If you’re unfamiliar with the Longtail lineage, the numbers of the McLaren 765LT should do the captain’s share of the talking.
McLaren’s latest Longtail to join the ranks is the 765LT Spider and yes, while it’s a convertible, it’s also McLaren’s most powerful-ever convertible supercar.
To maintain the grandeur of the LT nameplate, and of course, retain resale value, only 765 of these supercars will be built. Remember we led with the 'most powerful-ever convertible'? Yes, it's not just any ol’ looker that rolls off the factory floor that gets bestowed with the honour of the LT badging… It’s reserved for some of the more esteemed performers, you know the ones that have a scare factor that will undoubtedly provoke some profanity – not Senna levels sure, but you get the idea.
Just look at the science behind it all: 0-100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, 0-200 km/h in just 7.2 seconds – that's just about the length of that sentence to give you an idea. This is all courtesy of the familiar 4.0-litre twin-turbs V8 that screeches in the middle. It produces a mighty 563 kW – remember when the world wasn't quite ready for the 400 kW marker and it was called sorcery? If not, you're probably not old enough to drive it. What's more is that the PS power unit is, can you guess it? 765 PS – that's where McLaren's get their names in case you didn't know – not some guy playing pin the tail with a pencil and numerical chart.
According to McLaren, it has 15% quicker in-gear acceleration than the mighty 720S (like the 720S wasn't scary enough) and 25% more aerodynamic downforce than the 720 – essentially if the 720S could be genetically perfected this would be the blueprint.
Other than that it’s just some more science(y) terms that some marketing genius made to sound cool. Like the carbon fibre aerodynamic package that can also be found on the coupe (yep, it makes the important items lighter and stronger) that undoubtedly also contributes to that inherent stickiness. There’s a titanium exhaust system that also helps the cause of featherweightedness by saving 40% on the scales. An extreme weight-saving measure though is the exclusion of an air-con and sound system as standard fare – but if you favour beats and crisp cabin air above say that 0.0015 secs ‘round the lap, McLaren says you can specify it at no extra cost.
The order books for the McLaren 765LT Spider is now open and while we can't tell you an exact sticker price for SA just yet, we can at least convert the British Pound-cost for you that equates to around R6.4-million. So, what are you waiting for? An invitation? There's a production run of only 765 units and all the 2021 production-year models already spoken for.
Keyword: McLaren unveils its most venomous spider - the 765LT