The McLaren P1 is creating quite a stir around the world as the first test drives from international media make landfall. All rather conveniently timed to coincide with the unveiling of McLaren’s next supercar project; the new McLaren 650S and now the 650S Spider that’s been unveiled in Geneva.
We consider it a bit of an about-face on the McLaren 12C; in the way it takes a regular 12C carbon structure, bolts the P1 face onto it, and ups the output from the twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8. You might even say this is what the 12C and 12C Spider should have looked like all along?
In terms of the McLaren product line up, the 650S/Spider lives between the existing 12C and the hyper McLaren P1. Forget the cosmetically tweaked front end, the 460 kW output of the 12C has been significantly upped to 485 kW, registering the 650 horsepower as prefaced by the model name.
What’s more is McLaren say they will uprate the brakes, gearshifts, suspension, tyres and aerodynamics with all the knowledge they’ve garnered from the top-dog P1. That means silicon carbide coated brakes, adjustable DRS aerodynamics, you name it; and all in the name of making the 650S quicker and more dynamic than the original 12C.
This doesn’t mean McLaren will cull production of the regular 12C/Spider mind you, because the 650S should start pricing around the £235 000 mark, which is plenty at the current exchange rate.
