Good Stuff from Goodwood.
If you’re not attending this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in England, you’ll miss the public debut of McLaren’s newest model, the 570S Spider, on June 29. But look on the bright side: you can use that time to get to your McLaren dealer to place an order.
It’s doubtful any McLaren customers will be the least bit dissuaded by the open model’s 101-pound weight gain over the 570S coupe. Seriously, when you’re flaunting 562 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque from a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8, the extra weight over the center of the car probably only enhances traction for maximum acceleration.
Image Source: McLaren 570S Spider (McLaren Automotive)
McLaren 570S Spider: Still a 200-mph Machine
It’s exactly the same powertrain as in the 570S coupe, which of course also means a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. McLaren says the Spider will scoot from 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds and reach a top track speed of 204 mph. Those figures are the same as for the coupe, but if you lower the Spider’s top, max velocity drops to a mere 196 mph.
The retractable hard top lowers and folds under a tonneau cover in 15 seconds, even while driving up to 25 mph. That’s ideal when you’re being pursued by the paparazzi and need to get going in a hurry. Wind buffeting could be an issue at 196 mph, of course, but McLaren does equip the 570S Spider with a power retractable wind deflector.
McLaren also assures that the 570S Spider doesn’t give up any structural rigidity compared to the solid-roof coupe. Credit goes to the amazing strength of the carbon-fiber MonoCell II chassis. To account for minor differences between coupe and Spider, McLaren aerodynamicists made some adjustments to the Spider to account for differences in body shapes from the coupe. You probably won’t notice that the rear spoiler its 0.5 inch higher.
Image Source: McLaren 570S Spider (McLaren Automotive)
Same As It Ever Was
The 570S Spider keeps the McLaren hallmark dihedral doors, thus guaranteeing your arrival is always, well, an arrival. Likewise, the double wishbone suspension with steel springs, carbon-ceramic brakes, Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires and adaptive dampers is the same as in the coupe. Ditto the choice of Normal, Sport, or Track driving modes.
The new McLaren 570S Spider offers the same wide array of exterior colors and interior leathers as the coupe, with the Spider also introducing three new colors — Curacao Blue, Vega Blue, and Sicilian Yellow. Should the 10 exclusively tailored McLaren designer interiors not present enough choice for you, there’s always McLaren Special Operations (MSO) to color-match anything you want.
Also, unless you simply want to hear only the exhaust all the time, consider the standard stereo a placeholder and opt for the Bowers & Wilkins setup with its carbon fiber Rohacell subwoofers, Kevlar midrange speakers and aluminum Nautilus tweeters. (You know a sound system is serious when they name the tweeters.)
Image Source: McLaren 570S Spider (McLaren Automotive)
$20,000 for the Top
The first 400 cars built at McLaren’s Production Center in Woking, England, will be launch models. The 570S Spider is available to order now and starts at a smidge under $209,000 – about $20,000 over the 570S coupe’s price. The first customers should have theirs in September.
Mike Flewitt, McLaren CEO, sums up the new 570S Spider thusly: “This is a convertible without compromise; its mid-engine layout and carbon-fiber MonoCell II chassis guarantee the same thrilling dynamic performance and exceptional driver involvement enjoyed in a 570S Coupe but with the added attraction of a retractable hard top that delivers the extra exhilaration of roof-down motoring.”
We think that’s just a very British way of saying, “Yee-hah!”
Image Source: McLaren 570S Spider (McLaren Automotive)
Image Source: Jim Koscs of Audatomive Communications
Written by Jim Koscs, Audamotive Communications
For Premier Financial Services