From console to track: McLaren has transformed a video game car into a real beast with a V10 engine and 840 hp

Sometimes the difference between fantasy and reality is only in our willingness to make something go from the first to the second. So today we can say that McLaren  has "thrown flats"  and transformed  a car that previously only existed in a video game  into a very real "hypercar".

This hypercar is called  Solus GT  and has the appearance of a faired single-seater, very similar to the vehicle from which it is inspired: the  Ultimate Vision GT, a virtual "proto" that can only be enjoyed in  Gran Turismo Sport.

A bet with everything for the 'downforce'

Like the rest of the  “Vision GT” concepts  featured in the popular Japanese video game, the McLaren Solus GT features a design  focused almost exclusively on downforce generation.

If we look at the data offered by the British brand, the Solus GT is able to generate more mass in concept of grip than it weighs on its own : more than 1,200 kg  of load against just under 1 000 kg which she throws empty on the scale.

This "miracle" of technique was possible thanks to the  massive use of carbon fiber, as well as other metal components made of titanium  by 3D printing.

With all the above, the declared maximum speed of 322 km/h  is more easily understood, something "low" if we take into account that it is reached thanks to the thrust of a huge  atmospheric V10 from 5.2 liters  and no less than  840  horsepower and 650 Nm of torque. However, this grip has something positive : an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.5 seconds.

Obviously the Solus GT is conceptualized as a toy  exclusively adapted to circuits. To wield it in these circumstances, the owner has  his own custom-made helmet, HANS and pilot suit. It also has a personal seat molded from its carbon fiber bodywork (like in F1), which is fitted in the only available cabin space.

The latter has a front part that slides forward to allow access to a cramped space  similar to that of a fighter plane. With the harnesses on and the cover closed, the steering wheel (extremely similar to the ones Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo  drive every weekend  ) offers everything you need to stay in control of the car, feeling like a real driver.

If we can put a defect in the McLaren Solus GT, it is that it is already impossible to obtain it by the usual way : the  25 units  of this hypercar were sold to their owners, even before its presentation as part of  Monterey Car Week. The price these lucky people paid is unknown, but it will surely not have been less than one million euros.