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Better Late Than Never: McLaren Brings Back a Manual Gearbox
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McLaren revealed a new car called the McL 6GT, although this is only a pre-production prototype, with deliveries not starting until 2028.

The McL 6GT differs from other recent McLaren products by utilizing a six-speed manual transmission.

The design is inspired by the M6GT, a road car prototype developed by Bruce McLaren in the late 1960s.
We’ve been beating this drum for a long time, and it seems as though manufacturers are finally starting to understand the need to introduce more manual transmissions. Ferrari, probably the oldest proponent of the “an automatic is faster” adage, has its pseudo-manual 12Cilindri coming, Porsche reintroduced a manual for its 911 Carrera S, and now McLaren joins the budding field of three-pedal builders with its McL 6GT.

But now is a bit of a tease. The production model won’t actually arrive until 2028, when it will carry a price of about $1.5 million. What you see here is a “pre-production prototype.” The 6GT follows a function formula—except for the manual trans—that’s familiar to McLaren, meaning a carbon-fiber tub and body with a mid-mounted engine.

McLaren wouldn’t get into specifics on the engine, but we know this prototype was runner. If the shift pattern on the rather bulbous shifter is to be believed, it’s a six-speed. It’s probably a safe bet to assume the production car will have a V-8 of some variety.

The form of this new car, of which McLaren will build 500 units, is breaking new ground, or at least treading ground McLaren hasn’t in decades. It doesn’t have the scalloped headlights of a 750S. It doesn’t have a lot of exposed scoops. Just a single, low intake on each side with horizontal strakes. A keen eye will clock the well camouflaged intakes just behind the side glass.

A tiny low-profile wing that’s mostly integrated with the body is out back above a diffuser and a pair of ovoid exhaust tips. That wing is fixed, but there is some active aero that manipulates the downforce happening underneath the skin. Ultimately it looks like a modern mid-engine supercar, albeit with more reserved styling than what we’re used to seeing from McLaren.

There’s a bit more McLaren familiarity inside the cabin, though it isn’t the carbon-fiber cocoon we’re used to. Quilted Alcantara covers, though not completely, the doors, sills, and seats. Between those seats is arguably the most important part of the car. The shifter has exposed linkage with large-diameter bushings. It’s an interesting take. Not gated or booted, the setup reminds us most of an older Spyker.

The 6GT’s name and whole ethos, really, takes its inspiration from McLaren’s first attempt at a road car. Back when Bruce McLaren was running the race teams, he had the vision of developing the early Can-Am M6A for the road. McLaren died while testing the M8D in 1970 before the road-car division could take off, but a few M6GTs were developed. McLaren recently rebuilt one.

For those not familiar, the first series of Can-Am racing in the 1960s and 1970s produced some pretty wild machines. It was effectively a no-holds-barred competition of who had the least fear while chasing prize winnings that were huge for the era. Bruce McLaren or Denny Hulme piloting a McLaren powered by massive Chevrolet V-8s won the first five Can-Am seasons.

It was utter dominance until Porsche found success with its open-top 917 variants, the last of which, the 917/30, pumped out 1100 horsepower. Turns out that is the amount of power needed to see the competition walk away. The 1973 season was Can-Am’s last in that unregulated form. If you want a visual history of that era, check out Can Am: The Speed Odyssey on YouTube. It’s worth a watch.

It’s hard not to think we had something to do with this renaissance of three-pedal gearboxes. After all, we started our Save the Manuals campaign when Obama was in office. It’s also hard not to wonder if the Ferrari-McLaren beef is alive and well. The second bullet point of its press release for the McL 6GT starts with “authentic manual transmission,” some clear shade thrown the Italians' way. Now we just need to wait for the McL 6GT to come to fruition.

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Originally posted by P250UA5:

And cheers for a real manual

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Originally posted by ArtieS:
I read today that Porsche is offering the 911 in a traditional manual again.

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Originally posted by P250UA5:

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Originally posted by ArtieS:
I read today that Porsche is offering the 911 in a traditional manual again.

For $10k over the auto/PDK, and only on the Carrera S.
Starts at over $150k

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Originally posted by Rawny:
^^^ Those damn elitists...

Thankfully, we ordinary folks still have the Miata, the Toyobaru twins, and the Mustangs if we want to row our own gears.

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Originally posted by bcereuss:

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Originally posted by Rawny:
^^^ Those damn elitists...

Thankfully, we ordinary folks still have the Miata, the Toyobaru twins, and the Mustangs if we want to row our own gears.

…and the Type R…

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Originally posted by ridewv:

Unfortunately that's been the trend, drop manuals all together or "we'll give you a manual but not for less money in a base model rather for a premium in one high end model".