While the AMG’s
adjustable carbon-
fiber wing signals
the GT-R’s supercar
abilities, it blocks
the best-looking
rear end since the
Porsche 928.Imagine seeing this trio rolling down
the street. The inner child in all of us
would be jumping and screaming.The McLaren we tested also weighed 390
pounds less than the porkier Porsche,
3,167 vs. 3,557 pounds.
As for the AMG GT R, the coupe version
weighs 3,680 pounds, hits 60 mph in
3.4 seconds, and runs the quarter in 11.3
seconds at 129.0 mph.
The McLaren and Porsche are two of
the quickest cars we’ve ever tested, but
the 992 Turbo S will be quicker than
the old one, and the Spider version of
the 720S will be (a touch) slower.
Also, if the AMG GT R were up
against nearly any other competitors,
its numbers would appear stellar.
Convertibles are usually heavier than
their hardtop counterparts. By removing
stiffness, you typically need to brace the
chassis. Even with a super-stiff carbon-
fiber tub like McLaren’s, the folding roof
bits add additional weight.“I love, love, love the looks of it,” Motor-
Trend en Español’s Miguel Cortina said in
regard to the 720S Spider. He has a point.
It’s been more than three years since we
first laid eyes on the 720S, and the looks
have only improved. It’s the best-looking
mid-engine design since the Lambo-
rghini Huracán showed up in 2014. Head
of McLaren design Robert Melville and
his team pulled off the nearly impossible:
The Spider might look even better with
the top down. That never happens.The GT R certainly loses something in
roadster form, though I will say there are
certain roofless angles that look fabulous.
Especially in this outrageous ($9,900)
metal-flaked yellow. Best rear end in the
business? The answer remains yes. The
911 Turbo S definitely looks worse as a
convertible and worse still with the roof
stowed, especially in this odd, dull orange.
There’s just a pudginess to it that’s absent
from the hardtop. Solution? Hey, Porsche,
Targa Turbo! Do it.
Inside the cars, the tide turns. “I know
I’m going to get hate mail,” Cortina said,
“but the McLaren’s interior could be
better.” I like the inside of the 720S just
fine, but I know what he means. There’s a
homebrewed feel to the Brit that’s simply
absent from the Germans’ cabins. True,
there’s a spaceship vibe happening—a
spaceship made out of wetsuits.
The Porsche, meanwhile, is all busi-
ness. Well, all that red leather makes
it a high-end brothel, but that’s still a
business. The controls are minimal and
intuitive, and for the first time in Porsche
history, the cupholder works about
two-thirds of the time.
That said, the AMG steals the interior
show. As Cortina said, “The interior is
really polished—elegant design, fancy air
vents, and a lot of cubbies to hold your
belongings.” However, the AMG had the
worst seats—narrow, with thin padding.COMPARISON
SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 43