2020 McLaren 620R

Jan 3

Written By Katelyn McSherry

· Derived from 570S GT4 racecar, 225 produced, one of the best McLaren track tools ever built. Is it super?

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As many modern supercars are being accused of going “soft” with plush seats, quiet interiors and supple suspension, McLaren built the 620R to be the antithesis of these types of supercars. The 620R is a dialed-in track focused car with many of its components taken directly from the 570S GT4 racecar. With just 225 produced for the entire world, the 620R is a raw and radical supercar that has little interference between the driver and the road.

Supercar drivability has made significant strides over the past three decades. In the 1980’s, most supercars were nearly impossible to drive every day. Manual transmissions, overheating problems, and poor visibility were consistent problems that kept supercars in the garage until Saturday and Sunday. Since the implementation of the dual clutch transmission, the ability to drive a supercar everyday with minimal nuisance has grown significantly, though has transformed the idea of the supercar as a tool that is both comfortable and usable. The 620R is devoid of all comfort aspects, bringing the driver as close to a racecar experience as possible.

The 620R’s canards on the front bumper, hood, roof mounted air intake, rear diffuser, and rear wing are all taken directly from the 570S GT4 racecar. With its rear wing adjusted to the most aggressive setting, the 620R is able to generate 408 lbs. of downforce at 155 MPH. Many supercars today offer adjustable aerodynamic and suspension settings that can be changed from inside the cabin, though the 620R offers a more analog set up. The rear wing can only be adjusted manually, with the same being said about the suspension. The coilovers are manually adjustable and feature 32 clicks of damping and rebound adjustment at each corner. Cabin-adjustable suspension with front-end lift is an option, though this of course adds more weight. The 620R tips the scales at just over 3000 lbs., extremely light for a modern supercar with more than 600 horsepower.

The interior of the 620R is bare, with pull straps for door handles, simple Alcantara pads on the carbon fiber seats, and no carpets to be found. Sound deadening was minimized, allowing significant vibrations and road noise into the cabin and saving weight in the process. In standard specification, the 620R is not equipped with air conditioning, navigation, or an audio system to save further weight.

Enthusiasts today often wish to drive a racecar on the road, and the 620R is about as close to this experience a driver can achieve. Due to its relatively low weight, the 3.8 liter twin-turbocharged V8 allows the car to shoot out of the hole unlike any other cars in its performance bracket. It is easy to sense there is little unnecessary mass in the car. Its loud, stiff and all the touch points vibrate to communicate the road surface to the driver, a sense of feel that is often lost in modern supercars. The 620R does not resemble most McLarens in terms of dual-purpose road and track usage. All track senses have been heightened in the 620R to create a modern supercar experience that resembles the best feelings of supercars from decades prior, without all the headaches.