After its debut at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed, fans (and rivals) have eagerly waited for news of the McLaren 650S GT3’s first race – and now we have it! It will be part of the starting grid at the 2014 Gulf 12 Hour race at the Yas Marina Circuit December 12-13, 2014. The car bears the number 59 in all the promo images, which is the same as the McLaren F1 GTR which won in its debut at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. Is this a sly way of putting the endurance racing world on notice? McLaren GT’s Managing Director, Andrew Kirkaldy told AUTOSPORT: “I would be very surprised if you don’t see a 650S running at Le Mans at some point and we hope to be there from 2016.” Don’t forget we also have to keep our eye on the developing McLaren P1™ GTR too. Welcome back to the party, McLaren!

McLaren 650S GT3 Technical Specification

Chassis/Body
*  McLaren carbon fibre MonoCell with aluminum front and rear sub frames
*  Bespoke lightweight carbon fibre/composite body panels
*  Left hand drive
*  FIA approved safety roll cage
*  Air-jacking system
*  Colour – customer choice

Aerodynamics
*  Front splitter and dive planes
*  Rear wing – fully adjustable with gurney
*  Front and rear diffusers

Engine/Management
*  Race prepared 3.8L V8 twin turbo McLaren M838T
*  McLaren Electronics ECU incorporating turbo boost and transmission shift control

Transmission
*  Six-speed sequential motorsport transmission pneumatically actuated via steering wheel mounted paddles

Electrical System
*  Lightweight motorsport specification wiring and connectors
*  Electronic power management system
*  Membrane type switch panel
*  Auxiliary power supplies for fitment of team equipment (radio etc)

Data System
*  McLaren Electronics ‘ATLAS’ data system
*  Motorsport digital dash display

Front/Rear Suspension
*  Double wishbone adjustable for ride height, camber and toe
*  4-way adjustable dampers with coil over springs
*  Motorsport axles with single wheel retaining nut
*  Adjustable anti-roll bars
*  Forged aluminium wheels: Front 12.5” x 18”, Rear 13” x 18”

Steering
*  Electro-hydraulic power assisted steering
*  Unique McLaren GT composite steering wheel incorporating key driver switch controls and map settings

Fuel System
*  Motorsport ‘bag tank’ system with 125L capacity
*  Motorsport ‘quick-fill’ system

Brake System
*  Monoblock calipers with ventilated discs:
Front – 6 piston caliper, 380Ø x 35mm disc
Rear – 4 piston caliper, 355Ø x 32mm disc

*  Bosch motorsport ABS
*  Adjustable brake bias

Cockpit
*  McLaren GT bespoke composite seat shell
*  Six-point racing harness
*  Motorsport pedal box – adjustable position
*  Lightweight carbon fibre dash with integrated driver display and switch panel
*  Motorsport fire extinguisher system

 

From McLaren Automotive:

McLAREN 650S GT3 TO COMPETE AT GULF 12 HOUR AS FINAL STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Oct 6, 2014

* 650S GT3 to face its toughest test yet with 12 hour desert endurance test
* Global competitive debut of the latest GT model from Woking
* Dramatic 650S GT3 preview video – ‘The Chase’ – available to view and embed from the official McLaren Automotive YouTube channel – http://youtu.be/VFYQwsXq7vI

The 650S GT3 will be unleashed in a competitive environment before the end of the 2014 season as the latest model from McLaren GT is confirmed to complete its development programme sign off with the ultimate test of endurance and performance at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The global competitive debut will take place at the 2014 Gulf 12 Hour race, 12-13 December, before the 650S GT3 joins customer teams from next season.

McLaren GT has used the 2014 season to develop the 650S GT3 before joining GT grids with customer teams around the world from the start of 2015. The race will be the final sign-off for the latest Woking-built model, and also be the most challenging to-date, with the race debut also being one of the most competitive events on the GT calendar. The grid attracts some of the biggest names in GT racing, and is the final headline event of the season with the 2014 event expected to feature around 30 cars in the GT3 category.

Andrew Kirkaldy, Managing Director McLaren GT, explained: ‘The development programme of the 650S GT3 has been extensive already, with the team testing over thousands of kilometres in various conditions. The Gulf 12 Hour will give us the opportunity to fully evaluate the 650S GT3 in a real life race environment, which presents a very different challenge. It will be the toughest test the 650S GT3 has faced so far – a real race situation with a highly competitive grid in high ambient temperatures.

‘Any endurance race is a true test of a car, but we are pushing the boundaries with the 650S GT3. We have worked hard to enhance all areas of driver engagement, and optimised cooling with no adverse effects of performance. This has broadened the performance envelope to make the 650S GT3 more of a drivers’ car, with its performance more easily accessible to all drivers on the growing GT grids we are now seeing around the world.’

Further details regarding the driver line-up for the 650S GT3 at the Gulf 12 Hour will be confirmed in the coming weeks.