McLaren 650S Spider : new supercar loses its lid
The McLaren 650S Spider has made its world premiere at the 2014 Geneva motor show, dropping the top on the British marque's newest supercar.
Promising to deliver near identical performance, handling and driver enjoyment levels as the recently revealed 650S Coupe, despite the addition of a retractable hard-top, the McLaren 650S Spider matches its fixed-roof twin in claiming a 3.0sec 0-100km/h time. Its 8.6sec 0-200km/h claim is 0.2sec off the Coupe.
Mechanically identical to the 650S Coupe, the rear-wheel-drive 650S Spider teams a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V8 engine producing 478kW at 7250rpm and 678Nm at 6000rpm.
Maximum speed is down 4km/h to 329km/h, though, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions remain unchanged at 11.7L/100km and 275g/km respectively (on the EU combined cycle).
Able to be raised or lowered in less than 17 seconds and at speeds up to 30km/h, McLaren says the two-piece roof comes with no reduction in torsional strength – thanks to a unique carbonfibre MonoCell chassis – however, dry weight is increased 40kg to 1370kg.
When down, the roof is stowed below a hard body-coloured tonneau cover incorporated into the twin rear buttresses, with the area able to be used for additional luggage space when the roof is raised.
Combining design cues from both the entry-level MP4-12C and P1 hypercar, the McLaren 650S Spider is finished in a new Tarocco Orange hue and features carbon ceramic brakes, unique ‘650’ lightweight alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres and an Alcantara-trimmed cabin with satellite navigation, Bluetooth audio streaming and DAB digital radio.
Both McLaren 650S variants are due to go on sale in the European spring, with any Australian arrivals expected to sit above the $398,000 MP4.
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