28 7August2019
Sean Carson
[email protected]
@seancarson
McLAREN’sdevelopmentstoryis
incredible.Inadecadeithasgonefrom
launchingitsfirstproductioncartobeating
theestablishedsetattheirowngame.
Alloftheknow-how,hybridhypercar
exploitsandtrickle-downtechnologyhas
ledustothis:the600LTSpider.Theformula
isasimpleone:aconvertibleversionof
McLaren’smosthardcoreSportsSeries
model,boastingaverysimilarsetofstats.
Its3.8-litretwin-turboV8makes592bhp
and620Nm;it’llfizz,blareandgarglefrom
0-62mphin2.9secondsandtops200mph
flat-out.AllofthisistrueoftheLT coupé,
too;thatMcLarenhasmanagedtoretainits
attributesintheSpiderisimpressive.Yetit’s
notthemostastonishingthingaboutthiscar.
EarlyMcLarenswereshortonfun,
texture,enjoyment–callitwhatyouwill.
The600LTSpiderisnot,andblowsthat
notionawaythroughabeautifullybalanced
amalgamationoftechnologyandcharacter.
TheMonoCellIIchassismeansthecar
weighsjust50kgmorethanthe600LT
coupé,andbecauseoftheconstructionof
thecarbon-fibretub,theSpiderrequiresno
additionalstrengthening.It’sasrigidasthe
coupéandthereforejustassharptodrive.
ComparedwiththeotherSportsSeries
Spider–theroofless570S–thiscaris
100kglighter,showingthelengthsMcLaren
hasgonetoinitsdevelopment.However,it
retainsthatcar’sfoldinghardtop,whichcan
openorcloseelectricallyin15secondsat
upto25mph,alongwiththerearwindow.
Theseelementsdefinetheexperience;
thehowlfromtheLT’strademarktop-exit
exhaustsastheenginecomesonboost
islikenothinganyothersupercardelivers.
Withtheroofofforwindowdown,it’spiped
throughtothecabinwithviciousclarity.
Theengineisalittlelaggy,butthisjust
servesasapausetosavourtheexperience
thedetailscombinetomakesomething
that’ssoenjoyableandimmersiveis
the600LTSpider’srealforte.
Forallitsaggressiveintent,witha
ground-skimmingsplitterandother
aerodynamicadd-ons–includingthe
wingandbigdiffuser,whichgenerate
100kgofdownforceat155mph–theLT
issurprisinglyusable.Therideisatthe
heartofthat,butgreatforwardvisibility
thankstothecarbontub’slowscuttle,
a150-litrebootinthenoseand52litres
wheretherooffoldsawaymeanit’smore
practicalthanyoumightthink.McLaren 600LTSpider
FIRSTUKDRIVEOpen-topversion of latest supercar adds aural delights
“The waythe details combine to makethe
600LTSpider so enjoyable is its real forte”NEWCARS McLaren600LTSpiderMcLaren 600LTSpider
Price: £201,500
Engine: 3.8-litretwin-turboV8petrol
Power/torque: 592bhp/620Nm
Transmission: Seven-speeddual-clutch auto,
rear-wheeldrive
0-62mph: 2.9seconds
Topspeed: 201mph
Economy: 23.2mpg
CO 2 : 276g/km
ONSALE NowEssentialsbeforethemotorrompsthroughthemid-
rangeandontoitsshriekingtopend.
There’ssolid,boost-assistedtorquelower
down,andby8,000rpmtheexhaustnote
hasturnedintoacacophonoushowl.It’s
almostasloudslowingdownthankstothe
tautcracksondownshifts;theseven-speed
dual-clutch gearbox’sresponsesarerapid.
Theotherareathatdefinesthe600LT
Spideristhewayitridesandsteers.You
mightthinksuchatrack-focusedcarwouldbe
aboneshaker.Itisn’t.Therearethreemodes
forthechassis,andinNormaltheMcLaren
simplyskipsoverbumpsthatyouwinceat
needlesslymomentsbeforethewheels
makecontact.Itshamessomepremium
salooncarswhenitcomestocomfort.
InTrackmodethe600LTfeelsgalvanised.
It’smaybeslightlytoostiffforanything
otherthansmoothA-roads,butonan
uncorruptedstretchthecarislockedtoits
line,workingthePirelliTrofeoRtyres’soft
compoundintotheroadsurfacetoextract
asmuchgripaspossible.
Thesteeringtellsyouexactlyhowmuch
thereisavailable,givingcrystalmessages
astothefrontaxle’strajectoryandthecar’s
weightdistribution.It’stheperfectspeed
too–notsofastthatthecarfeelsnervous,
butnotsoslowthatitcompromisesagility.
It’seasytogetameasureforhowquickly
the600LTwillcorner,inspiringconfidence
todriveitharderandharder.
There’sclearlyanincrediblelevelof
technicalcompetencehere,buttheway