McLaren 620R

A road-legal GT4 racer from Woking

The McLaren 620R is a limited-run, rear-wheel-drive coupe that McLaren Automotive revealed on 9 December 2019 as a road-legal version of its 570S GT4 race car. Our catalogue lists it from 2020 with a 3.8L twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine producing 610 bhp and 620 Nm, with 0 to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 322 km/h. This guide is scoped to the 620R built from 2020 to 2021, not the 570S road car, the 570S GT4 race car or the 600LT, which share its basic engineering but are different cars with different equipment.

We have not driven this model for this article. This is a desk-researched ownership guide built from sources we could read in full: McLaren Automotive's launch press release as republished by Automotive World, the PistonHeads news report on the launch by Sam Sheehan from 9 December 2019, and the PistonHeads 570S used buying guide by Tony Middlehurst from 27 August 2022. We also read the evo and SlashGear reports of the end of Sports Series production from March 2021, and the Wikipedia article on the 570S family. McLaren's own legacy model page for the 620R loaded as an empty shell for us, so we could not read specifications from it. The PistonHeads buying guide covers the 570S, not the 620R, and it does not mention the 620R at all, so we use it only for parts and systems the two cars share. We did not consult the government recall check for this article, and you should use it yourself.

Checking the figures

Power is the first thing to get straight, because three numbers circulate. McLaren's release gives 620 PS, which it also writes as 610 bhp, and calls the most powerful Sports Series car yet. PistonHeads prints 620 hp, which is the metric figure with a different label. Wikipedia and SlashGear print 612 hp, which is the same 620 PS converted at a slightly different rounding. Metric horsepower is about 1.4 percent larger than the bhp figure, so 620 PS works out at roughly 611 or 612 bhp. We use the 610 bhp that McLaren itself published, and an advert quoting 620, 610 or 612 is describing the same engine.

Torque is 620 Nm in the McLaren release, which PistonHeads and evo give as 457 lb ft. Acceleration is 2.9 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h and 8.1 seconds from 0 to 200 km/h in the release, and PistonHeads gives 2.9 seconds to 62 mph, noting that this matches the 720S. Top speed is 322 km/h, or 200 mph. These are manufacturer claims from the launch, not tests we have done.

Weight is stated as a target. The release says a targeted dry weight of 1,282 kg, and PistonHeads repeats 1,282 kg dry. Dry weight leaves out fluids, so a car on the road will weigh more, and none of the sources we read gives a kerb weight for the 620R.

The number built is where sources disagree. The release says production was limited to 350 customer orders, all hand-built at the McLaren Production Centre in Woking. PistonHeads at launch confirmed 350. However, evo in March 2021 describes the car as limited to just 225 units worldwide, SlashGear says McLaren made only 225 examples, with 70 headed to North America, and Wikipedia says production was limited to 350 but only 225 were produced. None of these later reports is a McLaren document, and one dealer page we read also gave 225, so treat 350 as the announced limit and 225 as the reported final figure, and ask a McLaren specialist to confirm any individual car against the build records.

Dates also need care. The release said production would begin in January, which means 2020, and a copy of the release on a forum thread gave first deliveries in February 2020. SlashGear says production of the Sports Series ended in December 2020 with the final 620R builds, and evo reported the last car leaving Woking in March 2021, so the 2021 date in our catalogue reflects final deliveries rather than the end of building.

Engine and gearbox

The engine is the M838TE 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8, the same unit used in the GT4 race car, with recalibrated engine management and turbo control to reach its output according to the release. PistonHeads says it is unrestricted because a road car has no motorsport restrictor, and mounts that are firmer than the road car's reduce inertia under load. It also says the car uses an F1-derived feature called Inertia Push, which uses the kinetic energy of the flywheel to add torque.

The gearbox is the seven-speed Seamless Shift Gearbox according to the release, with extended shift paddles according to PistonHeads. The copy of the release we read on a forum thread also says Sport mode produces an upshift crack from a momentary spark cut. PistonHeads, in its 570S guide, rates the twin-clutch seven-speed as superb. That guide also says the 570S engine produces power and torque at unusually high revs, that it sounds more functional than soul-stirring, and that a sports exhaust helped.

Several points in the 570S guide may apply to the 620R because the two cars share their basic engineering, though that guide does not say so. Battery condition is the first. The 570S has a gauge showing how long it can sit before the battery goes flat, and the guide recommends a trickle charger. It says random check-engine lights can appear and that clearing them needs a code only McLaren can provide. It says an oil service can take up to six hours, that coolant hoses can leak, and that you should look at the ground beneath the car before and after a test drive. It also says missing an annual or 10,000 mile service invalidated the 570S new-car warranty. We do not know the warranty terms of any 620R, so ask for them in writing.

