McLaren 720S Le Mans launched to celebrate marque's historic 24-hour victory

McLaren has launched a new limited edition of its 720S supercar, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of the manufacturer’s win at the Le Mans 24-Hour in 1995.

The new model draws inspiration from the McLaren F1 GTR — driven by JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya — which took overall victory, on its first attempt, in the iconic race.

Limited to just 50 examples worldwide, of which just 16 will be sold in Europe, prices start from £254,500, with first deliveries scheduled for September.

Finished in either McLaren Orange or Sarthe Grey, the 720S Le Mans gains a number of cosmetic tweaks over the "standard" car. These include a set of unique five-spoke alloy wheels, which are similar in design to those worn by the race-winning F1 GTR, plus gold brake calipers, carbon fibre louvres for the front wings, a polycarbonate rear window, gloss black trim, and a new gloss black roof scoop.

Each model will also feature a commemorative “McLaren 25 Anniversary Le Mans” badge on its side skirt. Cleverly, the VIN of each car will begin with 298, which marks the number of laps completed by F1 GTR.

Inside the cabin, it’s thankfully better specced than the race F1 GTR. Owners of the new 720S get a pair of carbon fibre racing seats — but with a choice of two Alcantara upholstery colours — a new steering wheel with a 12 o’clock marker and a commemorative plaque for the dashboard. The same logo which appears on the car’s side skirts has also been embroidered into the car’s headrests and floor mats.

Not surprisingly, power for the limited edition is the same as found in the standard 720S. That means 710bhp and 568lb/ft of torque from the twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox, resulting in a 0-62mph time of 2.9 seconds, and an eye-watering max of 212mph.

As is commonplace nowadays, there’s myriad options available for the new McLaren. Courtesy of the brand’s in-house styling arm, McLaren Special Operations, buyers can tick the box for a titanium harness bar and six-point harnesses are available to replace the standard seat belts. They can also purchase gloss carbon fibre replacements for the supercar’s standard diffuser, door surrounds, roof scoop, engine cover, front splitter and air intakes.

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