The McL 6GT reimagines the original M6GT project that Bruce McLaren intended to turn into a road going supercar using technology developed through motorsport.

That original project never reached full production, giving the new McL 6GT a particularly strong connection to McLaren history.

Instead of focusing only on acceleration figures and outright speed, McLaren has designed the new car around light weight, mechanical feedback and driver involvement.

Its low and wide proportions draw inspiration from the M6A Can Am racing car that formed the basis of the original M6GT, while the body uses clean surfaces and a distinctive Kammback style rear.

The McL 6GT brings a manual transmission back to a McLaren road car for the first time since the legendary F1, which was introduced in 1992.

The gearbox sends power exclusively to the rear wheels and has been developed with particular attention paid to shift feel and lever movement. McLaren has even integrated a three dimensional Speedy Kiwi emblem into the gear lever.

A V8 internal combustion engine provides the power, although McLaren has not yet revealed its displacement, horsepower or torque.

Performance figures such as acceleration, top speed and vehicle weight also remain undisclosed. Instead, McLaren is emphasizing the relationship between power and low mass as one of the defining characteristics of the car.

McLaren has deliberately moved away from the increasingly digital character of modern performance cars with the McL 6GT.

The car combines its manual gearbox with hydraulic steering, physical switches and machined aluminum controls. McLaren says steering inputs, throttle movements and gear changes have all been engineered to provide a more direct and mechanical connection.

Digital instrumentation remains part of the cabin, but its presentation has been kept simple to match the character of the car.

The result is a supercar designed around interaction rather than automation, which gives the McL 6GT a very different personality from most current McLaren models.

The McL 6GT uses a carbon fiber monocoque chassis together with carbon fiber bodywork, continuing one of the most important engineering principles used across modern McLaren supercars.

Exposed carbon fiber also appears inside the cabin, helping reinforce the focus on reducing weight.

Several smaller details reference Bruce McLaren and the original M6GT. These include rear lighting inspired by the historic car, Bruce McLaren branding inside the engine bay and a Speedy Kiwi emblem on the fuel filler cap.

The cabin also features heritage inspired quilting, while exterior graphics reference the original M6GT. Despite these details, the overall design avoids becoming a direct retro recreation.

McLaren has confirmed that a production version of the McL 6GT will arrive in 2028.

Pricing, final specifications and production numbers have not yet been announced. McLaren has also not confirmed exactly how closely the production model will match the concept shown at Monterey Car Week.

However, the company describes the McL 6GT as the starting point for a new and highly exclusive category of McLaren positioned beyond its existing core model range.

With a manual gearbox, V8 engine, hydraulic steering and lightweight carbon construction, the McL 6GT represents a return to a more mechanical style of supercar at a time when much of the performance car market is becoming increasingly electrified and digitally controlled.