Chassis, brakes and wheels

The 620R uses the MonoCell II carbon monocoque according to PistonHeads and Wikipedia, with aluminium front and rear crash structures. The release lists two-way manually adjustable coilover dampers from the GT4 car with 32 clicks per corner, over 6 kg lighter than the standard units, plus aluminium wishbones and uprights, stiffer anti-roll bars and springs, solid stainless steel top mounts, a lowered ride height and a wider track. The 570S guide describes double wishbones with adaptive dampers on the road car, so the 620R, with manually adjusted coilovers, is a different set-up. Ask who last set the damper clicks, whether corner weights were done after any change, and whether an alignment printout exists.

Because the 620R uses different springs and dampers, we cannot say that the 570S guide's warnings apply. That guide says 570S dampers can leak and coil springs were notorious for breaking, with front-end clunks at full lock as the warning sign. Take that as a reason to inspect, listen and ask for invoices, not as a known 620R fault.

The brakes are carbon ceramic, 390 mm at the front and 380 mm at the rear, with forged aluminium calipers. Ask for disc wear measurements, because we found no source with 620R wear data. Wheels are 19 inch at the front and 20 inch at the rear, and the standard tyre is the Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R, a road-legal semi-slick. Optional track-only slicks, developed with Pirelli Motorsport, give an 8 percent larger contact patch, and the release says the car can run them without further mechanical adjustment. The release describes these as track-only tyres, so confirm which wheels and tyres come with the car. The 570S guide says to look for the MC mark on tyre sidewalls to avoid insurance problems, and the same logic is worth applying here.

Body, interior and electronics

The aero is the reason for the car. The release lists an adjustable carbon rear wing, raised 32 cm, with three angles and a third brake light to make it legal, producing up to 185 kg of downforce at 250 km/h. It adds a redesigned front bumper, splitter and twin-nostril carbon bonnet, and front dive planes that add up to 30 kg, for a front package of up to 65 kg. PistonHeads says the wing is identical to the GT4's apart from the brake light. Splitters and dive planes are low and exposed, so look for scrapes, cracks, repairs and mismatched carbon. The 570S guide also says front splitters could fall off and panel fit varies.

The 570S guide has a number of bodywork points that may be shared. It says the aluminium panels do not rust but do corrode, with bubbling under the paint around the engine cover, wheel arches and door seams, so look in those places. It says rear windows can crack, with small cracks that grow, and that wiper motors blew, with intermittent operation as the warning. It says McLaren does not release paint codes, so a specialist is needed to match paint after a repair. The doors sometimes need a firm slam.

Inside, the release lists carbon racing seats, six-point harnesses and a seven-inch McLaren Track Telemetry screen as standard, with no floor carpet or glovebox. Air conditioning, IRIS navigation and the audio system are deleted from the standard specification but can be selected at no extra cost, and a Bowers and Wilkins system is a paid option. This means the equipment varies from car to car, so find out what the car you are shown has. Cars were offered in McLaren Orange, Silica White and Onyx Black with GT4 liveries, with a Senna GTR-inspired livery and MSO options available. A numbered plaque sits on the centre console according to Wikipedia, so check it against the paperwork. The 570S guide says the IRIS system improved but can still be imperfect, that sat-nav, digital radio and Bluetooth could fail, and that IRIS should be turned off after each drive to avoid draining the battery.

Recalls and history

Neither the McLaren release nor the PistonHeads reports mention any recall for the 620R, and the PistonHeads buying guide says nothing about recalls for any model. That does not mean none exist, only that our sources do not say. We do not state recall numbers or dates. Enter the registration into the government recall check, which we did not consult, and ask a McLaren retailer for open campaigns and software updates against the VIN.

Ask for the full service history, any warranty paperwork, evidence of track use, damage repair records, and invoices for tyres, brakes and battery. The release says European and US buyers received a Pure McLaren Track Day, so ask whether that was used. If the car has raced or done many track days, expect heavier wear on the brakes, tyres and suspension.

Buying decision

The 620R is a track-focused car that happens to be road legal, and PistonHeads at launch said it and the GT4 racer appear damn near identical. The sources we read give no verdict on ownership in daily use, so decide whether the compromises suit you before you value the performance. Prices are dated and they differ between markets, so compare current adverts and leave our sources' numbers aside.

Keep the variants straight. The 570S buying guide describes a road car with adaptive dampers, a standard four-speaker audio system and a glass roof on some models, and its advice to prefer 2017 and later cars does not apply to the 620R. Check which car you are shown, because the 620R should carry the GT4-derived wing, coilovers and carbon ceramic brakes described above.

Prefer a car with a clean government recall check, a healthy battery and a charger left with it, documented dampers and brakes, even tyre wear, intact aero parts, written confirmation of the equipment fitted, and a build record from McLaren. Our sources do not agree on whether 350 or 225 were made, so do not pay extra for a build number that you cannot verify.