McLaren Artura GT4 to be track ready for ’23

McLaren was never not going to race the Artura and with the 720S looking after the GT3 category, GT4 is the perfect home for it, replacing the already highly successful 570S GT4 race car.

But the regs don’t allow hybrid power, so the Artura runs an unadorned 3-litre V6 motor which, given that in the road car it already produces way more power than will be allowable under GT4 regs, should be no hardship at all. But it uses the seven-speed transmission instead of the road car’s eight, presumably because of an FIA requirement for a reverse gear, hitherto achieved simply by making the electric motor turn backwards.

With a 3-litre V6 where there was once a 4-litre V8, the Artura GT4 is, car for car, over 100kg lighter than the 570S racer, itself conspicuously light thanks to its carbon tub. And that car was pegged back from 570bhp to 430bhp for racing so expect the Artura to be restricted even more, just to allow the others to keep up.

Other upgrades over the 570S GT4 include a mechanical limited-slip differential, a wider front tyre to help mitigate understeer and a full race braking system unrelated to that on the road car.

In aero terms there is of course the full suite of permissible addenda, including a deep front splitter, dive planes and a sizeable bonnet duct. At the rear a substantial spoiler mounted on swan-neck struts allows the driver to trim the car through seven different settings according to circuit requirements and handling balance.

The Artura GT4 enters an already crowded marketplace where it will face the new Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport, BMW M4 GT4, Lotus Emira GT4 as well as players from the likes of Aston Martin, Mercedes-AMG, Alpine, Toyota and more. It costs £200,000 before upgrades like tyre pressure monitoring, additional lighting for racing at night and a drinks system are fitted. It will be available to race from 2023 and will likely prove a popular addition to this category of racing car.