McLaren's 'MSO X' Project Is 10 Incredible GT4-Based Road-Legal Racers

McLaren Special Operations has created a 10-strong series of GT4/570S blends, each with a unique livery but with 'race car emulation as the primary focus'

Matt Kimberley

25 Jan 2018

McLaren's 'MSO X' Project Is 10 Incredible GT4-Based Road-Legal Racers

You’re looking at two products of one of McLaren’s newest, hottest and most impressive special projects. The company has announced a run of 10 ‘MSO X’ badged 570S cars, but these beauties are much more than just a styling exercise.

Every one of the 10 cars, of which numbers eight and 10 are pictured, has been re-engineered to emulate the real feel of the 570S GT4 race car without removing their road-legal certification. The outside appearance is a carbon copy of the racer’s, too, minus the graphics, plus lights, glass etc.

That massive rear wing adds an extra 100kg of downforce at track speeds. The ‘goose neck’ carbonfibre roof duct adds functional extra induction airflow, and apparently it also sounds amazing from the cockpit. We can believe it.

The engine is technically the same, only with ‘enhanced induction airflow.’ We’d expect that between the induction and the exhaust there might be a few extra ponies leaping around in there. As we know, McLaren likes to under-state its outputs…

At the front, the GT4-style bonnet has air intakes that work with the roof duct and rear wing as “a complete MSO aerodynamic package.” The exhaust is an MSO trinket; a Titanium Super Sports item that saves weight and sounds like Hell is giving birth to twins.

Inside, it’s as minimalist and racy as you’d expect. The carbonfibre monocell is deliberately left bare, exposed in all its lightweight glory. Poke around and you’ll find that the two bucket seats’ shells are carbonfibre too, as is the bulkhead with stowage space for a race helmet. Almost everything that can be made from the good stuff, is, both inside and out.

Each of the cars gets a colour-matched harness bar to which six-point harnesses are fixed. Don’t worry, though; if you’re only popping to the shops there are regular three-point belts installed as well.

The amazing collection was commissioned and ordered by McLaren Newport Beach in Orange County, California. Because of course it was. You just know that the dealer will be able to charge more or less exactly what it likes for them…

Comments

They are preparing us for a 590LT I tell you.

No orange??

This car wouldn’t actually be any good on the road. It will be hot, smelly, have a very stiff ride, be terrible going slowly, you can’t see out of the damn thing, and you’ll scrape the chin on things like amoebas. The worst is that you won’t be able to get anything close to the car’s potential on the road. Even the 540C is crazy fast so this is too capable for the road.