McLaren Solus GT and its screaming V-10 at Goodwood
A new video has been released of the limited edition McLaren Solus GT supercar that timed the famous hill climb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Sunday.
The circuit-specific, V10-powered single-seater became the fastest car at this year's British Speed Festival, clocking just 45.34 seconds, thanks to the efforts of racing driver Marvin Kirchhaefer.
The time was one of the fastest ever recorded at the Goodwood hill climb and was impressive because of the lack of practice time this year due to heavy rain and wind, which caused the Saturday qualifying session to be cancelled. The record was an insane 39.08 seconds, set last year by McMurtry Spearing's electric fun car.
The Solus GT is an attempt to create a real-world version of the Ultimate Vision GT concept that McLaren developed for the Gran Turismo video game series.The two designs are very close, but in the concept, the driver is on his stomach, arms extended forward to the steering arms outstretched in front of him to hold the steering wheel. In the Solus GT, a more orthodox seating position is seen, but this required a higher roof.
The Solus GT also ditched the original concept's twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 engine and four electric motors in favor of a high-revving 5.2-liter V-10 engine. This engine has a barrel-driven throttle for each cylinder, adopted from motorsports, and is completely gear-driven, so no chains or belts are used for camshafts or auxiliary systems. Maximum output is 829 hp, screaming at 10,000 rpm.
Aerodynamics tuned for high downforce and F1-style suspension aid handling on the track. McLaren has not released final performance figures, but owners can expect 0-60 mph in under 2.5 seconds, a top speed of over 200 mph, and circuit times comparable to McLaren's GT racing cars.
Only 25 will be built, with prices starting at about $4 million each. Deliveries are expected to begin later this year. For the lucky few who are given a production slot, McLaren will host a special track event, and McLaren will handle all logistics, including getting the cars to the track.
