It’s been 30 years since a McLaren crossed the finish line first at Le Mans. The 1995 win came courtesy of an F1 GTR navigating roughly 17 hours of rain, with JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas, and Masanori Sekiya somehow keeping a barely-modified road car ahead of the purpose-built prototypes. Three decades later, McLaren is finally ready to take another swing at La Sarthe, and they’ve brought a not-so-secret weapon for their wealthiest clients along for the ride.
Meet the MCL-HY, the Woking-based outfit’s 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship contender, alongside its track-only twin, the MCL-HY GTR.
The Triple Crown Play
McLaren’s return to the top tier of sports car racing isn’t just about adding another trophy to the cabinet. With Formula 1 and IndyCar already in the rotation, the MCL-HY is the missing piece in McLaren’s bid to once again claim the Triple Crown of motorsport: Monaco, Indy, and Le Mans.
It’s a ridiculously ambitious goal, made more interesting by the fact that they’re launching into an incredibly stacked field. Ferrari’s three-time-winning 499P, Toyota’s GR010, the Porsche 963, Cadillac’s V-Series.R, and Aston Martin’s Valkyrie are all waiting at the grid. McLaren isn’t just going to be able to just ease back into things.
Built for Le Mans, Painted for History
The MCL-HY rolls out in a head-turning papaya livery that nods to the M6A, the same Can-Am car Bruce McLaren himself once dreamed of taking to France as the M6GT. Underneath those throwback colors sits a carbon fiber monocoque chassis, a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V6 paired with a hybrid MGU system, 697 horsepower routed to the rear wheels, and a minimum weight of 2,270 pounds.
Test driver Mikkel Jensen kicks off the development program this month, with Gregoire Saucy, Richard Verschoor, and United Autosports’ Ben Hanley along to put miles on the car ahead of homologation later this winter.
Now, About That Customer Version
Here’s where things get really fun for customers. McLaren is offering an MCL-HY GTR track car to a handful of VIP clients through its Project: Endurance program, and because it doesn’t need to comply with FIA Hypercar regulations, it actually makes more power than the race car. We’re talking 720 horsepower from the same 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6, minus the mandated hybrid system, plus a lower dry weight than the racer’s 2,270-pound minimum.
It’s the same trick Ferrari pulled with the 499P Modificata, but with McLaren’s spin: a purer, lighter, no-rules-attached interpretation of a Le Mans car you can actually buy. The catch is that you can’t drive it on the road, and you’ll need to be on McLaren’s hand-picked client list to even get the call.
More Than Just a Car
Ownership of the MCL-HY GTR comes packaged with a two-year, six-event track program at premier circuits worldwide, complete with a dedicated pit crew, race engineering support, and professional driver coaching on an arrive-and-drive basis. Buyers also get behind-the-scenes access to the Hypercar Team’s WEC campaign all the way through the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In other words, you’re not just buying a car. You’re buying a season-long backstage pass to McLaren’s bid for the Triple Crown.
Spec Sheet
Model: McLaren MCL-HY (Race) / MCL-HY GTR (Track)
Class: FIA Hypercar (LMDh regulations)
Chassis: Carbon fiber monocoque
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbocharged V6
Hybrid System: MGU (race car only)
Power (Race): 697 hp
Power (Track): 720 hp
Minimum Weight (Race): 2,270 lbs
Drivetrain: Rear-wheel drive
Race Debut: 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship
Customer Deliveries: Late 2027
Pricing & Availability
McLaren has stayed quiet on the MCL-HY GTR’s price tag, which is usually code for “if you have to ask.” The track car is being offered exclusively to VIP clients through the Project: Endurance program, with deliveries slated to begin toward the end of 2027. Testing for both the race car and customer variant kicks off this month.
Recap
2027 McLaren MCL-HY Hypercar
McLaren returns to Le Mans for the first time in three decades with the MCL-HY, a 697 hp hybrid V6 racer, alongside an unrestricted 720 hp customer track car that beats the race car it’s based on.
