Inspired by the retro M6GT, the vehicle is expected to cost over $2.1 million and limit production to fewer than 100 units.
McLaren Revives the Manual Gearbox After Nearly Three Decades
The manual transmission is making an unexpected return to one of Britain’s most prominent supercar makers. McLaren has confirmed plans for a new road car equipped with a traditional stick shift and three pedals, marking the manufacturer’s first manual supercar since the F1 more than 30 years ago, The Drive reported.
Rumors surrounding the project had previously surfaced in a report from the Supercar Blog, which noted the vehicle carried the internal codename P50. A video shared to McLaren’s official Instagram account effectively confirmed those rumors, opening with archival footage of a historic racing prototype before transitioning to close-up shots of a gear shifter in a new cabin, Car and Driver noted.
Historical Inspiration From Bruce McLaren’s M6GT Prototype
The forthcoming model draws its primary ethos from the M6GT developed in the late 1960s. Spearheaded by Bruce McLaren, that original vehicle was designed as a Group 4 road car capable of competing at Le Mans, taking inspiration from the successful M6A Can-Am race car.
Development was abruptly cut short following Bruce McLaren’s death in 1970, with only a few prototypes ever constructed. Weeks prior to the latest teaser, McLaren Special Operations unveiled a freshly built example of the M6GT crafted from original molds and reference photos to realize the original vision, laying the aesthetic and conceptual groundwork for this new production vehicle.
Design, Powertrain, and Exclusive Production Plans
Named the McL 6GT, the upcoming car departs sharply from the company’s established design language seen on models like the Artura, Senna, and W1. Instead of tapered, curved noses and exposed rear cooling layouts, the concept channels the vertical headlights, Kamm tail, and duct positioning of ’90s-era supercars.
Beneath the carbon-fiber monocoque and bodywork, the car is powered by a V8 engine, though exact turbocharging or aspiration specifications remain unconfirmed. McLaren intends to deliver a purely analog driving experience without hybrid assistance.
The company also noted that the vehicle lays the foundation for a newly positioned and highly exclusive type of supercar beyond the core and expanded portfolio, suggesting that manual configurations will remain reserved for limited, analog-focused models rather than rolling out across standard sports and super series lines.
Pricing, Availability, and Monterey Car Week Debut
Industry reports estimate that the production run will be strictly limited to fewer than 100 examples. Pricing is projected to eclipse the W1 supercar’s starting threshold of $2.1 million.
The official unveiling is scheduled for August 14, coinciding with Monterey Car Week festivities. Whether the manual shifter connects mechanically to a true gearbox or employs a simulated shift-by-wire mechanism similar to Ferrari’s approach with the 12Cilindri Manuale remains unverified until the full debut.
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