The McLaren 765LT Is Ballistic

In 1967, the first driver officially broke the one-minute barrier at Lime Rock Park. Sam Posey got his Can-Am McLaren race car around the 1.53-mile bullring in a blistering 58.6 seconds. It’s a time that’s still considered quick today. Sam likes to say that anything lapping the track in less than a minute is really moving.

Over time, as speeds increased and lap times dropped below 50 seconds, modifications were made to the track to keep cars in check. First a chicane was added at the top of the perilous uphill, a blind section famous for making some cars lift their front ends, after John Morton had a terrifying airborne crash that luckily didn’t kill him. In 2008, an even bigger change saw the uphill bypassed with a tight chicane that included a heavy braking zone, a further step to keep cars on the ground. It also saw a big change in lap times, slowing them by seconds.

On that slower layout, the McLaren 765LT—the wildest, most powerful, and track-focused version of the 720S—was able to run a 57.6-second lap. That’s a full second quicker than Posey’s Can-Am car, one of the most powerful and daunting race cars of all time. It even topped 160 mph on the front straight, a full 15 mph more than the current McLaren 720 GT3 race car. Outrageous numbers for any car, let alone one you can drive on the street.

The 765LT is nothing if not outrageous. The hard-core version of our 2017 Performance Car of the Year, the 765LT has 755 horsepower and weighs about 140 pounds less than the car it’s based on. It’s louder, meaner, and more serious than the 720S. It’s also more intimidating.

By all accounts the 765LT should be terrifying. This is a lightweight road car putting a righteous amount of power through just the rear wheels. Where the 720S is forgiving and friendly to drive, the 765LT has a bit of a reputation as a handful, a bit too crazy, a bit too wild. By our own account, this car can light up its tires in the first few gears on the highway. Sounds a lot like the modern analog of Can-Am, a series that produced cars with insane power outputs and then let the drivers figure out how to keep them under control.

With that in mind, my first few laps were trepidatious. I set traction control to very much on, mindful that any throttle tip-in could send an English carbon-fiber missile hurtling into the woods.

There was really no need to worry. As speeds increased, so did confidence. The LT never tried to bite, didn’t try to send me off track, didn’t do anything unpredictable at all. It was intensely communicative, electrifying in a straight line, and had breathtaking brakes.