McLaren GT makes global debut at Goodwood Festival

The new McLaren GT toured the Goodwood estate for its global dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in front of an audience of thousands.

Nicki Shields drove the car on its debut run up Goodwood Hill

The McLaren GT appeared at noon from the Fox Gates at the front of Goodwood House, announced by TV presenter Nicki Shields. Taking the wheel of the rule-breaking McLaren GT, Shields drove the car on its debut run up Goodwood Hill and its first dynamic public appearance. The McLaren GT completed four further hill runs throughout the afternoon with Le Mans class-winner Jonny Kane and GT racer Ollie Millroy taking over driving duties.

The McLaren of Grand Tourers - McLaren's modern interpretation of the classic GT - was revealed online on 15 May. Superlight, yet supremely comfortable, the McLaren GT is powered by a 611bhp 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, providing supercar performance. It accelerates from 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds and can reach a top speed of 326km/h, while carrying up to 570 litres of luggage - enough for a grand tour for two people.

The McLaren GT also performs on the inside with luxurious trim options including Nappa leather, softgrain leather or Alcantara, and seats unique to the McLaren GT that are designed for long distance comfort. The luggage bay can also be trimmed with SuperFabric, developed to be resistant to stains, cuts, nicks and abrasions, as well as being breathable, easy to clean and quick to dry.

The Mclaren GT toured the hillclimb a further four times later in the afternoon sun

The McLaren GT's interior also features hidden ambient lighting and the option of an electrochromic glazed panel to enhance ambience in the cabin, which is also trimmed with machined and knurled aluminium switches and controls.

The infotainment system developed for the new McLaren GT is the company's most sophisticated to date, featuring industry-standard HERE navigation and real-time traffic information and it can also be linked to an optional 12-speaker Bowers & Wilkins premium audio system. The McLaren GT is priced from £163,000 in the U.K. (approx. $249,000).

Visitors to McLaren House got to see the McLaren GT on display alongside the Speedtail Hyper-GT in addition to the 720S Spider, the 600LT Spider, the LEGO McLaren Senna, the 1998 Goodwood Hill record-holding MP4/13 and Niki Lauda's 1984 F1 World Championship-winning MP4/2.