First Drive: McLaren 750S Spider

Almost 5 years after the release of the 720S, McLaren released THE perfect and final version: the McLaren 750S. It’s basically a lighter 720S with more downforce, slightly more horsepower and with no more of its flaws.

Design & Styling

Roof up, roof down, it doesn’t matter — the car just has unmatched aura. The teardrop shape and sculpted bodywork scream aerodynamics, slimmer LED headlights give it a focused stare, while those enormous side intakes feed the twin-turbo V8 enough air to fuel a small jet. Exactly how you’d like a supercar to be! At the back, you get a new P1-inspired central exhaust, a massive active rear wing straight from the 765LT and optional 765LT air intakes at the front. With it being a spider, there is also a retractable hardtop that folds away in just 11 seconds, at speeds up to 50 km/h, if it works of course.

Practicality & Comfort

It might be an irrelevant topic for a supercar, but the 750S is actually a lot more practical than you would expect. It has a 150 L frunk enabling you to get groceries, shop at your local designer stores, or do a weekend-away at ease. The rear trunk on the other hand fits just about a hoodie but the practicality is quite amazing for a car in its category! And so is visibility out of the 750S too! Even when the roof is up, you can perfectly use all mirrors and see everything that’s happening around you. Comfort does depend on the kind of options you take though. If you take the Senna Racing seats, comfort is compromised of course.

Performance & Driving Experience

This is the part that really matters. Under the boot lid, we find a 4.0L twin-turbocharged V8 that puts out 750 horsepower and 800 Nm of torque, launching the Spider from 0–100 in 2.8 seconds and 0–200 in 7.2… Considering this car is also rear-wheel drive, it feels absurdly quick and definitely ain’t for starters. (This is coming from an extremely experienced 23-year-old). When it comes to its suspension and handling, it’s pretty much impossible to reach its limit without being borderline suicidal. It can take sharp turns at over 120 km/h and I don’t think I have ever experienced more precise steering in any road car before. The responsiveness and quick gear changes are remarkable to say the least and combined with its speed and scariness, it might be the best driving supercar to buy right now.

Tech & Features

McLaren doesn’t care about giant infotainment screens or massaging seats (thankfully). You do get a simple digital display, a central touchscreen for the basic and Apple CarPlay that didn’t work in the one I tried. It might look a bit bland compared to its competitors like the 12 Cilindri or the Revuelto, but you get everything you need and I quite like that.

Price

The McLaren 750S Spider starts at around €370,000, but with a few options, you’ll quickly look at a price tag around €400-430k. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? Also yes. Is it a better deal than its competitors at Ferrari & Lamborghini? Probably also yes. It does remain a serious amount of money though and it certainly is not for the less fortunate.

Verdict

This might be the first review I have ever written without pointing out a lot of downsides, which is simply because I couldn’t really find any. The 750S Spider is exactly what you want a supercar to be, it looks incredible, the drive is exhilarating and the practicality isn’t that bad. If I had a spare 400k laying around, I wouldn’t think twice!