McLaren Monaco Concept Is A More Orthodox, Yet Futuristic, Grand Tourer

Luxury grand tourers are, usually, front-engined, but with the new McLaren GT, the British marque has created something a little different in the form of a mid-engined alternative. However, what if McLaren stuck to the norm and made a front-engined GT instead?

Intrigued by this thought, designer Nathan Malinick created a unique McLaren dubbed the Monaco for his senior thesis project. The vehicle has been described as “McLaren’s 2-seat transcontinental ballistic missile”, could sit in a new family of models coined the Touring Series and offer similar performance to the Ferrari 812 Superfast.

Powering the McLaren Monaco is a tuned version of the 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 found in the 720S that’s (supposedly) pumping out a total of 760 hp. The Monaco has a long front end, but most of the engine and driveline could fit behind the front axle, making the grand tourer front mid-engined.

Also Read: New McLaren GT Unveiled With 612 HP And $210,000 Price Tag

As the vehicle has been designed for the year 2025, its styling strays from Woking’s current design language, but it certainly looks edgy and aggressive. Among our favorite elements of the exterior are the sharp LED headlights and the windscreen that seamlessly flows into near-frameless butterfly doors and a moonroof.

Although so far McLaren has stuck to mid-engined cars only, it would be interesting to see it build a front-engined rival to the likes of the Aston Martin DB11 and 812 Superfast. Sadly, we can’t see it happening anytime soon, particularly since the GT now occupies the position such a vehicle could.