Bruce McLaren’s Road Car Dream Finally Gets Its Clutch in the Form of the McL 6GT

McLaren just showed a car that feels like it time-traveled from a different era of sports cars while still wearing every modern material trick the company knows. Revealed during Monterey Car Week, the McL 6GT is a low, wide, carbon-fiber machine that will reach customers in 2028 as a limited-production model of roughly 500 examples. Pricing sits in the neighborhood of $1.5 million. What makes people stop and look twice is the third pedal and the tall gear lever rising from the center console.

This is McLaren’s first road car with a real manual since the F1 in 1992, which was a long time ago. McLaren describes it as a true six-speed transmission, and the hardware reflects this claim. The entire shifter system employs an exposed mechanical linkage with titanium visible in a precisely designed knob. They spent a lot of time perfecting the throw and weighting so that each shift feels like it’s providing clear feedback. The lever has a lovely touch of detail in the form of an embedded 3D Speedy Kiwi, one of the company’s first trademarks, which you can see in the lever’s upright. A papaya orange clutch pedal completes the gear shift experience.

Underneath it all lies a mid-mounted V8 with a decent raw power output. McLaren hasn’t released comprehensive specifics on engine displacement, boost level, or output numbers just yet, but they do state it’s a pure internal combustion engine with no hybrid technology. The front end is controlled by hydraulic power steering, which differs from the electric methods used elsewhere in the industry and offers the front tires a more direct feel. That motor is housed in a super-lightweight carbon monocoque covered in carbon body panels.


McLaren designers looked back to the late 1960s and Bruce McLaren’s M6GT proposal, which never materialized. The objective was to transform a Can-Am racing car into something that could be driven on ordinary roads. The new McL 6GT features the same low and ultra wide stance, smooth body surfaces, and Kamm-style rear. The cabin appears to be sunk into the body rather than sitting on top, which gives it a retro vibe. The big headlamp lenses are a lovely touch that reminds you of old race cars.




The taillights have a really unique “Racing Loop” form that resembles the original M6GT lights and appears to regulate airflow rather well. Dihedral doors open over exposed carbon side sills, and the rear has a beautiful little graphic that mimics Bruce’s own prototype’s registration plate. If you look in the engine area, you’ll notice his signature, and the Speedy Kiwi emblem reappears on the gasoline cap.





Inside the cabin, digital screens and purposeful physical controls are combined together. All of the gear knobs are knurled aluminum, making them easy to hold and use. Seats and door panels in Alcantara or comparable materials feature a reworked boxed-quilt design. There has digital instrumentation, so it retains the clarity of earlier analog dials while providing all of the necessary information. They’ve designed it so that the mechanical components are visible and useful, rather than concealed behind software options.




McLaren is presenting this car as a premium over their other offerings, the Sports, Super, and Ultimate ranges, so it stands out as a more exclusive option. It’s really about connection and driving experience, not just lap times or maximum power. According to the company, early client feedback has been extremely good. Production for the McL 6GT begins in two years, giving them enough time to fine-tune the shifter feel, steering responsiveness, and overall balance before the first vehicles leave Woking.