McLaren’s return to la Sarthe after a 26-year hiatus went largely unnoticed at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and, admittedly, it’s not hard to see why. The top-tier Hypercar category is so competitive now that it’s taken some of the sting out of the lower rungs, as has the move away from the fire-breathing GTE monsters to ubiquitous GT3 machinery. That’s how McLaren managed to shoehorn its 720S GT3 Evo into the Le Mans roster, and impressively snagged a pole position in a field filled with Ferrari 296s, Ford Mustangs, Corvettes Aston Martin Vantages. Unfortunately, it hit mechanical trouble before the end of the race, with the remaining McLaren entries retiring earlier on.
By no means the worst Le Mans return there’s ever been, as the cars were at least competitive in the right hands - yet it’s still a far cry from the firm's debut back in 1995. We all know the story: an F1 GTR sponsored by a Japanese clinic specialising in gentleman enhancement procedures won on its first attempt, although it’s easy to forget just how mighty the V12 supercar was at that year’s race. Of the top five finishers, four were McLaren F1s, while five of the seven cars entered would make it to the finish in a race that’s gone down in motorsport folklore.
Fast forward to 2015 and we got the release of the 650S Le Mans, a limited-run special built to mark the 20th anniversary of the winning car finished in a colour scheme inspired by the number 59’s livery, plus numerous MSO upgrades to mimic the look of the old F1 GTRs. You’d have to assume there won’t be a 24H special to mark its return at the 2024 event, especially as the ‘almost’ factory cars were well and truly whooped by the pole-sitting privateer - but this 720S Le Mans serves as a neat mash up between McLaren’s past and present endeavours at the fabled 24H race.
Like the 650S version, the 720S Le Mans sports the same metallic Sarthe Grey paint, albeit with a darker shade used for the lower parts of the car to resemble the winning car’s two-tone colour scheme. The gorgeous, lightweight five-spoke wheels similar to those worn by the F1 GTR made a return and there were more sculpted carbon fibre louvres over the front wheels. The old car’s giant roof intake was pared back to a slightly more subtle scoop above the engine cover, but what it lost in snorkel length it gained in 25th-anniversary stickers toward the rear.
Inside, McLaren added a touch more flair for its second Le Mans edition with black and grey Alcantara seats with anniversary logos embroidered into the headrests. A small plaque denotes that it’s just one of 50 produced, and if you look into the rear-view mirror you’ll notice a thick carbon fibre tube that takes air from the overhead scoop and channels it into the engine bay. It wasn’t any quicker than the standard car and the extra cooling was largely for show, but it’s not like the 720S was short of poke with 720hp on tap from its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.
Say what you will about the endless supply of McLaren special editions (though it’s much more restrained these days), but the Le Mans specials are arguably the most desirable of the lot. More so than the LTs, if only for the LM’s relative scarcity. And it’s that exclusivity - and just 2,000 miles logged - that helps it command a £199,995 asking price. That’s a lot when you consider that this equally low-mile 720S Performance is up for £134,995 and that the cheapest of cheap examples are just over £100k these days. But a proper F1 costs zillions, so you could almost call this LM edition a steal - assuming you're prepared to do some Olympic-level squinting...
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