McLaren build ‘Gulf’ 675LT

It’s an appropriate commission, really, as McLaren themselves took inspiration from the F1 GTR racers when creating the 675LT. More specifically, this latest one-off from MSO was inspired by F1 GTR chassis #20R: a car that was campaigned by Gulf-Davidoff GTC Racing and scored a class win and second overall at the 1997 Le Mans 24 Hour race. That car was painted in the instantly-recognisable Gulf Oil livery of blue and orange that has also graced iconic endurance racers like Ford’s GT40 and the Porsche 917.

Originally, that colour combination was Gulf Powder Blue and Marigold, but it has been subject to numerous tweaks over the years, including Dayglo Orange, as applied to the ’97 F1 GTR. Chassis #20R also added black to the livery to striking effect.Up there with the Martini multi-tone blue and red, Team Lotus’s Gold Leaf red, gold and white, and the great John Player Special black and gold livery in terms of recognition, the Gulf Racing colours have been applied to innumerable race and road cars over the years.

In fulfilling the customer’s brief of recreating the look of the 1990s Gulf-Davidoff GTC Racing F1 GTR, MSO went as far as seeking approval from Gulf Oil International Ltd to accurately recreate their famous livery. Such was the attention to detail here that, of the 1,000 hours in total that went into this project, 800 were spent on the paint. Beyond the custom colour scheme, exterior modifications on this 675LT include louvered front guards, an upgraded roof scoop and a carbon fibre airbrake from the MSO options catalogue, while bespoke touches include the customer’s initials on the Dayglo Orange sill badges.

Inside, the door cards, dash, centre console and MSO Bespoke racing seats are trimmed in Carbon Black Alcantara with contrast blue and orange stitching, with the owner’s initials gracing the seat’s headrests. Orange seat belts, from the MSO Defined range, continue the Gulf livery theme, as does the Gulf Blue facing for the Active Dynamics Panel, and Dayglo Orange for the air vent trim rings and selected bezel surrounds.