McLaren Senna GTR Revealed With 814 Horsepower, 75-Car Limited Run

In the GTR, McLaren takes the already blistering Senna—named for historic McLaren Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna—to a new level by increasing power output, decreasing weight, and making the car's already aggressive aerodynamics even more so.

Whereas the road car's engine—the 4.0-liter, twin-turbo M840T V8—makes 789 horsepower, the Senna GTR's is the racier M840TR, which lays down 814 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. Some of this power comes from freeing up the exhaust via removal of the secondary catalytic converter, which has the side effect of making the Senna GTR louder. Shucks.

McLaren loaded up the Senna GTR with everything necessary to make it a track or race car, such as onboard pneumatic jacks, a fire suppression system, pit radio, front- and rear-facing cameras, a data logger, and air conditioning. Despite making these additions, McLaren made cuts elsewhere to bring the GTR's dry weight down to 2,619 pounds, 22 less than that of the road car. This gives the GTR a power-to-weight ratio of 694 horsepower per ton, or greater than that of the Bugatti Veyron Supersport, a former production car top speed record-holder.

Being a track car, McLaren has ensured that the Senna GTR is even more serious in corners than it is on the straights. Downforce at 155 mph totals 2,205 pounds to the road car's 1,763, but despite the added downforce, the GTR's active aero means that it's less draggy than the road car. Its aero curve is more aggressive too, generating useable levels of downforce at 15 percent slower speeds than the road car.

Conveying this added force to the GTR's 285- and 325-section Pirelli racing slicks, which encapsulate 19-inch center lock wheels, is a 720S GT3-style double wishbone suspension, complete with adjustable damping and camber. As a result, the GTR sits 1.3 inches lower than the road car and has a track about three inches wider front and rear. Full traction control, anti-lock brakes, and collision radar mean that most of the GTR's performance potential is accessible to 95 percent of drivers, McLaren says.

Like the road car, the Senna GTR will be made in limited numbers—75 to the road car's 500. Also like the road car, this £1.1 million GBP ($1.4 million USD) hypercar is entirely sold out. Those who missed out can console themselves with a Lego replica.

"The McLaren Senna GTR is a perfect example of our determination to bring our customers the Ultimate expression of track driving performance and excitement," said McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt. "The McLaren Senna was designed from the outset to be an extreme track car, but the 2018 McLaren Senna GTR Concept suggested how much more further we could go and now, free from the constraints of road car legislation and motorsport competition rules, we have pushed the limits of what is technically possible to advance circuit driving capability to another level entirely."