720S Spider, McLaren’s latest Super Series model, shares mechanicals with Coupé
Scintillating 720S goes topless The 720S Spider is the latest McLaren Super Series model, sharing its mechanicals with its Coupé sibling but with its own carbon-fibre structure. Here are 25 special things about McLaren’s new exotic super sports car. ▲
Acceleration as a core value In less than a decade, McLaren Automotive has become a formidable player in the sports car, supercar and hypercar game. Since the pioneering MP4-12C launched the brand’s Sports Series, in 2011, the marque has created no fewer than 24 street, track and race cars – made even more amazing by the fact the company became profitable in only its third year. The 720S Spider is the latest Super Series model and the second of 18 cars to be introduced by 2025, under the ambitious Track25 plan, graced with a budget of almost $2 billion. ▲
Proudly designed and made in the UK All McLaren cars are designed within the ultramodern McLaren Technology Centre and built next door in the McLaren Production Centre, fully functional since 2011. Both are set in Woking, Surrey, about 50 km southwest of London. All McLaren cars have been built with carbon-fibre body and structure since its racing team introduced the ultra-light and rigid material to Formula 1 in 1981. McLaren Automotive recently built its 20,000th car and inaugurated the all-new McLaren Composites Technology Centre in Yorkshire, where carbon-fibre tubs will soon be produced. ▲
Uncompromised function McLaren introduced the 720S Spider a year after the 720S Coupé rocked this elite category with its scintillating performance and handling. It shares mechanical components with its sibling but gets its own version of the Coupé’s carbon-fibre structure. Branded as Monocage II-S, it foregoes the central “spine” that runs above the latter’s cabin, to go topless. Remarkably slender buttresses rise above the “tonneau cover” to support the retractable top and provide anchor points for belts and rollover protection. In spite of extra components, the 720S Spider is just 46.6 kg heavier, for a total mass of just 1,468 kg. The retractable top swiftly and silently vanishes in a dozen seconds. ▲
Cozy and businesslike The 720S Spider’s cabin stays true to the modern, uncluttered design philosophy first expressed in the original MP4-12C. The flat-bottomed wheel, here with optional carbon fibre/leather trim and power adjustments, is superbly moulded and carries not a hint of a button. Extended shift paddles, also carbon fibre, are flanked by thin, efficient levers. Other controls are aligned on the slim centre console or set on the instrument panel, in minimalist fashion. The driving position is quite good, in spite of the mid-engine sports car’s familiar wheel intrusion, in the driver’s footwell. ▲
Stance and visibility With a height only 1.19 metre and a width of 2.16 metres, the 720S Spider is amazingly agile and stable while cornering, regardless of speed. Forward visibility is outstanding, with the low hood and vast windshield, framed by narrow front pillars. Headlights and daytime driving lights are LEDs and adaptive headlights are optional. On this car, the headlight frame, functional air intakes, front splitter and mirror shells are all slick carbon fibre. It also has a marvellous electrochromic roof panel that goes from clear to highly-tinted at the touch of a button. ▲
Comfort zones The standard sport seats combine stitched leather and Alcantara. Comfort and support are quite good, in spite of a slightly short cushion. Power adjustment and memory buttons are awkwardly placed, mostly out of sight, at the inside front edge of the seats, nudging the console. Carbon fibre racing seats are available too, in regular or touring trim. The McLaren orange safety belts are another option. A glass panel between the rear buttresses can be raised or lowered to control wind buffeting in an open cockpit or fine-tune the reverberated exhaust note, with the hard top in place. ▲
Twin-turbo thrust Tucked neatly under the 720S Spider’s rear tonneau cover is the same twin-turbocharged V-8 that powers the 720S Coupé, with a pair of huge, round tailpipes as the only obvious clue. This 4.0-litre engine develops 710 hp at 7,500 rpm and 568 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 rpm. All this muscle is channelled through a 7-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox visible through the open slats of the rear fascia. The Spider is said to sprint to 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds and cover the standing 1/4 mile in 10.4 seconds while roaring towards a 340 km/h top speed. All fully believable. ▲
Neat and varied info Detailed trip, vehicle, phone, media and navigation info can be displayed in the left section of the 720S Spider’s high-definition and highly-configurable TFT instrument cluster, in addition to a whole flurry of system and safety messages. A number of colourful displays show up in the right-side section, depending on the selected driving mode. When driving and vehicle mode selection is not active, or when Comfort mode is, a digital speedometer is the most prominent data on display, at the centre of the main virtual gauge, with the selected gear and shifting mode right next to it. ▲
