McLaren 765LT
October 22, 2025
Travis Okulski
Impressive numbers, but more impressive than the numbers.
The modern supercar is built on numbers, stats and specs making headlines and impressing people who will never even sit in the car. For McLaren, numbers aren’t the story, they’re an aside. With the 765LT, the story is that it’s one of the all time great drivers’ cars.
Revealed in 2020 and limited to 765 coupes and an equal number of convertibles, the 765LT is built on some ridiculous numbers. Even today, 755 hp, a 2.7 second 0 to 60, and a top speed of 205 mph is abnormal. But now there are 9000 pound electric trucks with 1000 hp that can get to 60 in less than 3 seconds. At a certain point, numbers become meaningless and involvement is what matters. McLaren seems to understand that better than any other automaker.
McLaren released its first LT, the 650S-based 675LT, 10 years ago. LT stands for longtail, an homage to the 1997 F1 GTR, which had revised and massively extended bodywork to remain competitive at Le Mans amid substantial rule changes. These new LTs are not literal feet longer than the standard cars, like the F1 was. Here, the LT signifies that these are the most driver-oriented models in the lineup. They’re track ready, more hardcore, and still streetable. The 765LT was based on the amazing 720S, and it might be the finest LT the company has made.
McLaren has avoided making its cars overly digital or insulating, and the 765 might be the rawest of the bunch. You hear everything, whirrs, buzzes, chatters, creaks–both endearing and enervating. I picked the car up in Manhattan, the hydraulic power steering buzzed in my hands, detailing every imperfection in a very imperfect road surface. The innovative suspension, it has no roll bars, is much stiffer than the version in the 720S. And the road noise is, admittedly, a lot. My drive home out of New York on the highway is more workout than quick commute. The same drive in a Ferrari F8 or a Lamborghini Huracan is much more relaxing, quieter, and downright peaceful. But, you don’t buy a supercar to commute to Manhattan. Well, that’s not why I would buy one.
I spent my weekend doing what most owners probably do: I went to a cars and coffee. Except this cars and coffee was nearly 100 miles from my house. Hayfield’s Market in North Salem, NY has become a weekend ritual for many, including owners of everything from Corvette Z06s to Ferrari 275 GTBs when I popped in. This McLaren, done up with options like a carbon fiber roof scoop from McLaren Special Operations, its in-house customization shop, fit right in. And the long drive there was a better test of the 765LT.
Ready for a shock? The LT is gorgeous to drive, focused and raw. The things that annoyed in Manhattan delight on back roads. That communicative steering is just flawless, there is little else like it in a car at any price. The brakes have strong initial bite and are easy to modulate. The gearbox is telepathic, one of the most analog dual-clutch units out there. And the engine, oh that engine.
It’s a monster. Crazy speeds appear with even a suggestion of the throttle. It’s McLaren’s own engine, a 4.0 liter turbocharged V-8, that revs to nearly 8,000 rpm and will do so over and over and over. A run up through the gears is ballistic, and could easily land you in jail.
Since every piece of the car is chattering, you don’t need to cycle through drive modes (there are a bunch) or other settings in an attempt to synthesize engagement. It’s there, immediately, no matter the speed. That’s what McLaren does better than any other supercar maker. You don’t have to be on the edge of adhesion to have a nice time. You can be a semi-respectable member of society. That said, it’s far better if you are on the edge.
I first drove a 765LT in 2021at Lime Rock Park. Lime Rock, if you don’t know, is a 1.5 mile bad-fast little bullring that is full of nuance… and right hand turns. A little mistake in any corner? You’re in the guardrail. It’s a tough place to get comfortable in a car with this much power. Before the LT, the quickest car I’d ever lapped there was a Mustang GT500. On the alternate layout of the track that adds a chicane to slow cars down, it hit 148 on the front straight and ran a 59.26. I thought that was fast. The McLaren made the Mustang look like a tractor.
In just a few laps, the 765LT hit 165 on the short front straight and set a 57.6 second time. Ridiculous. And it did it without being scary or feeling unhinged. With that much power, that much performance, it could be terrifying. The sort of car you set a fast lap in then never want to drive again. Instead, it was one of the most well-judged track cars I’d ever driven. A real treat and a willing partner, encouraging me to turn down the traction control and trust it.
With the complete picture, I couldn’t stop thinking about how the 765LT is a car that doesn’t try to mask what it is. It doesn’t use drive modes to make the steering lighter or quiet everything down. Its breadth of use is wide, but not so wide that you lose focus on its intent. There are no buttons on the steering wheel. The infotainment system, which has been improved in the years since it was built, is nearly useless. The stereo isn’t a high-end unit meant to bring you new levels of sonic enjoyment. No. None of that.
This is a car that can spend a day in the canyons of California or Europe’s greatest driving roads, but is better off flat out on track. It feels small and shrinks around you as you go faster. It has a perfectly sized wheel, great pedal placement, and excellent seats. The gearbox is an auto that feels manual and mechanical, that rare combination we don’t see anymore. And the engine is raw without being uncivilized. And the drive modes for the chassis and powertrain aren’t intrusive, they don’t take the driver out of the equation; they take your skills and improve them. The best part is that it feels like it needs and wants you in the car. So many modern performance cars feel like they don’t want anything to do with the driver, where the LT invites the driver in.
Yet I imagine many owners will likely never experience it on track, either out of fear or disinterest, instead keeping the cars in storage or using them to blitz back roads. Taking one on track now is actually a risky proposition since the LT has done a decent job of holding its value. These are still $400,000 cars. Do you dare risk it on a track, no matter how fun it might be?
I would.
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