Refreshing or Revolting: 2020 McLaren Speedtail

Today, McLaren took the cover off its latest car, the Speedtail. Only 106 will be built, each with a $2.3 million price tag. Like the F1, it comes with a center seating position for the driver, but unlike the F1, it uses a hybrid powertrain that makes 1,035 hp and can push the Speedtail to a 250-mph top speed. But how does the design hold up against the F1 and a more recent longtail project such as the 675LT?

Up front, you can see a little bit of the 720S that the Speedtail is based on. Unlike the 675LT, though, the styling is a lot more futuristic than the car it’s based on. It’s also the area of the car with the fewest design cues inspired by the F1.

In profile, you can really see how different the Speedtail is. If you didn’t know it was based on the 720S, you wouldn’t figure it out from this angle. That’s a big change from the 675LT, which more or less looks like a slightly longer 650S. You can, however, see quite a few design cues borrowed from the original F1 GT Longtail. McLaren also made the decision to put carbon-fiber covers on the front wheels and only the front wheels.

Around back, the exaggerated shape of the rear end barely even looks like it belongs on a road car. And even though the greenhouse looks like it would provide an excellent view of the road, rear visibility is nonexistent without the help of a rearview camera. In comparison, the 675LT looks like much more of a road car. Heck, it even has a rear-view mirror.

But as crazy as the designers went with the exterior of the Speedtail, the cabin is somehow even crazier. The three-seat layout at least connects the design to the F1, but if you’re looking for bits of the 675LT in the Speedtail, you won’t find much. Instead of buttons, you get three main screens and two side-view camera screens. Meanwhile, almost all of the physical controls are mounted on the roof. It’s absurd in the best way possible.

So does the McLaren Speedtail’s design do the F1 justice? Does it look any better than previous longtail models such as the 675LT? Tell us in the comments on Facebook!

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