FIRST DRIVE
McLaren 720S Spider takes flight
In a time when just about everything but my wheelbarrow has published a lap time around the Nürburgring Nordschleife course, McLaren sidesteps that circus. This might seem odd for a company that deals only in midengine supercars with carbonfibre tubs, but a day behind the wheel of the astounding 720S Spider pretty much cements the notion that this British purveyor of exotica really has nothing to prove. It is blindingly fast, surprisingly civil, breathtakingly gorgeous and bristling with racecar tech.
The Spider loses nothing to the Coupe in terms of structural integrity, as the 720S was engineered from the start to be a convertible. The signature McLaren Monocage II-S carbon-fibre tub is as stiff as a frozen boot, so lopping of the roof panel doesn’t really affect it. What it did, however, was present a challenge to the aerodynamic engineers who had to ensure the Spider maintained the correct balance of slipperiness and downforce. Hence, those sexy, glazed flying buttresses that guide air over the rear tonneau and active spoiler.
McLaren engineered a new, one-piece carbon-fibre roof for the 720S that, with its eight electric motors, tucks itself away in a scant 11 seconds. The vertical rear window can be dropped independently, and the roof itself will operate at speeds up to 50 km/ h. Should you wish to test the security of your toupee, the 720S Spider can reach an open-air top speed of 325 km/ h. I can confirm, at approximately two-thirds of that velocity, there is little wind buffeting with the windows up. With only a 49-kilogram penalty for the roof and its associated gadgetry, the Spider matches the Coupe’s zero-to-100 km/ h sprint of 2.9 seconds and will reach double that speed in 7.9 seconds. A curb weight of only 1,332 kg means the 720S Spider is the lightest in its segment.
Thrust comes courtesy of a mid-mounted, 4.0-litre twinturbo V8 that twists out 710 horsepower at 7,500 rpm, and 568 pound-feet of torque between 5,500 and 6,500 rpm. McLaren V8s are racy affairs that kick like a mule above 4,000 rpm, but can feel a bit flat below that.
Therein lies their charm and excitement: Like a naturally aspirated engine, you have to keep it on the boil, and once in the kill zone, this blaring benteight is an absolutely unrelenting beast. It drives only the rear wheels through McLaren’s Seamless-Shift seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Just like the rest of this supercar that quivers with unbridled energy, the transmission is not super happy puttering around town. Yet once above the tiresome crawl, the 720S shifts with lightning speed and smoothness. Track Mode (versus Comfort and Sport) is another story: What McLaren calls Push Technology uses the built-up kinetic energy of the flywheel “to deliver an impulse of torque as the next forward gear is engaged.”
Unlike its mellifluous rivals — the Audi R8, Lamborghini Huracán, Ferrari 488 Pista and Porsche 911 GT3 RS come to mind — the McLaren’s 4.0-L V8 does not sing a particularly pretty song. That noted, its raw and racy bellow is certainly businesslike and advertises its power in no uncertain terms, especially when fitted with the optional $6,490 Sports Exhaust.
Pricing for the 2020 720S Spider starts at $350,000, although the Belize Blue model driven here is the $363,240 Luxury trim, adding a choice of four “By McLaren” luxury leather interiors, interior and engine bay ambient lighting, power-adjustable heated seats and special metallic interior brightwork. The same figure also nets the raciertrimmed Performance with more carbon fibre inside and out, along with a Nappa leather/Alcantara interior. Mechanically, there are no differences.
The morning drive was a somewhat sedate affair, and credit goes to the Spider’s civilized ride quality and McLaren’s complex Proactive Chassis Control II suspension that hydraulically connects the left and right dampers. Put simply, it allows for generous vertical wheel travel, dictating ride quality while also maintaining the roll stiffness necessary for ultimate handling.
McLaren says the 720S Coupe and Spider is the model with the widest band of abilities. Aside from the tricky ingress and egress, the Spider is about as user-friendly as a hypercar can be. Forward visibility is excellent and rearward visibility isn’t bad either. The stitched Vintage Tan leather looked gorgeous, and the optional $4,830 Bowers and Wilkins 12-speaker audio system sounded impressive. You’ll also want the glazed electrochromic roof panel ($9,940) that goes from five per cent tint to 90 per cent with the touch of a button. Despite all the nods to civility, the 720S Spider is still a McLaren, meaning it separates itself from the others with its uncompromised intensity. There are decades of racecar heritage baked into this hardtop convertible. Turn the Handling and Powertrain switches to Track mode, and it’s there to discover.