Majestic McLaren is making life tougher for Ferrari and Lamborghini
McLaren’s 720S is a searingly fast, scalpel-sharp hypercar that triggers all the senses, so it is no surprise it has scooped up a hatful of awards and accolades since its 2017 launch.
Almost seven years on, it is time for a successor to take the baton from the company’s bestselling car. However, as there really isn’t a whole lot wrong with the 720S, creating a mid-cycle replacement for such a lauded vehicle presented a dilemma.
McLaren could have taken the easy path and rolled out a mildly nip-tucked version of the former with a couple of minor cosmetic changes. At face value, that might appear to be the case as the new 750S has not changed much externally. Even so, it represents a comprehensive revamp as McLaren claims 30 per cent of its components are new.
The 750S is lighter, more potent and dynamically sharper than its predecessor, and the user interface has also been improved to provide clearer graphics and make it easier to navigate through the various functions.
The 720S was already a much lighter car than any of its rivals, yet McLaren has found ways to pare even more kilos; the 750S coupe weighs 1,389kg with all fluids on board (30kg less than the 720S) and the drop-top Spider is only 49kg heavier than its fixed-roof sibling at 1,438kg.
The trusty M840T 4-litre twin-turbo V8 has also had a thorough rework. It is equipped with higher pressure turbos, new twin fuel pumps and a lightweight sports exhaust system to produce 750hp at 7,500rpm and 800Nm of torque at 5,500rpm compared to 720hp and 770Nm for the 720S. Apart from being 2.2kg lighter than before, the new centre-exit exhaust system has also been configured to belt out – in McLaren’s words – a “more emotional” soundtrack than the 720S.
With so much power and torque and so little weight to shift, it is hardly surprising the 750S nails down stunning acceleration numbers.
The coupe dispatches the sprint from 0-100kph in a mere 2.8 seconds and 0-200kph in 7.2 seconds.
On the road in the 750S Spider, my first impressions are dominated by the panoramic view from the driver’s seat. Not only is front and lateral vision unimpeded by blind spots, even the view out of the back – normally a particular weak point in mid-engined supercars – is exemplary.
The 750S doesn’t throw up any histrionics at pootling speeds in traffic. The twin-turbo V8 is decently tractable at low revs, the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission shunts through ratios unobtrusively, and ride quality is remarkably compliant for a car with such blistering racetrack pace.
A subsequent stint in the coupe across the same road loop reinforces the impressions gathered earlier. The 750S can devour winding roads once the traffic thins out yet doesn’t tax all your senses when you are stuck in a bumper-to-bumper grind in inner-city environs.
Once off the road and free to unleash it properly at Lisbon’s 4.2km Circuito do Estoril, the 750S becomes a monstrously fast car and the unrelenting fashion in which it piles on speed is eye-opening. I clock almost 280kph before the huge carbon-ceramic brakes are called upon to slow the car down for turn one – a slow-ish third-gear right-hander.
In addition to its raw pace, there is a delightful delicacy to the McLaren’s pin-sharp responses. The hydraulically assisted power steering delivers textured feedback that you simply don’t get with the electrically assisted systems that have been adopted across the board by other brands.
All in all, the 750S represents a comprehensive revamp of the already capable 720S. Apart from being one of the fastest, most engaging offerings in its segment, it undoubtedly sets the hypercar benchmark. Life just got tougher for Ferrari, Lamborghini et al ...