McLaren will pay tribute to founder Bruce McLaren at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, celebrating his bold vision and the greatest moments of the six decades since McLaren started in 1963, including McLaren’s conquest of motorsport’s unofficial “Triple Crown” of victories at the Indianapolis 500, Monaco Grand Prix and Le Mans 24 Hours. McLaren Automotive will also look ahead with dynamic global debuts of two new models at the Goodwood Hillclimb, alongside other iconic cars both running and on display.
The new 750S V8-powered supercar will lead McLaren Automotive’s presence at this year’s festival, alongside the game-changing single-seat, closed-cockpit Solus GT. The Artura – McLaren’s high-performance hybrid V6 supercar – will also be on display. In the 750S, a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 developing 750hp and 800Nm of torque is combined with new lightweight elements to deliver a power-to-weight ratio of up to 587hp per tonne – 22hp per tonne larger than its nearest competitor. With more power and less weight (30kg DIN) than the 720S it replaces, the new 750S does 0-100km/h in 2.8 seconds and 0-200km/h in 7.2 seconds. With its lightest dry weight of just 1,277kg, the 750S is a remarkable 193kg lighter than its nearest competitor. Its outstanding dynamic characteristics are further unlocked by a new version of McLaren’s Proactive Chassis Control linked-hydraulic suspension, PCC III.
Jumping out of the virtual world and into reality, the Solus GT is a traceable evolution of a futuristic concept featured in the video game Gran Turismo SPORT. Only 25 customer cars will be built, all of which have been sold. The Solus GT is powered by a naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 engine that revs above 10,000 rpm and is mated to a bespoke seven-speed sequential gearbox. The engine produces 840bhp and 650Nm of torque and with the entire car weighing less than 1,000kg the performance is simply incredible, aiming for 0-100km/h in 2.5 seconds and a top speed of over 200mph. Wind tunnel research combined with CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) work results in an aerodynamic package capable of developing over 1,200 kg of downforce, enhancing the extreme trackability of the Solus GT.
As well as tackling the challenging Goodwood Hillclimb, the first Solus GT production car will also be on display at McLaren House, the marque’s home of the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed and the destination for fans looking to explore McLaren’s rich racing and automotive heritage. Silverstone-based high-performance engineering firm KW Special Projects (KWSP), which specializes in supporting exclusive road, track and show vehicle projects, is working alongside McLaren engineers as a technical delivery partner.
A selection of past and present McLaren models will run in the Supercar and Manufacturer lots. Artura, McLaren’s first V6 hybrid supercar, will take part in hillclimb action alongside McLaren’s first hybrid, the P1™ hypercar, celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2023. Ultimate Series models including the McLaren Senna and Elva will power up the hill, as will the 12C Job #1 – the very first production 12C.
On each of the festival’s four days, a ‘McLaren Moment’ will showcase some of McLaren’s greatest racing machines in a moving motor show on the Hillclimb. At times throughout the weekend, the fantastic collection of racing cars and drivers taking part will include Mika Häkkinen returning to the wheel of the MP4/14 in which he won the 1999 Formula 1 World Championship; Bruno Senna drove his uncle Ayrton Senna’s 1991 Formula 1 World Championship-winning MP4/6; and McLaren’s Le Mans 24 Hours race winner JJ Lehto in Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 MP4/23 F1 championship winner.
Spectators will also see cars developed by McLaren Customer Racing, including the 12C GT3, 650S GT3, 570S GT4, 720S GT3 X (which won the 2021 timed shootout at the hands of Rob Bell) and the GT3 Evo, as well as the new Artura Trophy race car.
Michael Leiters, Managing Director, McLaren Automotive: “This year it’s 60Th anniversary of McLaren’s founding, and the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the perfect event to celebrate six decades of thrilling achievements. Together with iconic cars from our past, we will showcase our current model range which, together with two dynamic global debuts, further strengthens the foundations of a new Future of Performance for McLaren”.
