Best ever V10s: the McLaren Solus GT and the 'Tom Cruise of engines'

Racing cars that can't race are a funny old kettle of fish. What makes McLaren’s all the weirder is that it’s actually powered by one of the most venerable, proven legitimate racing engines of modern times.

The Solus GT is not road legal, but is ineligible for any form of ratified professional motorsport. It’s too loud for a track day and at £2.5 million plus tax, you’d be quite brave to sling one of the 25 examples up the inside of a caged Clio at Cadwell Park.

But it’s notable for being the only modern McLaren to ditch ye olde twin turbo Ricardo V8 and instead use a naturally aspirated powerplant. The 5.2-litre V10 may share its capacity with Audi and Lambo, but it’s actually a Judd engine, the hallmark of a company founded in Rugby way back in 1971 by F1 triple world champ Jack Brabham and engine whisperer John Judd.

Think of the Judd V10 like the Tom Cruise of engines. Getting on a bit, but reliably delivers the goods. It was the preferred choice among privateer teams throughout European and American endurance racing from the mid 2000s until around 2012 and today it’s a stalwart of historic motorsport, as well as the preferred choice for plenty of heritage F1 car owners who want a turnkey racing engine that sounds the part, goes like stink and doesn’t need a rebuild every hundred yards.

Judd’s backbone product is on duty in the Solus and generates more power than a P1’s twin turbo V8 thanks to plenty of Woking upgrades. The 70° block features a new crank, a bespoke air intake and exhaust. The cams and all ancillaries are driven via gears instead of chains or belts to reduce friction. So you might expect it to gnash or chunter, but it actually sounds like a late 1990s F1 car in the Monaco tunnel.

And it benefits from one of the coolest motorsport innovations – ram air effect. Standing still it makes 829bhp, but closer to 200mph the sheer force of the airflow it’s gulping in ramps power up to 858bhp. The faster this V10 legend goes, the stronger it gets.

McLaren Solus GT

Price new (2024): £3m
Price now: N/A
Engine: 5,200cc V10, 829bhp @ 10,000, 479 Ib ft @ n/a rpm
Transmission: 7spd semi-auto, RWD
Performance: 0-62mph in 2.5secs, 200mph
Weight: 935kg (dry)

Photography: Jonny Fleetwood & Alex Tapley