30 Years After the F1, McLaren Brings Back the Manual with the McL 6GT Concept

On the McLaren's center console, next to the oversized shifter, sits a Papaya Orange clutch pedal — the most honest detail in the entire McL 6GT concept: driving this car means using your left foot.

The last time McLaren put a manual gearbox in a production car was the F1, back in 1992. More than three decades later, the British supercar maker is signaling that it's finally coming back — via a concept called the McL 6GT. And unlike Ferrari's computer-assisted 12Cilindri Manuale, this one appears to be the real deal: judging from the released interior photos, the shift knob is clearly marked with a six-speed pattern, suggesting genuine manual operation with no electronic assist doing the work behind the scenes.

The McL 6GT will make its debut during Monterey Car Week, though McLaren has revealed almost nothing about the powertrain. Car and Driver reports that the show car is actually capable of running, but details beyond the engine specs and the rest of the drivetrain remain under wraps. What's confirmed is that the transmission itself has six gears — everything else is being saved for 2028, the year McLaren has announced for the production version's launch, with an estimated price around $1.5 million.

The design harks back to the very first production car Bruce McLaren himself built in 1969, the M6GT: a low-slung body with clean lines from front to back, oversized headlights up front, and a low rear spoiler out back. The fuel cap is stamped with an early version of the brand's logo, the "Speedy Kiwi" — a direct nod to the McLaren founder's era, welded right onto the body.

The cabin feels more like the interior is integrated into the car's structure rather than added on as decoration afterward. Even though the shifter is a relic of the mechanical era, a digital gauge cluster sits ahead of the driver, while the steering wheel, seats, and door panels are all wrapped in Alcantara suede.

McLaren emphasizes that this is still just a concept, and the production version will inevitably see some changes in the details. But more than the styling or the power figures, what really makes you look twice at the McL 6GT is the manual shifter itself — the last time it showed up in a McLaren production car was more than three decades ago.