McLaren Solus GT review

From the moment the canopy is pushed back into position, the Solus GT is quite an extraordinary experience. The view is just incredible, the V10 provides stunning, free fall-style acceleration and an evocative soundtrack and the car’s responses, stability and sheer mechanical and aerodynamic grip is mind-bending.

First impressions come thick and fast. The V10 might form a part of the chassis but it doesn’t oscillate the cabin too much at all. You know it’s there of course, but there’s no harshness. Throttle response is superb and the Solus has mega traction and such a fierce top-end that inertia doesn’t seem to really apply. The car - which is so light, anyway - just seems to change direction, brake and accelerate as if there were no forces acting against it. Input and response are locked together, which means alien forces and an alien environment soon become entirely natural.

Does that mean it’s too normal?

Erm, no. Nothing about this car is normal except the fact that it’s a car. So you steer, brake and accelerate just as you would in something slow. Like a 750S. Push incredibly hard and it might understeer or even oversteer. But such are the forces at work and the feeling of lightness and precision, that it feels super-powered and almost omnipotent. The Solus GT operates way out of the usual frames of reference and so it’s an absolute feast of sensation.

The steering is light and accurate, which really conveys the qualities of this car. The carbon-carbon brakes are fantastic and the ABS rarely triggers but is a nice thing to have and the traction control is really effective and barely perceptible when you have it drilled back for nice hot, dry running. In terms of balance the Solus just feels really hooked-up but still poised and adjustable. It’s clear we’re not getting 100-per cent from this car but it tolerates and even enjoys being hustled. It allows a really attacking style and compresses every input to make unravelling a racetrack a bizarrely calm but high-energy experience.

Just how fast is it?

McLaren claims the Solus GT can lap quicker than an LMP2 car and not too far away from a Hypercar - the top class at Le Mans. Which is nuts. Is it true? It’s hard to say. We were at COTA on a very hot day and the Solus was well under the GT3 racecar lap record but still some way from an LMP2 record (a 1m 52.545s set by Nyck de Vries) even in the hands of a current IndyCar driver.

Of course at this level it’s hard to compare without discussing fuel loads and tyres and a host of other things. But let me put it this way. It’s fast enough. For me. For you. Even for our own over-inflated sense of driving talent. The GT accelerates like mad, hits gearshifts with instant speed and brakes and corners so hard that it’s difficult to imagine travelling faster in any car. Lord only knows what an F1 car must feel like…

Overall, it’s a fascinating, slightly mind-blowing and unique experience. The engine is smooth and savage and a real highlight, but it’s the cornering speeds that really take your breath away. Compared to the Senna GTR - which we used as the warm-up car - the Solus feels light, sharp and so focussed. Add in the amazing view and the single-seater thrill and it’s incredibly intense and deeply enjoyable.