McLaren Solus GT: an extreme machine from the Gran Turismo game to real life

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This is one of the few times that reality is stranger than fiction. I say this because many of us here have wanted to take those virtual cars from franchises like GTA, Forza or Need For Speed ​​and bring them to real life. McLaren fulfills that fantasy for us with the Solus GT, a car from the famous Gran Turismo game series brought to life. And this debuts, how could it be otherwise, in the prestigious Pebble Beach Contest of Elegance.

The story of the McLaren Solus GT begins with Vision Gran Turismoa series of concepts created by Polyphony and various brands to give us an idea of ​​what the racing cars of the future will look like. The McLaren Vision Gran Turismo debuted in GT Sport, as an advanced aerodynamic proposition powered by a hybrid V8 twin turbo of 1134 hp, capable of delivering all its torque (1275 Nm) immediately. While the Solus GT is not as radical and futuristic, it is a track toy like no other, of which only 25 units will be produced for very select McLaren customers.

From Play Station 4 to the real tracks

Give credit to the designers and engineers at McLaren, because they managed to almost perfectly convey the identity and silhouette of the Vision Gran Turismo to the Solus GT. It almost looks like a futuristic Formula 1 car, with certain shades of Red Bull X2010. In fact, with a few changes it could easily compete in the Hypercar class at Le Mans. The gigantic spoiler, raised nose and teardrop-shaped cockpit are capable of generating up to 1,200kg of downforce, and were developed in a wind tunnel. Ideal to keep this beast glued to the ground and that the splitters, side pods and aerodynamic floor generate all possible ground effect.

Fueling the Solus GT’s racing aspirations is a 5.2-litre Judd V10 engine, capable of developing 828 horsepower and 650 Nm of torque. It doesn’t have the hybridity and craziness of the McLaren Vision Gran Turismo, but Judd has a background in Formula 1, and this V10 can roar past 10,000 RPM, reminding us of the glory days of the highest category. A custom seven-speed sequential gearbox conveys this excitement to the rear wheels.

McLaren spared no effort in fine-tuning every aspect of the Solus GT. The suspension is of pushrod/pullrod just like a current F1 car, and it’s fully adjustable. The brakes are carbon and aluminum with six-piston calipers and the monocoque chassis is made of carbon fiber, with 3D-printed titanium reinforcements and a halo device in the cockpit. McLaren is aiming for performance in excess of 320 km/h and a 0-100 km/h time of 2.5 seconds.

Even with professional pilot suit and course

The cockpit can only be described as what you’d find in a Le Mans prototype, or if you’d rather think of it as a Formula 1 car but with a sliding roof. The steering wheel is almost the same as the one used by Lando Norris or Daniel Ricciardo, and instead of a rearview mirror, McLaren installs a camera with a panoramic view in real time and HD definition. Each of the 25 Solus GT owners will be assisted by professionals to create and adjust their own racing chair, equipped with a fire extinguisher and the regulations required by the FIA.

Each brand new Solus GT comes with a racing suit (also FIA homologated), a HANS device ready to use and headsets ready to use to race and communicate with your team manager or strategist. On top of this, McLaren is giving away a full driver course and access to exclusive track events for Solus GT owners. For this, it also includes a driver’s suitcase equipped with tools and elements to prepare your race car for any event.

Let’s not even talk about the price, because McLaren did not confirm figures, but something like that is worth millions of dollars. Not that it matters much, because the 25 units have already been sold, and the brand will make the first deliveries of the model by 2023. The life that some give themselves, living the virtual dream that we all pretend to have when using a video game.