SPIDER FAN
Dear Santa.. I’d love a McLaren. Or a lottery win to buy one. You choose
It’s that time of year when everyone dreams of the best present ever… and I know what mine is.
In June, I got my first view of the sensational McLaren 570S Spider when it made its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The Spider is a stunning mid- engined masterpiece with fantastic looks.
I f inally got my hands on one a couple of weeks ago and was blown away by the thrilling driving experience on Fife roads.
This convertible rear-wheel-drive supercar provides all the rush you could ever want from a car plus open-air fun. It’s beautiful on the open road and, surprisingly, is also happy when it is purring through towns and villages.
The Spider is the third body style in McLaren’s Sports Series and lines up alongside the Coupe, on which it is based, and the GT.
Starting price of the Spider without options is a wallet-busting and eye-watering £164,750 – but it is a hand-crafted supercar.
The first 400 were snapped up in the blink of an eye and, supposing you find that kind of cash down the back of the sofa, if you place an order now, you will have to wait till next summer at least before delivery.
The Spider’s clever roof is an integrated, two-piece retractable hardtop constructed of lightweight composite panels which can be opened or closed in 15 seconds at speeds up to 25mph.
They give the car the same sleek appearance whether raised or lowered and there’s no performance compromise compared to the 570S Coupe, even though the Spider weighs in at 46kg more than the Coupe thanks to the hardtop roof and its operating system.
This is because the car’s chassis and tub are so strong that it did not require any extra strengthening and, as a result, the only additional weight is for the mechanism.
Positioned just behind the driver is the 3.8-litre, twin-turbocharged McLaren V8 engine.
Another feature is the glazed wind def lector, which can be raised or lowered at the touch of a button and enables you to enjoy the fabulous noise from the engine while driving with the top off. Entry to the Spider is fairly easy via the dramatic dihedral doors and access is even easier when the roof is down. Inside, it is very civilised for a supercar, with all the luxury touches and technology you would expect. Visibility is surprisingly good all round and the cabin is very refined, with nice switchgear, a digital dash and luxurious leather trimmings. Press a button marked ‘Active’ on the centre console and you unlock a number of user-configurable settings for the chassis and powertrain, with thr ee modes ranging from Normal to Sport and Track. Normal is the setting of choice as this car is more about having fun on the road and, thanks to the electrohydraulically assisted steering, you can have any amount of it. It is superbly involving and allows you to make the right decisions.
The car generates an amazing amount of grip and, even on public roads, it is special. The set-up is really well sorted and it corners as if it is on rails.
The standard carbon- ceramic brakes are designed to scrub off speed without fuss, although they do require quite a bit of pressure.
If you encounter speed bumps in town, you simply press a button and the Spider’s neat nose will lift to avoid damage – a very useful feature.
The Spider is also quite practical, with a 150-litre front boot. And with the roof in place, there is an extra 52 litres of luggage space underneath the hard tonneau cover behind the passenger cell.
Apparently the Spider is capable of returning 26.6mpg – but don’t expect to get anywhere near that as you will be too busy enjoying yourself to care about economy.
It’s a hefty price tag but the Spider is well worth it. And if your lottery numbers come in, you can hike the price dramatically with all manner of options and bespoke touches including your own colour scheme.
I certainly enjoyed my short time with the Spider and I have already fired off my letter to Santa. Well, you can but dream.