MCLAREN GT

Can a £163K GT-cum-supercar really hack it as an everyday driver and retain its exclusive appeal? You bet it can

- PIERS WARD

FINAL REPORT MILEAGE 3253

WHY WE RAN IT

To see if a mid-engined supercar really can cut it as a commuting grand tourer

It's funny how, sometimes, something amazing starts from something ordinary. There I was in the office when a brief message popped up on my computer, from editor Tisshaw: “Do you fancy running a McLaren GT long-termer?” My brain might not be the swiftest, but even I woke up pretty sharpish at that point.

If I'm honest, I'm not quite sure why Tisshaw even needed to ask the question. Ours is a special world at Autocar, but even against that backdrop, a McLaren GT as a daily driver takes some beating.

A few months later, though, and it's gone. That was a bleak day. All grey sky and mist, made even greyer and mistier by the lack of the Belize Blue McLaren parked outside my house.

Not that my time with GT07 MCL started out that way. I'll admit to a fair degree of scepticism before it arrived. Yes, it was an exciting prospect. But as a GT? And an everyday commuter? That seemed like an altogether different prospect, with its carbon fibre tub, mid-mounted engine and strict two-seater layout. GTs are meant to be longlegged cruisers, seats reclined, arms stretched out, long bonnet pointing towards the south of France. The McLaren promised anything but.

And yet within a week, it was suggesting a broader appeal. Not in the traditional GT sense, but with enough comfort and flexibility that meant a long commute didn't fill me with dread. The sense of excitement from opening the dihedral doors meant every single journey at least started as an occasion.