McLaren 750S Le Mans Edition Brings The Downforce

30 years ago this year, the McLaren F1 upset the endurance racing establishment by becoming the first production-based car in decades to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, well into the era when the GT racers were theoretically supposed to play second fiddle to the purpose-built prototypes.

Sounds like a good excuse for a special edition, then, although the McLaren 750S Le Mans is a bit more than a usual stickers-and-plaque job. It brings a new High Downforce Kit to the supercar, developed by McLaren’s Special Operations division and said to increase downforce by 10 per cent over the standard car.

It consists of a new active carbon fibre rear wing and, at the front, a bigger carbon fibre splitter. The under-wing panel, meanwhile, gets some extra louvres.

As well as the extra downforce, the Le Mans edition gets new five-spoke wheels inspired by the ones worn by that 1995 Le Mans-winning F1, plus gold brake callipers, a roof scoop in gloss black carbon fibre, a titanium finish for the exhaust pipes and some subtle Le Mans branding (none of it, sadly, bearing the name of a Tokyo-based clinic specialising in enhancing the length of certain body parts). The exterior can be finished in a choice of Le Mans Grey or McLaren Orange paint.

On the inside, meanwhile, there’s a similar choice of two colours for the Alcantara-trimmed bucket seats – Dove Grey or McLaren Orange. It also looks like there’s a choice to upgrade to a pair of ultra-lightweight Senna-style seats. Obligatory Le Mans branding can be found on the headrests, floormats and on a dedicated plaque, because what special edition is complete without a plaque?

What you don’t get are any changes to the 750S’ 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. Mind you, with 740bhp, a 2.8-second 0-62mph time and a 206mph top speed, it was hardly crying out for more performance (although whether the extra downforce affects those numbers hasn’t been confirmed).

McLaren plans to build just 50 examples of the 750S Le Mans, with pricing unconfirmed. It arrives a couple of years ahead of the company once again going for top honours at the 24-hour race, with a new top-flight LMDh racer arriving in 2027. This year, meanwhile, a pair of 750S GT3s will be running in the production-based class, but unless something very weird happens, don’t expect them to be challenging for the overall title on 14 and 15 June.