McLaren Trademark Filing Hints New Mid-Engined Grand Tourer Might Be Called ‘GTZ’
The model name was just filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office last week.
Earlier this month, McLaren announced at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show that it will launch a grand tourer within a few months' time, and The Drive has now discovered a trademark that might have revealed the upcoming model's name.
A New York-based intellectual property law firm representing the British automaker filed last Wednesday with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the rights to the name "McLaren GTZ," as pertaining to "motor land vehicles, namely automobiles, and structural parts therefor." A different London-based firm filed on McLaren's behalf with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) for the similar "GTZ" mark in mid-February.
Elemental to this "GTZ" name are its first two letters: GT, which in the automotive world is an acronym for grand touring. This points to the GTZ name being a candidate for the aforementioned grand tourer, as of yet unnamed. McLaren itself has only described its GT car as a comforting and spacious, the "most usable mid-engined car yet," but insists that this won't handicap the model's performance. McLaren promises that the vehicle will be the lightest in its class, and feature the best power-to-weight ratio, making it not just agile but also bullet quick.
Specifications for the grand tourer aren't yet available, but McLaren says information on the car—including its name—will arrive in the coming months. McLaren guaranteed that the car will "share its DNA" with the more limited, 1,035-horsepower Speedtail hypercar, whose signature feature is its central driving position and three-abreast seating. What little we've seen of the car in the above trailer suggests that this grand tourer could share the Speedtail's central driving position, and though the car shown may just be a right-hand-drive prototype (as is standard in McLaren's home of Britain), the car is driving on the right side of the road, whereas Britain drives on the left.
Update: A McLaren spokesperson has confirmed to The Drive that GTZ will not be the name used for McLaren's grand tourer, and that the model's official name will be announced in a matter of weeks.
