So, the 765LT......
My data point for this car is the 720S which I did 15000 miles in. The 765 on start up is much noisier and full of vibrations coming from the engine into the carbon tub, at rest they don't come through the steering wheel but there is a real drama with the noises and feelings emanating from the beast behind you.
Blipping the engine at idle the engine revs slightly quicker and feels smoother and the Ti exhaust has a higher pitch, it sounds really nice.
Setting off using a normal or sport setting whilst engine set to "active" mode and the auto box changes up way too quickly whilst trundling around much quicker into higher gear than the 720 it is like they had to get this car into a higher gear ASAP in order to hit those emissions targets, if you left it to it it would be in 7th gear groaning along at 30mph which really sounds horribly strained. Of course using the paddles is the answer and they are lovely to use.
The ride of course feels firmer than the 720 but still it is not firm and is perfectly acceptable for daily driving, the throttle response and engine tractability at part throttle settings is as you would expect perfectly resolved and the car could easily trundle around all day like any other car. The tyres feel very "solid" kind of like they have a high pressure in them but I guess it is the stiffness in the walls, they also feel pretty sticky even cold and traction is good.
Brakes feel slightly wooden on initial bite like all Macs and despite the bigger front (Senna) calipers they didn't feel different to the 720S if anything they were quieter in use.
I don't run in new cars these days so of course I have given the car the full beans and wringing it out to 8XXXrpm ifor a few gears.....it is as you would expect from the numbers but then I felt the 720S was "terrifying" but this thing !!!! OMG the noises it makes combined with the vibrations it feels like you are sitting on a warhead which is exploding, it is utterly fabulous and scary at the same time when it changes gear 1st to second the grip is insane for such narrow tyres and it really feels like it is trying to wheelie, second to third and it again gets faster in the rate of acceleration... it is not scary as in "I'm gong to crash" since it is amazingly well controlled and doesn't spit you off the road but wow 0-200kph in 5.Xs is an incredible feeling in itself but combined with the LT package it is a memorable thing.
The handling on roads is obviously fool proof and the car can be chucked about and take judicious use of the throttle you can be a hooligan and still be quite safe they have a great nanny package on it, makes it a lot of fun.
I always thought my 720S was a well built car, it didn't creak or rattle but this 765 feels even more solid even with its stiffer suspension there are no creaks or groans and it feels very well put together I'm particularly pleased about this aspect.
The problem I am having is finding an excuse to drive it, I imagined I was going to daily drive it but with the pandemic and the attention it gets it just doesn't feel right to be seen smoking round in this beast also because I have younger kids who all want to go in it we end up going in something else, I just got a nice kids seat for my 30 month old who is the one who screams the loudest if he's left behind if I go out for a spin
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997 GT2 2014 3.9 Mezger, 800PS @ 1.2 bar
2021 McLaren 765LT incoming
993 Turbo, 2006 built 3.8, 577PS/797NM, 1440kg DIN sold to a worthy enthusiast.