Can the convertible really double as a track car?
If you go to any normal track day you struggle to see a drop top on the circuit.
Usually because they compromise by weight and rigidity.
But this car promises to break that mould.
It’s the new McLaren 600LT Spider and we’ve come to a circuit in Arizona to put it to
the test.
Joining McLaren’s existing 600LT coupe, the Spider promises to bring minimal dynamic
compromise.
Despite the addition of its retractable hard top roof.
It also serves as a replacement to the 570S Spider and it is the newest member of McLaren’s
story longtail family.
The numbers behind the drop top are impressive.
A claimed 100 kilogram weight saving over the 570S Spider when you delete certain equipment
and only a 52 kilogram weight penalty over the existing 600LT coupe.
Now the 600LT Spider was codeveloped with the coupe and that’s a good thing because
there are no strict compromises in terms of this cars structural rigidity.
That’s because this car is based on McLaren’s ubiquitous carbon tub and it means that you
basically get no scuttle shake, the body is rigid, the car feels really tight on the roads.
It’s incredible just how responsive it is to driver inputs.
As with many new McLaren’s you’ve got two point eight litre twin turbo V8 but the
big difference here, the fact that you’ve got an open cockpit means that I reckon this
is the best sounding McLaren money can currently buy you.
It sounds incredible.
Noise aside, the full force of the three point eight litres 441 kilowatts and 620 newton
metres is the defining feature here.
For the record, nought to 100 takes two point nine seconds.
Nought to 200 eight point four seconds and the top speed is a claimed 324 K’s an hour.
There’s a couple of layers to the 600LT in
road driving yes it’s stiff, yes it feels like a supercar but when you get on the track
and you begin to exploit some of the performances on offer this car is crazy.
Like it’s very visceral.
It moves around.
It’ll oversteer, under braking and under acceleration and it really feels like it comes
to life.
A lot of fun to drive.
The rawness of the 600LT is met with a high degree precision.
Only afforded by its lightweight carbon tub and Pirelli Trofeo R rubber.
When you combine that with the sharpness of the engine and gearbox and the precision of
the electronic aids it adds up to a convertible with the track skill of no other.
The big boom for this car is its hydraulic steering.
It’s full of feel.
It’s perfectly weighted and I reckon it’s probably one of the best steering systems
in any modern supercar.
It really deals the goods and lets us really establish a real connection with the car.
I’m blown away by this car.
Convertibles should not be this much fun on track but this one is.