Performance priorities Switch to Sport on either or both the Handling or Powertrain mode selectors on the centre stack and the active gear and shifting mode displays takes centre stage. The digital speedometer is then instantly relegated to a supporting role, which should befit a normal change in priorities, in more spirited driving. Coolant, oil and tire pressures also become useful data as all things mechanical start working harder on the road. All graphics are clear, crisp and impeccably legible. Stability control status and settings can also be displayed, on the right-hand side of the cluster. ▲
Full concentration and visibility When in Track mode, the twisting asphalt or cement ribbon that unfolds ahead of your rapidly-progressing 720S Spider is all that should normally count. To eliminate distractions and provide the best possible view, especially in a lowered driving position, the instrument cluster shell tumbles forward gently, revealing a shallow, horizontal TFT screen. Hence, the official name of Folding Driver Display. All you see, then, is the selected gear, engine speed scale and digital speedometer. Also shift lights. It works quite well and you can use it in any activated mode, by pushing a button. ▲
Winged wonder The 720S Spider, like all modern McLaren cars, has dihedral or “butterfly” doors you open by pressing a thin, electric pad mounted flush inside the door’s pointy outer ‘skin’. The doors are superbly designed and fabricated, impeccably balanced and both easy and pleasant to use. Of course, with the 720S’ wide carbon fibre sills, access to the seats requires more than a modicum of agility. The deep troughs at the top of both doors channel fresh air to the engine and intercooler intakes while the lower recess helps draw hot air from the wheels and brakes. ▲
Command central The slim, bridge-like centre console holds most major controls, pared down to their simplest expression. The knob and six buttons at the bottom of the screen control the HVAC, phone, audio and other multimedia functions, while the large, shiny button starts and stops the engine. The three toggles below are for a dual-clutch transmission that occasionally engages in a jerky, hesitant manner. Launch control, on the other hand, is remarkably effective. Last button pressed, brakes held and accelerator floored, you let the engine rev to 3,200 rpm, release the brakes and instantly feel properly catapulted. It truly is addictive. ▲
Superbly surefooted The 720S Spider rides on specially-developed Pirelli PZero performance tires, mounted on new 10-spoke, lightweight alloy wheels. These are controlled and guided by the newest version of McLaren’s innovative, hydraulic suspension dubbed Proactive Chassis Control II, with interlinked variable dampers and double aluminum wishbone arms. Steering is still electro-hydraulically assisted and marvellously precise, linear and tactile. The ride is appropriately firm on the roughest bits of Canadian pavement, but the Spider’s agility, poise and stability are simply beyond reproach, at any moment, in any condition. And the huge, standard carbon-ceramic brakes complete this equation impeccably. ▲
Traction supreme Rear body overhang is just about nil on the 720S Spider, which is a great virtue for sports cars, let alone supercars. The triangle in the upper right corner is the active rear spoiler, fully retracted. The body-wide wing rises automatically, to either decrease aerodynamic drag or increase downforce, depending on driving mode, speed and cornering loads. It also stands up fully to act as an airbrake in full deceleration. Unlike most supercars, the 720S runs an open differential. Yet, traction is exceptional, in full acceleration or cornering, thanks to selective and minute rear brake application. ▲
The McLaren way Even climate control icons remind you, tongue-in-cheek, that you are sitting in a sports car with genuine racing history, pedigree and DNA. However intense and radical the 720S Spider’s focus on handling and performance, it is not temperamental in the least and provides surprising creature comforts, including thoroughly effective AC, even while creeping along in summer traffic. The electrochromic roof panel helps greatly, in such conditions. And you get heated seats for chilly days. The Aero button, top left, activates automatic spoiler (a.k.a. Airbrake) deployment at less than 150 km/h or locks it erect, in full-downforce position. ▲
