By Paul Gover.
Life with a supercar isn’t always as good as it seems.
How many times do you want to sit at the lights, quietly going about your business, while someone next to you fills their smartphone memory with pictures?
And what about wannabes who long for a drag race from the wheel of their homemade beater?
And then there’s the need for a special place, most likely a racetrack, to properly exercise a car that’s likely to break the 100km/h limit in Australia in first gear.
Once you get over the extreme of the sights and sounds that dominate any drive in a Lamborghini or Ferrari, well…
They are difficult to park. Access to the cabin is narrow and complicated for anyone with a few years in their bones, and they love petrol like a politician loves a debate.
Admittedly, Ferrari and Lamborghini owners, and I’m not even remotely qualified, probably have something much more mundane in the garage for their daily drive. Maybe a Bentley…
But there is an antidote to the tension of supercars.
It’s called the McLaren GT and it’s a daily driver as well as an exotic speed machine.
I’ve just spent a week with a GT in the UK and have very few complaints, apart from knowing that it’s going to take $400,000 to park one in the garage.
It’s not a traditional GT, as there’s not even a dream of rear seats and luggage space is tight, but it’s a car to enjoy on the long haul.
Yes, it can and will do so at a blistering pace from a 0-100km/h sprint of 3.2 seconds to a top speed of 326km/h (that’s 203mph) and corners like a painted white line. the road.
But the GT is just as comfortable at a steady 110km/h cruise, or relaxing down a narrow country lane, with the chance of an occasional bump to clear the cylinders and the driver’s head.
Confessions first, as I’ve been a McLaren driver ever since I drove the company’s original supercar, the 12C, shortly after its world debut. It helped that McLaren hosted me at Dunsfold Airfield, a deserted airfield best known for Top Gear’s test track and The Stig’s good laps.
I was captivated by the car’s roof design, its twin-turbo V8 engine, the brilliant view from the cabin and a sublime ride that felt more like a luxury car than a speedster.
As for the rear seats that are essential for a “proper” GT car, those will have to wait for the next SUV. Yes, after a decade of denials and focusing only on sports and supercars, McLaren is now openly talking about a future family hauler.
But back to the GT, as the first few miles, not kilometers, pass with comfort and ease. The cabin is spacious for a car like this, the seats are supportive, noise levels are very low apart from the roar of the tires on the road, and the steering wheel, without a single button or knob, is well designed and comfortable I would happily have this wheel on every car I drive.
Yes, I give it a couple of cracks. And it breaks. It’s not as flashy as a Ferrari, or as outrageous as a Lamborghini, but it’s also not as eye-catching as a Hemsworth shopping in Byron Bay.
And that’s what I love most about the GT.
It’s an everyday car that has comfort and class, with the ability to go as fast as you want (or dare) on a fun Sunday race.
Frustrations? The satnav is worse than a basic Hyundai and there’s no CarPlay, the brake pedal is too close to the accelerator for a left foot braker like me, something that made me cry in the 12C, and access is predictably difficult.
But the ride is sublime in all conditions, you can literally go from grunt to supercar in a couple of seconds, and the styling allows you to drive without drawing too much attention.
Best of all, time with the McLaren GT allows me to re-set the road test bar for the dozens of other cars that follow, because everything needs a standard of excellence to center the score on.
FAST DATA
McLaren GT
Price: Starting at $399,995
Engine: V8 biturbo 4 liters
Power: 456 kW/630 Nm
Transmission: 7-speed smooth shifting, rear wheel drive
Position: Long-legged supercar
We like: discreet, super fast, suitable for commuting
Not so much: outdated infotainment, pedal position
THE TICK: every time if you have the cash
Score: 9/10