Last week, McLaren dropped a special surprise on the world at Monterey: a real-life version of their Vision Gran Turismo hypercar that would actually be produced and sold to customers. Called the Solus GT, only 25 units of the V10-powered track-only hypercar will be built, and all have already been spoken for.
Now, Top Gear has released a video in which they got exclusive access to the car before its debut, and in it they give us an in-depth tour of the ultra-limited track car as well as a glimpse of it actually driving under its own power.
We know McLaren often uses variants of their existing engines in their special projects (see the limited-run, multi-million-dollar Senna, Speedtail, Sabre, and Elva that all use versions of the 720S’s engine), which is why it’s so surprising that they went out and developed an all-new V10 just for this car, especially since the version of it in Gran Turismo actually did use a twin-turbo V8 like the 720S.
Read More: McLaren Turns Vision Gran Turismo Concept Into Solus GT With A V10 That Revs Past 10,000 RPM
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That V10 is a special one, too, as not only does it rev beyond 10,000 rpm, but it also produces a whopping 817 hp (828 PS / 609 kW) and 479 lb-ft (648 Nm) of torque without any form of forced induction. Now you might be thinking that those numbers are actually less than those of the Sabre‘s V8, and you’d be right, but it’s at this point we urge you to consider power-to-weight ratios.
While it’s estimated that the Sabre weighs around 3,000-3,500 lbs (1,361-1,588 kg), the Solus tips the scales at a mere 2,205 lbs (1,000 kg), potentially even lower according to McLaren. That means the Solus is down 10 hp (10 PS / 7 kW) and 111 lb-ft (150 Nm) compared to the Sabre, but it weighs around 1,000 lbs (453 kg) less.
As a result of that, the driving experience is also promised to be sublime, even somewhat akin to a Formula 1 car. And given the seating position in that unique fighter jet-style sliding cockpit, we’d be inclined to agree. The glorious sound of the car’s naturally aspirated V10 is also reminiscent of something out of the single-seater racing series, albeit from the cars two decades ago (not that that’s a bad thing). And as a testament to the Solus’ performance, Top Gear claimed that after its very first day of testing, it lapped the Anglesey Circuit a full 10 seconds quicker than a BAC Mono R.
