The McLaren 720S coupe is one of those supercars that almost defies logic. Insanely fast, remarkably tractable on the most challenging roads, the 720S also happens to be super-compliant on just about any road surface, easy to operate, and seriously comfortable. Now, 18 months after the hardtop was released, the Spider arrives, and the wait was totally worth it.
The beautiful and curvaceous body shape has been preserved, but new touches have been added, including totally frameless doors, an electrochromic roof that can dial from transparent to nearly opaque, and industry-first glass flying buttresses behind the seat headrests. The result is a car like no other, with equal amounts of sinuous artfulness combined with cutting-edge technology.
The super-rigid, super-light carbon Monocage II tub in the 720S coupe evolves into the new Monocage II-S in the Spider, which means the spine in the top of the coupe is gone but gets replaced by carbon supports in the back of the Spider that
The electrically-powered roof drops weight over a conventional hydraulic version, and it can be operated at speeds up to an astounding 31 mph, the same as the Porsche 911 Targa. But the Targa takes 20 seconds to deploy the roof, while the 720S Spider does it in a mere 11 seconds.
That roof stows beneath the 720S's carbon fiber deck, totally out of sight, and the glass flying buttresses remain beautifully exposed. More than just being lovely to behold, the buttresses provide the driver with enhanced visibility whereas conventional buttresses block views. They make for one of the most attractive setups in any convertible at any price.
The Spider's engine is the same as the coupe's, and there was no reason to change it. The 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 delivers an identical 710 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 arrives in 2.8 seconds, and the Spider tops out at 212 mph, with no loss to the hardtop. The fact that the aero, specifically the rear spoiler and the underbody flow, gets revised helps matters since the convertible is 108 pounds heavier than the coupe. The Spider is a hair slower (one-tenth of a second) to 124 mph (7.9 seconds) and in the quarter-mile sprint (10.4 seconds).
The 720S Spider will come in three trims: standard, Performance, and Luxury. There are also three new paints colors available: Belize Blue, Aztec Gold, and Supernova Silver. You can outfit the 720S Spider of your dreams on the McLaren configurator, and the base price of the Spider will show as a mere $315,000. Happy hunting.
