The bespoke divisions of luxury car makers are usually to create new paint job, new leather, materials and some minor interior changes perhaps. But one customer has taken the personal commissioning to a new level by commissioning not one, but two cars.
For this customer, the McLaren Special Operations (MSO) has created MSO R Coupe and Spider, which appears to be based on the 675LT.
The two MSO R cars, which have the same external, internal and mechanical specifications, are finished in Liquid Silver – the Coupe in satin and the Spider in gloss finish – with a carbon fibre central stripe. Both have the same twin-element rear wing.
The front bumper, bonnet, louvered fenders, roof scoop and rear deck are all MSO Visual Carbon Fibre (VCF) components, as are the side mirror arms and casings and wiper scuttle. Pinstriping in Delta Red features on the front splitter and side blades, while the splitter, side skirts, sill panels, rocker panels and plenum cover carry MSO R branding. The wheels of both cars are the same 5-spoke design, finished in satin black on the Coupe and gloss black on the Spider.
The interior design of the cars is even more distinctive than the exterior. Both cabins feature Alcantara throughout. Primarily in black with red stitching, the theme is reversed for the seats, which are red with black stitching and feature an MSO R logo embroidered in black on the headrest. The steering wheel has a carbon fibre upper and lower, with black Alcantara grips and a Delta Red centring stripe. Switches are in gloss black and vent mechanisms are satin black, with bezels in carbon fibre.
This MSO Personal Commission did not stop at visual and design changes, says McLaren. The 3.8-litre M838TL twin-turbo V8 engines of both cars have been blueprinted and the heads and exhaust ports hand-polished, helping the engine produce 688 PS (679 bhp) and up to 700 Nm of torque. The exhaust pipes are titanium.
Started with an MSO R-branded key, both the Coupe and the Spider feature bespoke IRIS screen and instrument cluster displays and gear-shift lights. The final visual touch is a dedication plaque on each car identifying them as MSO Personal Commission, taking them from being a rare car to a unique one – or in this case, a unique matched pair.
“An MSO Personal Commission is the highest level of partnership between a customer and McLaren Special Operations. A typical MSO Personal Commission extends beyond paint colours and materials and finishes to encompass changes to body and interior design and also dynamic and powertrain enhancements as required.” – Jolyon Nash, Executive Director, Global Sales and Marketing, McLaren Automotive.
One of the first McLarens commissioned at this level was the McLaren X-1. Unveiled during the weekend of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2012.
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