Here’s the 2027 McLaren Le Mans Car, and its Sibling that You Can Buy

After a concept was unveiled at last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, McLaren has shown off the finished car that’ll see the company enter endurance racing’s top Hypercar class next year, and revealed its final name: MCL-HY. Not only that, but as promised last year, there’s a version that you’ll be able to buy. And by ‘you’, we mean mostly tech billionaires and hedge fund managers, but you get the idea.

So, the racing version first: it’s built to the LMDh ruleset, which means it uses one of four spec chassis – McLaren has chosen the one made by Italian constructor Dallara – with the manufacturer’s own powertrain and bodywork. That powertrain, in this case, is a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6, with an MGU electric motor making it a hybrid system. 

Overall, the system develops 697bhp, all sent to the rear wheels, and the car unsurprisingly runs to the Hypercar class’s 1,030kg minimum weight – although the thorny issue of the WEC’s Balance of Performance calculations could see it run heavier in races.

The looks have evolved a little from last year’s unnamed concept, but it’s still clearly trying to mimic McLaren’s road cars, mostly in those big, Senna-aping headlights. This eye-popping Papaya paint scheme isn’t the final race livery, but the one the MCL-HY will run during testing this year, although McLaren being McLaren, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the actual 2027 livery be just as vivid.

That race debut will come in the 2027 World Endurance Championship, which is running an as-yet-unannounced schedule but will be headlined by the 95th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the summer. Assuming there are no more manufacturer exits between now and then, McLaren will be competing for honours against Aston Martin, Cadillac, Toyota, Genesis, BMW, Peugeot, reigning Le Mans champs Ferrari, and Ford, which is also joining the fray in 2027. Porsche and Lamborghini, meanwhile, have both exited the Hypercar class in the last couple of years, and 2026 will be Alpine’s final season.

But wait – what’s this about one you can buy? That’s the silver and orange car in these pictures. Originally announced last year as Project: Endurance, we now know it’ll be called the MCL-HY GTR, and it’ll ditch the hybrid element of the full on race car (the ‘HY’ part of the name refers to the Hypercar class rather than the hybrid system). That’ll not only make it lighter, but because it won’t have to meet racing regulations, the derestricted engine alone will be making more power than the hybrid racer at around 720bhp.

McLaren hasn’t said how many GTRs it plans to build, or what the cost of entry will be, but expect the answers to be ‘not many’ and ‘a lot’, respectively. As well as the car itself, GTR buyers will also get behind-the-scenes access to the race car’s development and 2027 race season and a two-year, six-event programme of exclusive track days for them to play with their new toys at.

So, with McLaren back in the top class at Le Mans, as well as running an IndyCar team and, of course, its F1 effort, it’s about to become the only manufacturer with a shot of claiming motorsport’s Monaco-Indianapolis-Le Mans ‘Triple Crown’ in a single season. Reckon it can do it?