McLaren Goes Retro With The McL 6GT, Its First Manual Car Since The F1

Just a handful of weeks ago, McLaren showed off a "new" M6GT that it had freshly created using the original blueprints, building it exactly as it would have been in the 1960s. Bruce McLaren envisioned the M6GT as a roadgoing coupe homologated for Group 4 regulations, with the car being based on the M6A Can-Am racer, but the project never materialized a handful of prototypes, two of which were converted to road use.

Now McLaren is going much further to bring Bruce McLaren's supercar dream to life with the new McL 6GT, a limited-edition supercar with the automaker's first noticeably retro design. Beyond just its design that pays obvious homage to the M6GT (and looks unlike any other modern McLaren), the McL 6GT will have fans really excited for one big reason: It has McLaren's first manual transmission since the F1, and it's a real manual. The company says the McL 6GT "lays the foundations for a newly positioned and highly exclusive type of McLaren supercar beyond the core and expanded portfolio, which will be made real with a production version of McL 6GT in 2028."

First of all, yes, McLaren McL 6GT is the actual name. You pronounce McL by saying each letter, not by saying it like "mickle," though. Second of all, there isn't really much we know about the car yet, at least not beyond how it looks. McLaren says the McL 6GT has a "the latest super-lightweight carbon-fiber monocoque" and "V8 internal combustion power," so it likely shares its carbon tub and twin-turbo engine with the W1. We know it's rear-wheel drive, and because McLaren says it "celebrates a form of driving connection that is increasingly rare: tactile, analogue, and deeply mechanical," I doubt it'll use the W1's hybrid system.

And yeah, it's got a legit manual transmission. It's a six-speed unit, but we've got no real details aside from that. McLaren says the shape of the shifter was chosen for "maximum feel and throw," and McLaren's Speedy Kiwi logo is etched into the upright. It certainly looks really cool, and all of the other interior switchgear is unique to this car, as is the slim portrait-oriented touchscreen. 

I got to see the McL 6GT in person parked nose-to-nose with a red M6GT the day before its official reveal, and the design connection between the two cars is strong. The new car's proportions and shape are really different from other modern McLarens, more wedge-like with a kammback tail and a clearly '60s greenhouse. Its surfacing is pretty clean and simple, with some technical features like the straked side skirts. I particularly liked the stacked headlights; the lower circle has an intake inside of it.

The shape of "racing loop" taillights is found all over the car — you can see it here in the exhaust tips, the whole design of the rear end surround, and the vents cut out of the engine cover. The pill-like shape is also used for the interior climate control vents, details on the seats and instrument cluster, and the steering wheel spokes. What you won't find inside is analog gauges, with the McL 6GT instead using the same sort of digital cluster as other McLarens.

McLaren says the McL 6GT does not serve as a preview for future McLaren designs, though some details and ideas may make their way to other cars in the lineup. This car is its own specific thing sitting on its own mountaintop, with an exact vision of inspiration. "The McLaren McL 6GT imagines what our inspirational founder had wished to complete but with six additional decades of innovation and passion woven through every element, creating a modern icon of driver connection. It is symbolic of the bold, provocative and hugely exciting future that we are preparing to realize," said CEO Nick Collins, who's held the position for just over a year.

I'm sure we'll learn a lot more about the McL 6GT over the next couple years as it gets closer to production. We also don't know how much it will cost or how many it will make, though a recent rumor pointed to fewer than 100. If you're at Monterey Car Week, prepare to be disappointed — it's not going to be on display at The Quail or the Concours or any other events, instead being tucked away at McLaren House for private customer viewings.