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McLaren MCL-HY: Woking Returns to Le Mans With a 707bhp Hybrid Hypercar

Thirty years after the McLaren F1 GTR stormed to victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, McLaren is heading back to the world's most demanding endurance race.

Giuseppe DiZillo · 21 May 2026

Thirty years after the McLaren F1 GTR stormed to victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, McLaren is heading back to the world’s most demanding endurance race. The weapon for the job is the MCL-HY, a hybrid hypercar that will line up in the FIA World Endurance Championship from the 2027 season — and it has Maranello firmly in its sights.

The numbers behind the comeback

Built to the LMDh rulebook, the MCL-HY pairs a twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 race engine with a hybrid MGU system, sending up to 520kW — around 707bhp — to the rear axle alone. Crucially, it tips the scales at a minimum of just 1,030kg. That combination of modest weight and serious output gives the car the kind of power-to-weight ratio that endurance racing rewards over a gruelling 24 hours, where efficiency matters as much as outright pace.

A livery soaked in heritage

The car was shown in a 2026 test livery inspired by the McLaren M6A — the Can-Am machine that Bruce McLaren himself once dreamed of taking to La Sarthe as the M6GT. It is a deliberate nod to McLaren’s dominant Can-Am years of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and a reminder that sports car racing is woven deep into the marque’s DNA.

A track car for the lucky few

Alongside the race car, McLaren confirmed the MCL-HY GTR, an ultra-exclusive track-only derivative offered to VIP clients through its Project: Endurance programme. Only around 30 to 35 will be built. The GTR drops the FIA-mandated hybrid system entirely and runs the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 on its own, producing roughly 730bhp with a focus on pure drivability rather than race-spec complexity. Owners get far more than a car: behind-the-scenes access, development updates, a presence at Le Mans in 2027, and a string of track events over two years.

Chasing the Triple Crown

There is a bigger prize in play. With McLaren already competing in Formula 1 and IndyCar, the MCL-HY completes a unique three-pronged assault on motorsport’s Triple Crown — victory at the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. On-track testing begins this month, led by works driver Mikkel Jensen with development support from Grégoire Saucy, Richard Verschoor and Ben Hanley, ahead of homologation next winter.

Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota and the rest of the Hypercar field have been warned. McLaren is back where it believes it belongs.

Can McLaren topple Ferrari at Le Mans in 2027? Drop your prediction below.