America’s First McLaren 600LT Lands In John Hennessey’s Garage

John Hennessey has built himself a reputation for tuning cars, and even for making some world-beating supercars of his own. But the latest addition to his stable isn’t one of his projects.

It’s the new McLaren 600LT – the first example, actually, to be delivered in the United States. And it’s just arrived at Hennessey Performance Engineering in Houston, Texas, all blacked out, save for some subtle accents in McLaren’s signature shade of orange.

The 600LT, for those unacquainted, is the most hardcore version of McLaren’s Sports Series. It’s based on the 570S, but features more extreme aerodynamics, a stiffer chassis and a more potent engine. Instead of 562 horsepower (419 kW) and 443 lb-ft (601 Nm) of torque, the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 in the 600LT produces 592 hp (441 kW) and 457 lb-ft (620 Nm) of torque.

With 212 fewer pounds (96 kg) to motivate, the 2,749-pound (1,247-kg) supercar will run to 60 in 2.8 seconds (or 2.9 to 100 km/h/62 mph) before topping out at 204 mph (328 km/h). That makes it just as quick, according to the manufacturer, as the previous 675LT that encompassed a similar transformation over the 650S, the 720S’ predecessor in the company’s Super Series.

Production started last month, and while McLaren hasn’t said exactly how many examples it will make, it did indicate that “production will be strictly limited” and last for only about a year, with the entire allocation already spoken for. So customers like Hennessey can count themselves fortunate for having gotten their orders in early, though another run, this time of the Spider, will probably follow.