We knew the McLaren Solus GT was going to be quick, but we’re not sure many people expected it to dominate its class at the Festival Of Speed hill climb. With an official time of 45.34 seconds, the Solus GT won the 2023 shootout and recorded the third-fastest time for a production car ever at the course, behind the McMurtry Speirling (39.08) and Nio EP9 (44.32).
The V10-powered McLaren Solus GT took multiple practice runs throughout the week in anticipation of the timed run, and it sounded pretty wicked throughout those runs. Competing against the also awesome Subaru GL Family Huckster driven by Travis Pastrana, the Rimac Nevera, and a few hand-picked race cars, the Solus GT was a full second quicker than the next-best Subaru.
These are the top five results:
| Car | Driver | Time |
| McLaren Solus GT | Marvin Kirchhofer | 45.34 Seconds |
| Subaru GL Family Huckster | Travis Pastrana | 46.37 Seconds |
| McLaren-Cosworth M26 | Michael Lyons | 46.89 Seconds |
| Porsche 911 GT3 Cup | Adam Smalley | 47.40 Seconds |
| Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 | Jake Hill | 48.18 Seconds |
Powered by a 5.2-liter V10 engine, the Solus GT has an impressive 829 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. It takes just 2.5 seconds for it to hit 60 miles per hour, with an estimated top speed of 200.
The single-seat hypercar tips the scales at just 2,205 pounds while the body is capable of generating 2,646 pounds of downforce. The Solus GT has aerodynamics inspired by a video game – literally. The production car was modeled after the 2017 Vision Gran Turismo concept for the Gran Turismo racing game.
Only 25 lucky customers will be able to get their hands on a new McLaren Solus GT, and as you’d expect, it’s only for the track. Each Solus owner will get a driver-development coaching program, an FIA-homologated racing suit, a special helmet, and a bespoke HANS device.
McLaren says each Solus GT costs £2.5 million – or about $4 million in US dollars.