When it comes to supercars like the McLaren Longtail vehicles, weight reduction is an incredibly important aspect of the engineering process. Generally speaking, the lighter a vehicle is the faster it can go. This is precisely why a supercar’s power-to-weight ratio is such a crucial specification in vehicles like these. The McLaren team put an absolute focus on weight reduction when designing the McLaren 765LT, and the result is pretty incredible.
[ READ MORE: McLaren 765LT Powertrain & Performance Specifications ]
“A McLaren LT really challenges us to push the boundaries of what is possible – especially with regards to weight reduction – and the 765LT is no exception. The 720S is already very light, helped by innovations developed in the previous LT program, but we have investigated every area of the car to deliver even further savings: ‘helper’ springs in the suspension enable a 3.3lbs reduction, a bespoke lightweight center tunnel saves 3.1lbs and optional carbon fibre fenders are 2.6lbs lighter than the standard panels.”
– James Warner, Chief Engineer, McLaren 765LT
Benefits of Weight Reduction
To put what we said above in more technical terms, reducing the overall weight of a vehicle also reduces its inertia but in turn ramps up acceleration, braking and steering inputs. For the new 765LT, the engineering team managed to reduce the weight of that already lightweight 720S coupe by 176 pounds. That might not seem like a huge amount, considering vehicles weigh thousands of pounds, but every single pound counts.
How was weight reduced?
Much of the weight reduction present in the new McLaren 765LT was made possible by utilizing carbon fiber parts. For instance, even the license plate holder is made of carbon fiber. Other parts replaced with carbon fiber materials include the front splitter, front bumper, front floor, side skirts, rear bumper, rear wing and rear diffuser. While the hood, front fenders, doors and rear fenders are made from lightweight aluminum, you can even further reduce weight by opting to replace these with carbon fiber as well.
This is only scratching the surface of everywhere that weight was reduced. If you have any other questions about how the weight was reduced in the McLaren 765LT, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. With a power-to-weight ratio of 614 bhp-per-ton at its lightest dry weight, this vehicle is pretty phenomenal.