Control and clarity The 720S Spider’s vertically-implanted, 8-inch touchscreen does a great job of taking driver and passenger through the various system and configuration menus and pages. It is clear, bright and not cumbersome in the least, in perfect keeping with McLaren’s minimalist cockpit and control design philosophy. The large knobs, on the left, let the driver choose between Comfort, Sport or Track modes for Handling (top knob) or Powertrain (bottom knob). You simply need to push the Active button to turn the system on. The lowest button, on the left, deactivates the start-stop function. ▲
Eyes all around Driving a low-slung, 710-horsepower supercar in the city can be a daunting proposition. Especially one that costs more than a half-million dollars, taxes included. No matter how good your insurance and how solid your nerves. Considering this, the Park Assist option is worth every loonie of the $3,390 McLaren is asking for it. It includes front and rear parking sonars, a straight rear-view camera and the clear, 360-degree bird’s-eye view image shown in this photo. The sonars are a Godsend for close-quarter manoeuvres in crowded spots and the cameras let you place the car impeccably. ▲
Papaya is the new orange The bright, gorgeous colour of the 720S Spider we drove is called Papaya Spark. It was the favourite hue of Bruce McLaren, the quiet driver and car builder from New Zealand who founded the remarkably successful racing team that bears his legendary name to this day. This MSO Defined colour is a $10,270 extra and one of more than 200 special shades concocted by McLaren Special Operations in the past two years, among many creations. MSO is an elite group of about 120 specialists that traces its roots to the launch of the mythical McLaren F1 in 1992. ▲
Packing light You can certainly fit a few soft bags or a small suitcase, in fact up to 50 kilograms of cargo, in the front trunk of the 720S Spider. The lightweight hood can be opened with a button on the key fob or the instrument panel and is supported by gas struts once opened. The car’s 310-page owner’s manual and other documents are held by a strong net, to the left of the ‘frunk, mostly because there is precious little storage space in the cabin and only 56 litres of cargo volume under the tonneau cover, when the top is in place. ▲
Keeping the nose clean Driving a McLaren 720S Spider, like just about any other exotic sports car or supercar, means having to take great care when approaching, climbing or traversing steep driveway entrances, low curbs, speed bumps and such. Scraping a precious and fragile carbon fibre splitter would break your heart and inevitably damage your pocketbook, if not your credit line. ▲
Rising to the occasion To avoid any contact with raised cement or asphalt surfaces, the Spider’s front end can be raised hydraulically by 27 mm in a handful of seconds, while driving straight at less than 50 km/h. You simply push a button at the tip of the cruise control stalk on the right side of the steering column and tip the lever upwards. Once done, you can push the stalk downwards to lower the front end or leave it in raised position for the exit phase. Should you forget, the car will lower itself automatically once you reach 60 km/h. ▲
Clean and simple There is nothing remotely baroque or outlandish with McLaren controls. Form follows function, resolutely, in the lightest and simplest possible manner. This row of tiny hollow buttons lets you open the front hood, activate or shut down the alarm system and fold the instrument cluster to use the slim horizontal screen, or reverse the process. ▲
Small is beautiful, and light Without a clear visual reference for scale, the electronic parking brake toggle switch and the rotary button for the headlights and driving lamps look big enough in the photo. In fact, the coarse-looking grain of the usually smooth-looking Alcantara fabric that surrounds them is your only clue that suggests they are actually quite tiny. Details, details … ▲
Superlative braking The 720S Spider has huge 390 mm carbon ceramic disc brakes within its front wheels and 380 mm discs in the rear, clamped by aluminum calipers with six pistons in front and four at the rear. And they are fabulous at all times, all speeds and in all conditions. Modulation is invariably fine, linear and progressive, with consistent firmness and pleasant feel in the pedal. A rarity, nowadays. In addition, you never hear the slightest bit of squeal, also exceptional for carbon ceramic brakes. Ferocious power and exceptionally short distances in emergency braking with ABS cap the deal. ▲
Prey birds of a feather With the 720S siblings, McLaren has unquestionably lifted its Super Series champions into the supercar realm. With a current base price of $358,000 and a tab just shy of $475,000 for our test car, this 720S Spider unquestionably soars in a rarefied atmosphere. Most compelling and fascinating is how easily and seamlessly it blends ferocious performance and brilliant handling with utmost civility, in normal driving. And to think that, with the relentless pace at which its sports cars, supercars and hypercars presently improve and evolve, the best is likely yet to come, from McLaren Automotive. ▲
Keyword: FIRST DRIVE: McLaren 720S Spider a transitional masterpiece