INTERVIEW

‘The new car benefits from all the development work we’ve done on 12C, P1, 675LT, 540 and 570. We’ve strengthened the team, refined the process and, as a result, we’ve been able to work to greater detail in any area of the car. We’re such a young company and we’ve developed our capabilities so quickly. The measure of how far we’ve come in the six years we’ve been in business is the difference between the 12C and this car here.

‘You can start at the front of the 720S and work your way back and everything you touch is light years away from where we were with 12C. There are some obvious key items to look at that make it stand out as being different. Obviously the engine is one. But it’s the way that 4-litre engine is tuned and calibrated. The driveability, the detail we’ve gone into in terms of the on-off throttle response, the torque delivery, the efficiency of the engine. Yes, we’ve changed the specific capacity but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Everything is extremely different and better, more developed than anything we’ve done before.

‘Throughout this project, we’ve kept an eye on 650S as one of our main reference points. We didn’t know then what we know now about how to really hone and fine-tune the technologies that we use. A good example is the suspension system. It looks quite similar to the 650S’s, but the front and rear geometry is different. High-speed stability is improved and we have very different – and much better – steering feel and character, and the hardware inside the dampers has been refined. One of the big items is the way we control the suspension. We still have our hydraulic circuit linking to the adaptive-damping system, but the algorithm that controls that system is a massive, massive change.

‘We call it Proactive Chassis Control II and it’s the way we control the dampers. Totally different software optimises the contact patch to a much higher level than we’ve seen before. It maintains an unbelievable degree of body control, even though we’re accommodating all the bumps and dips in the road surface. It’s kind of uncanny. The previous car was pretty good at creating great ride comfort in one mode, body control in another. But this has taken it a step further. The damping software can accurately maintain body control and handling balance together. The car feels sharp as a knife while dealing with the road surface at the same time. And you can feel the road surface. You feel connected.

‘The 720S grinds out an amazing amount of grip. It’s just so fast through the corners. It’s because the contact patch of the tyre is working so efficiently. We worked hand-inhand with Pirelli because it’s so demanding on the tyres. The balance can be comfortable and neutral or it can be as wild as a 675LT. We know we’ve got something that will appeal to everybody. It’s a real breakthrough, another chapter.’