McLaren 570GT arrives

WITH an ever-growing range of mid-engined high-performance vehicles, McLaren is gaining more recognition and traction in the Australian market, and its 2016 sales are now on track to double with the arrival of the more luxury-focused 570GT.

The British supercar-maker’s line-up started to blossom following confirmation that the range would be divided into three families, from the flagship Ultimate Series, through mid-range Super Series to the most “attainable” Sports Series.

That range now extends to the Super Series 650S, 650S Spider and sold-out 675LT and the convertible Spider equivalent, as well as the 570S and 540C Sports Series options – and McLaren is maintaining the product onslaught with another offering.

With the more comfort-focused 570GT added to the entry-level range, the broadening appeal is being reflected in local sales volumes, and McLaren Automotive Asia-Pacific regional manager David McIntyre told GoAuto the addition would fuel a doubling of Australian sales.

“Our brand is growing,” he said. “We are definitely going to double our volume, at least, this year in Australia and the whole Asia-Pacific region, and worldwide, because the Sports Series has taken us into a completely new pool of prospects.

“In the past we have only really been selling to owners of Italian supercars, but now we have a range of cars for people predominantly coming from German sportscars.”With a 2015 tally of 51, Mr McIntyre’s forecast will take total Australian sales past the milestone 100 in 2016. However, the growth will not stop there, with a new Spider version of the Sports Series on its way here, too.

“Australia is increasingly becoming an important market for us,” he said. “The key markets are China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia. These are markets we really need to focus on, which is why we are doing so much here.”The original 570S Sports Series is expected to constitute the majority of sales within the more affordable range, but Mr McIntyre said the Woking-based manufacturing facility was flexible enough to alter production if a greater demand for the new variant arose.

“Our current thinking is that the 570S will be the main car within the series, but if the demand should switch towards the GT we can also change our production to meet that demand,” he said.

While the 570S and 540C represent the sharpest and more performance-bent variants in the Sports Series, Mr McIntyre explained that the GT version is targeting customers who want to use their McLaren more frequently.

“It’s there to offer a bit more everyday useability. It has a bit more luggage space in the back, the suspension is more turned to a softer setting, it’s more about a GT experience of cruising than ultimate lap times on track,” he said.

As its nomenclature would suggest, the newest member of the McLaren family is based on the $379,000 570S but adds a selection of comfort modifications, which bumps the price to $406,800 or $438,000 driveaway.

In addition to the donor model’s numerous performance-enhancing features such as extensive carbon-fibre construction, a mid-mounted 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the GT has more extensive coverage of leather throughout the interior, which extends into a luggage area behind the seats.

With the increase in storage area, the engine is no longer visible through the clear cover and the unusual flying buttress vents from the 570S and 450C have gone, replaced by a new glass hatch which hinges at the long edge for easy access.

McLaren says that with the 70-litre boosted luggage area, the volume combined with the nose compartment is 220 litres or about the same as the boot space of a Suzuki Swift.

The glass lid extends into a new glass panoramic roof, which has a tinted coating and the rear luggage area is accessible through new tilting seats, as well as the hinged hatch.

Cabin comfort is further enhanced with a revision to the suspension settings and a slightly softened spring setting, and a Pirelli P Zero tyre which was specially developed for the 570GT reduces road noise by up to three decibels.

With the modified engine cover arrangement, air management had to be rerouted around the rear surfaces and a fixed rear spoiler with 10mm extra profile has maintained the same downforce.

Standard equipment on the new model includes leather upholstery, electronically adjustable and heated seats, front and rear parking sensors and an eight-speaker Audio Plus sound system – optional on the 570S.

Customers wanting the ultimate sound-system can upgrade to a 12-speaker Bowers and Wilkins audio system that has been specifically tuned to complement the interior acoustics of the 570GT.

The extra features have added another 37kg to the McLaren’s mass, taking the total to 1350kg, which has impacted performance, but the 570GT can still crack 100km/h from standstill in 3.4 seconds – an increase of 0.2 seconds – but top speed is unaffected at 328km/h.