2021 McLaren 765LT Review

Threading the needle between street-legal and closed course-only, the 2021 McLaren 765LT is a more extreme, track-oriented version of the automaker's 720S supercar. How much more extreme? It's nearly 200 pounds lighter, and it has a lower, wider front end, stiffer suspension and 25% more aerodynamic downforce for even more surgical handling performance. And, just for good measure, it makes 45 more horsepower, too.

If you're keeping score, that's 755 hp in a package that weighs about the same as a compact economy car — even less if you opt for every available piece of carbon fiber, such as seat shells that weigh just 7.5 pounds each. McLaren's obsessive pursuit of weight savings, perhaps rivaled only by fellow British carmaker Lotus, sees unnecessary grams everywhere. Hence, the 765LT comes with no carpet, no radio, no air conditioning, and only lightweight suede upholstery to separate you from bare metal, plastic and composites.

Anything that can be carbon fiber is carbon fiber, even the license plate frame. If it isn't carbon fiber — such as the standard aluminum hood, doors and bumpers — it's probably available as an option. The result is a featherweight car with astonishing power and grip but also a bone-rattling ride quality and omnipresent vibration. At idle, it reverberates like a reciprocating saw and smooths out slightly as the engine speed increases. The mechanical growl doesn't sound particularly inspiring until you apply some sustained pressure on the gas pedal, at which point it sounds like an angry robotic bear at full howl.

The 765LT's price and exclusivity (only 765 will be made) place it in a category of near-unobtanium. Yet it's not the best car for buyers looking to project wealth or status, even if you have an on-call chiropractor. Unless you're a racing enthusiast familiar with the sacrifices of comfort for performance, there are similarly capable alternatives still docile enough for daily driving. The McLaren 720S is an obvious choice, but the Lamborghini Huracan, Ferrari F8 Tributo and Porsche 911 GT3 are also sublime performance machines that don't forsake common comforts like heated seats, smartphone integration or basic driver safety aids.

But physics are physics, and those added comforts do come at the cost of uncompromised acceleration, braking and handling, areas where the 765LT is arguably unrivaled as a road-legal performance car. 

The McLaren 765LT starts with a turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine, mounted behind the seats, generating 755 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. Power passes through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission before reaching the rear wheels.