.
There’s something uniquely thrilling about wandering. Going where you want, when you want. The thrill is in the movement, not the destination. The kids call it wanderlust. It’s tapping into the invisible flow of life where the fantastically absurd and the absurdly fantastic can greet you around every corner.
If you’re fortunate enough to have found great wealth and dream of making your own road trip adventure, McLaren may well be building the perfect car for you. 2020 will see the release of their grand tourer - the McLaren GT - which promises to balance cross-continental comfort with killer mountain-road performance.
The range of McLaren super cars can often end up being showpieces in a rich man’s garage. Sure, they get taken out to the track once in a while but besides that, they’re kept immaculate, under lock and key. Here’s a McLaren which is made to be driven, one that’s built to get out there and get dirty.
Of course, there’s a sizable deficit in the track stats when comparing the GT with the race-ready 720S but it's a small price to pay for the sheer practicality of long-distance driving. The levels of performance achieved are still at competition standards.
The 4.0 twin-turbocharged V8 engine produces 612bhp with a top speed of 203mph. The McLaren GT will do 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds and 0-125mph in 9 seconds. I really cannot imagine a scenario while gliding through Tuscany where I would need more shoe than that…
Compared to the more race-hardened Mclarens, the GT has softer suspension for increased ride comfort and altered steering geometry to suit straight-line cruising. Having said that, this is still a race car. It is superbly quick and deftly agile.
Further refinements include special quiet tires and, importantly, a nose that is high enough off of the ground to avoid scraping your way over Spanish speed bumps. The GT has the signature swing-up doors which are in all McLarens but here they include power-assisted closing. There is not a convertible version of the GT but there is an optional electrochromic glass roof which looks lush.
One of the key things necessary for a grand tourer, as boring as it might sound, is luggage space. The GT maintains the sleek lines of a supercar yet has a less overt aesthetic due to it being longer and bulkier. Luggage space is created by sacrificing a back seat and mounting the engine in the middle of the car, providing storage room at both the front and rear.
The mid-mounted engine is lowered to provide 420 liters of luggage space above it. This can house skis, golf clubs or a guitar. The front of the car can hold a further 150 liters putting the combined total luggage space at 570 liters.
All this practical talk about luggage space might be a bit boring for the cross-continental road warrior who is itching to just go but for anyone who is essentially going to live out of their car for some time, it’s pretty important.
Looking at others in the same class, the Aston Martin DB11 and the Ferrari Portofino both have less than 300 liters of storage space. The Porsche 911 Turbo S has just 115 liters, which is when your back seat becomes your wardrobe.
The McLaren GT is due to roll out in 2020 with a starting price of £163,000 ($205,000). If you’re dreaming of making an epic road trip in any part of the world, EliteLYFE can assist you. They provide bespoke concierge services for UHNW travelers which include access to a complete range of exotic cars.
Wherever you want to go, whatever you want to drive, contact EliteLYFE and they’ll make it happen.
