Proud Robinson + Partners Fuses Physical and Fantasy for New McLaren Hypercar

Luxury supercar maker McLaren Automotive is celebrating the launch of its Solus GT pioneering hypercar, with a creative campaign that strikes a balance between fantasy and reality, developed by Proud Robinson + Partners.

Originally conceived in 2011, Solus GT is the unadulterated realisation of a design concept that has shaped the evolution of McLaren Automotive for over a decade. Featured within the Gran Turismo Sony PlayStation game in 2017, the Solus GT launch makes McLaren the first car manufacturer in history to transform a virtual track car into a full production vehicle. Designed and engineered completely free from the constraints of road or race regulations, Solus GT has been produced as a ground-up bespoke build.

The reveal campaign, conceived and produced by McLaren Automotive’s global creative and culture agency, Proud Robinson + Partners, sees the fusion of the physical and virtual worlds to deliver creatives both real and fantastical at once. By shooting the Solus GT in real life while using CGI models to create a wondrous environment, Proud Robinson + Partners have produced a campaign that blends gamer fantasy and hypercar reality.

Rolled out globally across digital, social and PR, the launch was also marked by the first public display of Solus GT at Pebble Beach, California, on 19th August 2022.

Gareth Dunsmore, chief marketing officer at McLaren Automotive, comments: “Solus GT is the realisation of a design concept ideated in 2011 in a conceptual form and made reality in 2022. Proud Robinson + Partners delivered a creative platform that truly positions McLaren at the forefront of pioneering design and engineering. What was once fantasy now becomes reality - producing the fastest McLaren on a track, outside of Formula 1.”

Jacob Sims-Fielding, partner, creative and strategy at Proud Robinson + Partners, adds: “Launching one of the most exclusive luxury hypercars on the planet is a dream brief. Solus GT is the ultimate expression of McLaren Automotive’s pioneering position at the forefront of modern luxury. Our ambition was to bring to life the brand’s unrivalled ability to create icons of performance at the intersection of fantasy and reality.”