Newly debuted Artura GT4 features McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture

McLaren Motorsport (Woking, U.K.) reveals the new Artura GT4 race car, ahead of its global public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Sussex, England. Based on the all-new McLaren Artura luxury supercar, the Artura GT4 is said to build on the successes of the multi-championship-winning 570S GT4 and 720S GT3 competition cars.

The new Artura GT4 shares much of its technology with the new McLaren Artura road car, which debuts the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture featuring a carbon fiber monocoque. This motorsport-inspired chassis design and construction is an ideal platform for a race car, McLaren notes, as a rigid structure enables a wider setup envelope for the driver as well as providing a strong and safe driving environment.

The minimization of weight is a key element of the Artura road car, and this philosophy continues in the race car — with a compact V6 engine and ancillaries including the exhaust system, all weight-optimized, the GT4 car is more than 100 kilograms (~220 pounds) lighter than the outgoing 570S GT4.

“The Artura GT4 is the second race car to be built from the ground up by McLaren Automotive’s Motorsport division.”

The vehicle also has a hybrid powertrain with a new, compact twin-turbo 120-degree V6 petrol engine, allied to an Axial Flux E-Motor located in the transmission. The lack of hybrid components is said to deliver weight savings of 130 kilograms (~287 pounds) on an already lightweight car, while the space within the carbon fiber monocoque for the hybrid battery now houses the fuel cell and ancillary drive system, keeping weight central and low down.

A V6 engine, said to be lighter and smaller than the older unit, features fast-responding twin turbochargers for improved throttle response and fuel economy, while power is delivered through a seven-speed gearbox. The GT4 iteration also extends aerodynamics further with an aerodynamic package that offers greater downforce than the outgoing 570S GT4 particularly at the front end, which features a bespoke splitter, dive planes and bespoke bonnet duct. At the rear, a high-efficiency wing incorporates seven angle settings to cover a wide spectrum of circuit types.

Visibility, safety levels, servicability, and suspension and handling are additional features that have been enhanced for drivers on the track, 

Purchasers of the Artura GT4 will also be able to order from a comprehensive list of options to support a range of competition and track environments and additional driver aids are available. 

“The Artura GT4 is the second race car to be built from the ground up by McLaren Automotive’s Motorsport division,” Ian Morgan, director of motorsport, McLaren Automotive, says. “With lighter weight, precise handling characteristics and enhanced durability, the Artura GT4 will set new class standards, as we are already seeing from our extensive test and development program.”

McLaren Automotive’s motorsport division will continue an intensive test and development program ahead of the 2023 season when the first customer cars will compete.