2 weeks ago
McLaren McL 6GT Concept Brings Back the Manual Gearbox
McLaren is a company that makes very fast, expensive cars.
For a long time, they stopped putting a stick shift, the lever that drivers use to change gears by hand, in their cars.
Now they have shown a new car called the McL 6GT that brings the stick shift back.
The car has a big V8 engine and sends its power to the back wheels.
It was shown at a big car event called Monterey Car Week.
The new car is inspired by an old project that Bruce McLaren, the company's founder, started many years ago.
McLaren plans to make a real version of the car in 2028.
It will be the first McLaren road car with a manual gearbox since the F1 came out in 1992.
McLaren says the car is about the fun of driving, not just about being the fastest.
McLaren unveiled the McL 6GT concept at Monterey Car Week, inspired by the unfinished M6GT road-car project conceived by founder Bruce McLaren.
The concept features a V8 internal-combustion engine, rear-wheel drive, hydraulic steering and a manual transmission.
If production proceeds as planned in 2028, it will be McLaren's first manual road car since the F1, which debuted in 1992.
The design uses a carbon-fibre monocoque and bodywork, with visual cues from the original M6GT including a Kammback-style rear.
McLaren has not revealed power figures, weight, price or production numbers; the 6GT will sit outside its core sports car and supercar range.
- Who
- McLaren, the British carmaker founded by Bruce McLaren
- What
- Unveiled the McL 6GT concept, a V8, rear-wheel-drive sports car with a manual gearbox, with a production version planned for 2028
- Where
- Monterey Car Week
- When
- Unveiled at Monterey Car Week; production planned for 2028
- Why
- To revive the manual gearbox driving experience, drawing on Bruce McLaren's unfinished M6GT road-car project
Manual Gearbox Advocates
Automation Advocates
Driving experience vs performance
Manual Gearbox Advocates
A manual gearbox deliberately hands control back to the driver, and the 6GT is presented around the experience of actually driving the car with physical controls and hydraulic steering.
Automation Advocates
Automated dual-clutch gearboxes change gears faster and more consistently than most drivers, and the performance-car industry has increasingly moved toward electronics managing everything from traction to steering.
Key facts
- Manufacturer
- McLaren
- Model
- McL 6GT (concept)
- Engine
- V8 internal-combustion; full specifications not yet released
- Drivetrain
- Rear-wheel drive with manual transmission
- Steering
- Hydraulic
- Production target
- 2028
- First manual McLaren since
- F1 (debuted 1992)
- Reveal event
- Monterey Car Week




