| Engine | Power | Torque | 0-100kph | Top speed | Weight | Basic price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V8, twin-turbo, 3799cc | 666bhp @ 7,100rpm | 700Nm (516lb ft) @ 5,500-6,500rpm | 2.9secs | 326kph | 1270kg (524bhp/ton) | $350,500 |
Fast, fast and really quite fast then. Hardly a staggering upset, nor for that matter are the capabilities of the 675LT Spider through the corners. The product of obsessive weight saving, the Spider weighs 100kg less than the equivalent 650S, kilograms being shaved from the chassis, the bodywork and the drivetrain itself among others. Even the windscreen is a few millimetres thinner. Alongside this, new lightweight alloys are clad with performance Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R to bring out the track-focused dynamics of the heavily stiffened chassis and the remapped dampers: the revised bodykit over the 650S produces a scarcely credible 40 per cent of additional downforce over 250kph, meaning the new steel double wishbone suspension has had to be stiffened an enormous 63 per cent at the front and 27 per cent at the rear. We’re a long way from 12C Spider territory here today.
“Fast, fast and really quite fast then, though that’s hardly a staggering upset for a McLaren”
Ah yes, the new aerokit. Like the coupe, the 675LT Spider incorporates a fair degree of ‘look at me’ carbon detailing to its lemon-gold – sorry, Solis – paint scheme. Cue a brand new, extended front splitter and revised end plates, a new rear diffuser, revised side skirts and air intakes for revised airflow, less drag and improved downforce. Add a larger adaptive air brake to ensure the only way you’ll stop faster is if you hit a tree. The result? The Spider handles like a dream.
I’m aware how insufferably gittish I’m about to sound, but the intricate balance of the weight, feedback and rate of response through the steering in a McLaren supercar is as close to perfect as you’re likely to find. There’s no hyper-activity through the steering column as you’ll find on a Ferrari 488, nor a sense of mechanical omnipotence working behind the scenes á la the Porsche 911. It’s a sensation that’s much more grounded and granular, one that – hunkered as you are with the Le Mans style driving position, cocooned by the high shoulder line and rear buttresses – really makes you feel an indelible link in the chain.
It’s a combination that leaves you beautifully in-tune with what the front wheels are doing, and coupled with a rigid chassis, allows the 675LT Spider to skip from corner to corner, perfectly balanced (if there is a 40kg weight difference between the Coupe and the Spider, you’ll need to be superbly talented behind the wheel to notice). There’s a similar amount of connection to the rear wheels too. Trailbrake, or allow the natural momentum of the weight transfer out of the corners to do the work for you, and the rear wheels will begin to twitch, the subtle ESP safety net refraining from slamming down like a guillotine. More often than not, control comes through your right foot, the breakaway proving smooth and predictable enough to catch without armfuls of correction (feather the throttle and you’re good). The sense of connection. The gloriously intuitive response through both the steering and the front wheels. The seemingly never-ending build of confidence and control the 675LT offers its driver. It’s a connection you just don’t find in many performance cars these days, let alone a convertible.
I’m humbled a few days later when, trawling YouTube for some twin-turbo V8 background engine noise, I stumble across Bruno Senna giving the 675LT the Brazilian beans around Estoril, I think (I also find a nauseating amount of Shmee150 videos lauding his then-newly acquired powder blue example, but I’ll save you my thoughts on that garbage). Like my run, the drive and immediacy under turn-in is so effortless and natural, but it’s only when the rear wheels start to kick out of the tighter corners that I realize just how much the McLaren really has in reserve. Not that I’m overly worried. For my time with the 675LT Spider, I gave it my best for a once in a lifetime test drive. Mind you, I have said this in the past too.
- Technical specifications available on page 3
