New McLaren GT makes its global dynamic debut at Goodwood

The McLaren GT – McLaren’s interpretation of a modern Grand Tourer – makes a dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

You have to admire what McLaren has achieved in the few short years since it took on Ferrari with its mid-engined MP4-12C, taking the fight to the iconic Italian Brand – and winning too a lot of the time.

But, and maybe it’s just us, isn’t McLaren a bit of a one trick pony? Yes, their cars are brilliant, but aren’t they all the same, just with nips and tucks to suspension and power to justify another ‘new’ McLaren?

We had hoped, when McLaren revealed they were building a GT to redefine the Grand Tourer for the 21st century, that it would be a different McLaren. But it isn’t.

Instead of a car built to crush continents, with luggage for four and four seats, we got another slightly modified McLaren car. It’s starting to feel a bit like a menu from a cheap Indian restaurant – the sauces all have different names, and slightly different tastes, but what’s underneath is the same basic flavour from the same big pot of sauce.

Still, there’s a new McLaren GT, it’s roomier and comfier than any of McLaren’s other cars and it will, thinks McLaren, put Bentley and Aston Martin on the back foot. Of course it will.

But it’s a good looking McLaren nonetheless, and it’s been out on the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hillcimb, hoping to convince buyers this is what a Grand Tourer is like in 2019.

Somehow, we think it’s more likely to poach buyers of other McLarens, rather than steal sales from the likes of AML and Bentley.

McLaren GT Dynamic Debut Goodwood Video