The McLaren McL 6GT wins Monterey Car Week by keeping it simple, stupid

There is much to see and do in Monterey in August during car week, and many of those things to see and do involve looking at, or driving, very expensive cars. It is also a time for manufacturers to show us new cars, with the Sauron-like gaze of the world’s smartphones beaming down on this small slice of central California.

It is perhaps indicative of the world we now live in that you can feel extremely present at an event occurring more than 5,000 miles away simply by clicking follow on a few Instagram accounts and letting the algorithm do the rest. Koenigseggs, Lamborghinis and whatever else doing burnouts along various beach-side roads while people chatter excitedly on voice-overs about just how impressive said car is and valuable and rare. Sheets are pulled off new designs and prototypes to various oohs and ahhs of assembled Ozempians. Cutting through is not easy, because at Monterey, there is always a bigger four-wheeled fish lurking right around the corner.

The McLaren McL 6GT is not the biggest fish, but it was certainly the most prized reveal of the week. Rumours had been swirling for some time that McLaren were releasing their first ‘manual’ car since the F1 ceased production in 1998. Those rumours swelled to a crescendo on August 14, when the McL 6GT blinked into existence and the internet roared its approval.

If such a thing as a prevailing wind exists in the world of car design, then it is surely blowing towards the past. The McL 6GT is inspired by (and takes most of its name from) Bruce McLaren’s own M6GT, the ‘genesis of McLaren’s road cars’. In the words of McLaren Automotive CEO: ‘The McLaren McL 6GT imagines what our inspirational founder had wished to complete but with six additional decades of innovation and passion woven through every element, creating a modern icon of driver connection.’

That 60 years of innovation might be found underneath the car's clean Can-Am lines, but the exterior is very much a celebration of the past. If you could criticise McLaren (and indeed many other sports- and supercar manufacturers), it would be that too many of their machines look like they were born on computers and grew up in wind tunnels; 3D-printed steaks wrapped in carbon fibre.

What they have lacked is provenance — a story, a feeling, something to talk to a petrol-station admirer or a dinner-party guest that is more than just numbers. The irony is, of course, that McLaren has plenty. It feels like it's finally manifested in the McL 6GT, a machine that looks like it was designed by a human with a pencil. There is a sense of heritage to the whole thing that feels timeless. A Kammback tail certainly helps.

And, of course, the manual gearbox. McLaren has always taken great care in trying not to overindulge their drivers, eschewing endless screens and buttons in order to keep the driving experience pure. And now with a full manual in the range, the experience is complete. Surely it will only be a matter of time before customers are asking for manual boxes in their own cars.

Image 1 of 3

Could this be the beginning of a new dawn in the direction of design for the gang at Woking? It’s too early to say, but there is so much to like with the McL6GT that it feels the pressure will be hard to resist. The vintage McLaren badges, ‘Speedy Kiwi’ details and proper big headlights all feel like the beginning of a counter-revolution. McLaren will always make spaceships that people will buy, but so much of the joy of the brand is the story. Competition comes in many forms, but the most compelling argument will never be numbers, but sensations, heritage and style.

So, here is your answer. In between the palm trees, Pacific Ocean and plastic, what stood out wasn’t something new, but something quite obviously old. Not a race to the end of a quarter mile, nor bending the physics of drag in a wind tunnel. Rather, a carefully thought-out piece of human design, drawing together the many elements of a business and philosophy that began for so many of us on a bedroom wall. If you want to win Monterey Car Week, the solution is to keep it simple.