Launched at the Geneva International Motor Show in 2015, the lightweight McLaren 675LT coupé revived the marque’s legendary “Long Tail” styling, which had not graced a car from the marque since the F1 GTR race car nearly 20 years prior. Based on the already lauded 650S platform which—just a year earlier—had distilled the on-track lessons learned by McLaren’s Formula 1 racing team into a thoroughly capable road car, the 675LT took this carbon-fibre chassis, active aero-equipped, twin-turbo V-8 powered supercar, and dialled up its core proficiencies in almost every aspect, to make a truly outstanding track-focussed vehicle. Its nomenclature is a nod to its “Long Tail” heritage.

The 675LT took every functioning part of its earlier sibling, the 650S, and made it harder, faster and more track-orientated. Changes included larger carbon-ceramic brake discs providing greater stopping power, bespoke lightweight 10-spoke forged wheels weighing in at close to a kilogram less per wheel for improved cornering and lower unsprung mass, as well as a greater use of carbon fibre throughout, resulting in an impressive 1,230 kilogram dry weight.

The limited-run 675LT made its debut to widespread media acclaim, and the limited run of cars sold out in record time. Given its immediate success, a year later McLaren announced a Spider version that promised a folding hardtop roof, allowing the car’s blistering pace to be unleashed in open-top style. Adding a modest 40 kilograms to the hard-top car’s weight, the 675LT Spider is not only capable of hitting 100 km/h in a blistering 2.9 seconds, and 200 km/h in 8.1 seconds, but it continues on to a top speed of 326 km/h—figures virtually indistinguishable from those of the Coupé.

This 2017 675LT Spider is one of just 500 examples produced. Since 2019, it been under the custodianship of racing legend Sébastien Loeb, unequivocally the most successful rally driver in history with his impressive haul of nine WRC championships. The highly decorated driver also took a 2nd-place finish in the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans, further to many highly competitive results in the Paris-Dakar Rally, World Touring Car championship, FIA World Rallycross Championship, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, and others.

Loeb’s 675LT is finished in the subtle hue of Chicane Grey over an orange and black leather with an Alcantara-trimmed interior, further complemented by a carbon fibre and Alcantara-trimmed three-spoke steering wheel and carbon-fibre paddles. It is powered by a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V-8 engine paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The McLaren features optional exposed carbon fibre trim on the exterior, including side skirts, side air intakes, wing mirrors, rear diffuser as well as a carbon fibre McLaren badge. Additional features include a titanium sports exhaust system, orange brake callipers, carbon fibre engine bay trim, and carbon-ceramic brake discs, as well as its ultra-lightweight forged wheels. This 675LT Spider shows 8,840 kilometres on its odometer at the time of cataloguing. The car has been maintained by a McLaren dealership in Geneva, Switzerland, with an accompanying service book last stamped in 2021.

With just 500 units produced, the McLaren 675LT Spider is already a rare car, but this example’s high specification and exceptional provenance makes it truly a one-of-a-kind vehicle. Loeb is noted to have relished driving the car whenever he could, and mentioned that it “drives like a road-legal race car”. It therefore goes without saying that this fine example would make a striking addition to any collection of modern supercars, not to mention a superb steer.