mclaren turns solus GT from playable concept car in video game to real-life racetrack vehicle

Mclaren soluS GT in gran turismo sport game in 2017

McLaren Solus GT was featured in Gran Turismo SPORT video game in 2017 as a playable racetrack concept car. Five years later, McLaren created a real-world Solus GT that can be driven on a racetrack, capturing the futuristic visual car elements of the video-game vehicle in its tangible and drivable replica. The single-seat, closed-cockpit track car was no longer just a concept for automotive curiosity, but a motorsport hypercar that speeds through racetracks in no time, produced only for 25 people.

It is not every day that car giant McLaren makes video-game players’ dreams come true. When it saw the chance to transform the concept car into a real-life vehicle, it grabbed it by its hook and lent the racetrack motorsport car a striking design that remains faithful to its virtual counterpart. From the outside, the spaceship-looking racetrack car flashes its sliding canopy above the single, central seat, and the wheels are covered by streamlined pods that can help the racetrack car to move through the air easily.

On July 13th, 2023, McLaren Solus GT made its debut at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed where its full-throttle assault on Goodwood’s 1.16-mile Hillclimb in Sunday’s grand finale saw McLaren Factory Driver Marvin Kirchhöfer storm to the top of the timesheet with a run of 45.342 seconds. This secured McLaren’s second Festival of Speed Timed Shootout win in three years, following victory in 2021.

images courtesy of McLaren

canopy door makes racetrack car feel like jet-fighter plane

At the front of the McLaren Solus GT, a large front splitter helps push air under the car to create a ‘suction effect’ that can help the vehicle achieve a better grip on the ground. Under the car, there are tunnels that use the air it gathers as it drives away to generate downforce which can help the racetrack vehicle to be stable and fast. The air that goes through the engine to keep it cool comes from a special opening above the driver’s head, and this not only keeps the engine from getting too hot but also makes a humming, white-noise-like sound that the driver can enjoy.

McLaren Solus GT makes the driver feels as if they were hopping inside a jet fighter plane too by the way the canopy doors open, a design element that the brand opts for instead of regular butterfly or scissor doors. As soon as the driver steps inside, the single seat, which is fixed, snugs comfortably around the driver’s body. The pedals can be adjusted like in a race car too, but there’s a handy remote control to do it from where the driver is sitting. Looking at the steering wheel, it is inspired by those used in Formula 1 racing cars with its rectangular shape and platform equipped with controls and a display.

McLaren Solus GT was featured in Gran Turismo SPORT video game in 2017

carbon-fiber monocoque for racetrack mclaren solus GT

McLaren Solus GT is designed to give the driver a 180-degree view with its sun-visor-styled and panoramic windows, helping them position the car correctly when they are driving on a track. For Solus GT, McLaren offers its 25 drivers a special race suit, helmet, and safety device called HANS, all approved for racing by a motorsport governing body called FIA. The earplugs they use are radio-enabled, so they can easily communicate with others while driving. Common with every McLaren since 1981, the Solus GT is housed in a carbon-fiber monocoque.

For specs enthusiasts, the engine in the Solus GT is a 5.2-liter V10, a custom-made one with ten cylinders and precision parts to ensure it performs at its best and can rev up to more than 10,000 times per minute. To make the engine responsive, the designers used a special system called barrel-driven throttles where the engine’s parts are all connected and driven by gears, not belts or chains. The Solus GT can go from 0 to 100 km/h (around 62 mph) in just 2.5 seconds and can reach a maximum speed of more than 200 mph (around 320 km/h).

years later, McLaren created a real-world Solus GT that can be driven on a racetrack