McLaren is actively considering building a race version of the new 570S Sport Series to compete in GT4 category racing around the world.
With the increasing speeds and professional nature of GT3 racing, there is a perception among many manufacturers that a GT4 programme would entice gentlemen drivers put off by the expensive nature and no-prisoners attitude of GT3 racing these days.
Porsche is known to be developing a race version of its Cayman GT4 and Mercedes-Benz is canvassing opinion widely to assess the viability of a GT4 programme for the AMG GT which has yet to go on sale even in GT3 form.
"We are looking at it," said a senior source at McLaren, "and working out where it fits in our race strategy from F1 downwards. We would need to be confident of being able to do it at a price that made sense both to us and our customers."
McLaren has not ruled out a return to Le Mans either. Twenty years after it became only the second manufacturer to win the 24-hour race at the first time of asking, a Le Mans programme is not likely in the short term but is believed to remain a long term ambition for the Woking brand.
"One problem we have is that given what happened with the F1 GTR in 1995, the burden of expectation on us would be considerable, so if McLaren does go back to Le Mans, it could only be in the right way and with the right car."
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