McLaren shows off new grand tourer in light camo

McLaren announced its upcoming grand tourer model at the Geneva Motor Show last month. The yet-unnamed GT will not be part of any established McLaren series, but rather doing its own luxury thing as a newcomer. We presume there are a number of McLaren customers who, while appreciative of the brand’s image and engineering, would put a premium on cabin comfort and highway legs rather than outright supercar intensity – not that McLarens usually come that stripped.

The manufacturer has now released new teaser images of the carbon-monocoque car, without any obscuring plastics, just camo on the grand tourer’s flanks. The design appears pleasingly un-gimmicky, in a classic 2000s supercar way — there’s certainly a touch of Ferrari about it. But what sets the upcoming model apart from usual supercar fare will be its cabin: reportedly comfortable and spacious enough to complete a 1,000-mile jaunt from Woking to Barcelona in one go, complete with a full set of luggage on board. McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt dubbed the grand tourer “the most useable mid-engine car yet” at the Geneva event.

Engineering a supercar-shaped vehicle to have useable trunk space must be a challenge, but the production car is said to be able to transport a full set of golf clubs or two pairs of 6-foot-long skis and associated ski boots — in other words, what a McLaren owner would happily pack for a continental holiday.

The powertrain of the grand tourer will consist of a twin-turbo V8, with electrification to help it reach the kind of range needed in a comfortable continent-crossing car.