Bruce McLaren’s vision for a road-going supercar never reached completion. More than six decades later, McLaren Automotive is turning that ambition into reality with the McL 6GT.
Unveiled at Monterey Car Week, the McL 6GT is a production-ready concept that points towards a new direction for the British marque. Most significantly, it will be the first McLaren to use a manual gearbox since the legendary 1992 F1.
The new car is designed around what McLaren describes as a more tactile and mechanical driving experience. Rather than focusing solely on outright performance, the McL 6GT aims to put the driver at the centre of the experience and reconnect McLaren’s future with its analogue heritage.
Production is expected to begin in 2028, although McLaren has yet to confirm pricing or reveal when customer deliveries will begin. More details are expected to emerge next year.
A modern interpretation of the M6GT
The McL 6GT takes its name and inspiration from the M6GT, Bruce McLaren’s ambitious road-car project from the late 1960s. Like the original, the new car uses a V8 internal-combustion engine, although McLaren has not yet revealed full technical details.
Its proportions will be familiar to anyone who knows McLaren’s modern mid-engined supercars, but the styling takes a very different approach. The designers have drawn heavily from the sports-prototype racers of the 1960s, combining their low, wide proportions with contemporary aerodynamics and packaging.
The front end is deliberately low, while the nose flows into a broad, purposeful body. At the rear, a distinctive Kammback design creates a clean continuation of the car’s aerodynamic profile.
The overall stance also recalls the M6A Can-Am racer that provided the basis for Bruce McLaren’s original M6GT.
Heritage built into the details
McLaren has incorporated several subtle references to its past throughout the design.
The original M6GT’s distinctive taillights have inspired the new car’s ‘Racing Loop’ motif, which has been integrated into its aerodynamic architecture. A tone-on-tone graphic also reinterprets the number plate from Bruce McLaren’s original car.
Inside the engine bay, McLaren’s founder has been remembered through his signature, while the company’s famous Speedy Kiwi emblem is discreetly etched into the fuel-filler cap.
The cabin follows a similar philosophy. Boxed quilting, inspired by the original M6GT, has been reworked for a contemporary interior, while the digital instruments are designed to retain the clarity and driver focus of the original.
The result is intended to feel modern without losing the sense of occasion and mechanical character associated with McLaren’s earliest road-car ambitions.
A different direction for McLaren
The McL 6GT is more than a tribute to an unfinished project. McLaren says the car will help shape its approach to future models, with an emphasis on character, driver involvement and the physical connection between car and driver.
Nick Collins, chief executive of McLaren Automotive, says the McL 6GT represents what Bruce McLaren might have created had his original vision been completed, updated with more than 60 years of technological development.
The manual gearbox is central to that philosophy. At a time when supercars are increasingly defined by sophisticated electronics, hybrid systems and automated transmissions, McLaren is choosing to bring back a more direct form of driver interaction.
The McL 6GT therefore looks both backwards and forwards. Its design is rooted in McLaren’s racing and road-car history, while its engineering and technology point towards the company’s future.
If the production car stays true to this concept, the McL 6GT could become one of McLaren’s most distinctive models yet - and a significant statement about where the British supercar maker wants to go next.