McLaren will continue its crusade for ever-lighter supercars and hypercars as it looks towards its next generation of models.
With the adoption of hybridisation inevitable, the weight of cars across the board will almost certainly increase, leading to an increased importance when it comes to reducing weight.
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"Reducing vehicle weight is at the centre of our strategy for the next generations of McLaren supercars," said Mike Flewitt, chief executive officer, McLaren Automotive. "We are already class-leading and committed to further driving down weight in order to be in the best possible position to maximise the efficiency and performance of hybridised models to be introduced by 2025.
"Vehicle mass is the enemy of performance whether a car has a conventional internal combustion engine or a fully electrified powertrain, so winning the weight race is an absolute priority for us – and one of the reasons McLaren Automotive has invested heavily in the McLaren Composites Technology Centre, our own UK composite materials innovation and production facility."
The push for ever-lighter cars comes fresh of the back of the launch of the new 765LT, the latest in McLaren's line of harcore 'Longtail' supercars.
The limited-run car weighs in at just 1,229 kg, making it 80kg lighter than the 720S on which it is based.
Among the weight saving measures employed in the car are a number of composite components, race car-like seats, lightweight side windows and motorsport-style polycarbonate glazing at the rear of the car, Formula 1-grade materials in the transmission, the removal of air conditioning, and a titanium exhaust system which alone is 40 percent lighter than an equivalent steel component.
There's also ultra-lightweight wheels wrapped in bespoke Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo R tyres, locked onto the car with titanium wheel bolts, reducing unsprung mass and saving 22kg.
The weight saving measures, allied with the 754 horses being put out by the car's 4.0-litre V8 engine (up from 710 bhp in the 720S) helps the car reach 62 mph in just 2.8 seconds and 124 mph in 7.2 seconds.
Gallery: 2021 McLaren 765LT
