‘McLaren is the
new Lotus of ride,
handling and
steering – but with
more power’
A droptop without the compromises
The carbonfibre monocoque chassis – here
in its latest Monocage II-S (for Spider) guise –
is a superb platform for a convertible. Unlike
metal cars, it needs no strengthening or
any other weighty buttressing, so the 720S
Spider has all the handling prowess and
agility of the outstanding Coupe.First drives
The McLaren 720S Spider may well be the most all-round-capa-
ble supercar currently on sale. I can’t think of any sports car that
can mix 200mph-plus and sub-3.0sec 0-62mph time, blissful
ease of driving at low speed, ride and refinement, plus convert-
ible wind-in-the-hair charm. In lesser cars, chopping the roof
slashes capability: a bit more chassis flex to blunt the handling,
a bit less speed due to inferior aero. Thus, most roadsters are
marketed more on romance than race cred.
Rather, the 720S Spider loses nothing dynamically to the
equally outstanding 720S Coupe (just 0.1 sec 0-124mph is some-
thing not even Lewis Hamilton at his sharpest would notice).
Aero is just as good, roof up (and it still exceeds 200mph, roof
down). It feels just as taut and sharp thanks to that outstanding
F1-style carbonfibre chassis, mildly fettled and improved for
this Spider.
Another key reason for the brilliance is the latest Proactive
Chassis Control II (to use the full McLaren terminology)
hydraulic suspension with adaptive damping. No supercar –
especially a Spider – rides with such suppleness and aplomb, no
fast car steers and handles better at speed. Plus the steering is
the best in class.
McLaren is the new Lotus of ride, handling and steering – but
with more power, more thorough engineering and, apparently,
far deeper development pockets than poor Lotus has ever
managed.
So, let’s come to that old McLaren chestnut. Does it the tug
the emotions like the finest rival Ferrari and Lamborghini con-
vertibles? The styling, to my eyes, is less pleasing, the engine note
less soulful. Perhaps the wonderful 488 still feels more zestful
and hyperactively eager, though it’s a tad slower by the watch.
Plus the McLaren is more expensive. Their minor performance
and dynamic disadvantages will, to many, be irrelevant. Buyers
will be won over by their style, their entertainment, their aura
and their names (especially the Ferrari).
But if you want the best all-round driving droptop supercar
in the world, with a wider skill set than any other fast car on the
planet, then the McLaren 720S Spider is surely it.Next month:
BMW X7 VS CALIFORNIA
TACKLING EMPTY DESERTS AND URBAN
GRIDLOCK IN MUNICH’S NEW MONSTER SUV42 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2019
THE 300-MILE VERDICT