McLaren Solus & 750S at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

It’s rare that concept cars ever see the light of day. Originally appearing as a concept in the Gran Turismo GT Sport, and unveiled at the Monterey Car Week in 2022, the McLaren Solus made its dynamic debut at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Fittingly tying in with the celebrations marking 60 years of Mclaren, two Solus were in attendance, one on static display at Mclaren House, and the other in the more than capable hands of McLaren factory driver Marvin Kirchhöfer taking part in high speed runs on the Goodwood hillclimb course.

Form & Function

With two Solus in attendance, representing almost 10% of the entire run of this highly limited production Hypercar, it was a privilege to take the time to appreciate the sleek and visually striking car at the static display. Hugely driven by aerodynamic function, styled as being like a Formula One car for enthusiasts, a single central seated position hides the driver beneath the sliding glass canopy. A huge front splitter serves to channel the air under the car through Venturi tunnels, en route to the rear diffuser, utilizing the ground-effect developments exploited by the McLaren F1 team. Drastically sculpted wheel arches help to reduce weight and channel the airflow smoothly to reduce drag around the exterior of the car. The tour de force sits behind the car, in the form of a twin-element fixed rear wing, which maximizes rear downforce, removing the need for active front and rear wings.

McLaren Solus rear wing and aerodynamics

Whilst the virtual concept employed a more traditional four liter V8, the Solus GT is graced with a screaming 5.2 liter V10, taking loose design notes from a Judd V10 and revving in excess of 10,000 rpm. A seven speed sequential gearbox using straight cut gears and a carbon fiber clutch help to power the Solus to speeds of in excess of 200mph, with a potential 0-62mph achieved in around 2.5 seconds. The 5.2 liter engine is fixed directly to the monocoque, ensuring levels of strength and rigidity not commonly associated with production cars.

McLaren Solus en route to its Festival of Speed winning run.

Hillclimb Success

Over a Festival of Speed weekend beset by various problematic weather conditions, wet running on Friday curtailed hopes of any significant times, and the cancellation of the event on Saturday did little to raise aspirations of the Solus being able to exploit its potential over the 1.17 mile course. Sunday however ushered in a favorable change in the weather conditions, with sunshine interspersed with light clouds offering dry track conditions and the promise of fast times in the famed Goodwood shootout. McLaren last saw victory in 2021 with the McLaren 720s GT3X powering up the hill in 45.01s at the hands of Rob Bell, and fittingly, given the McLaren 60th anniversary celebrations, McLaren were to see success once more.

After Michael Lyons had set a superb time of 46.89 in the McLaren Cosworth M26, Marvin Kirchhöfer hammered the Solus up the Goodwood Hillclimb course, leaving nothing on the table to reach the finish line in a remarkable 45.34s. The hotly tipped Subaru GL Family Huckster at the hands of Travis Pastrana ran the Solus close, eventually finishing in 46.36. Success for McLaren, and a superb result for the dynamic debut of this astounding hypercar.

McLaren 750s Dynamic Debut

While the scream of the McLaren Solus was still reverberating around the West Sussex hills, yet another new McLaren took to the track to make its dynamic debut. The most powerful series production McLaren supercar to date, weighing in at 1389kg, the 750S packs a twin-turbo 4 liter engine, which is mid mounted to help with stabilization and weight distribution. Improving in many ways upon the hugely successful McLaren 720S, which has seen great success in GT3 racing worldwide, the 750S looks to improve on the highly regarded formula, to add innovation and refinement to its predecessor.

With figures suggesting a top speed of 206mph, with 800nm torque and 740bhp, the evolution of McLarens top end supercar will surely be a mouthwatering prospect in the coming years as a GT3 racing entity. McLarens focus on refining the driver engagement with the car, paired with a refinement of the driving experience and the lighter form, means that an improved and more refined package will delight drivers and racers in the near future.

In the words of McLaren CEO Michael Leiters: “When you have a car recognised by so many drivers as a benchmark, to do something even better, you have to examine every detail and really push hard for improvements that raise the bar again. This is what we have done with the new 750S.”