British Engineering Excels in McLaren’s 650S Spider: Review.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-22/british-engineering-excels-in-mclaren-s-650s-spider-review.html

There’s something special about a car that unites an Upper East Side doyenne and a Puerto Rican skater on the same emotional plane.

“That car should be in the movies!” Madame declared in a Greta Garbo voice, her face framed by Hermes silk and pearls. She had walked up to admire its curves one recent afternoon while the car sat parked near 70th Street.

“Man, that car is dope,” the skater drawled as he rolled by, leaning forward on his wooden board to get a better view. Both snapped pictures on their iPhones.

They’re both right. And they don’t know the half of it.

McLaren introduced its $280,000 650S line as a second act to 2011’s successful 12C. Its unmistakable swooping sidelines and gaping air intakes mark it as a direct descendant of the line’s Formula One icons -- but this Spider is much more than just an update or afterthought. Or a watered-down race car.

I drove the 650S Spider for five days throughout New York: in the crowded streets of Manhattan, through Brooklyn, and out east over the weekend to buzz the surfers of Montauk. The 650S Spider boasts more horsepower than the 12C, plus new super-efficient LED lighting, tighter tuning, and a lightened, brightened face. Its enlarged cooling vents inhale air like the nostrils of a winded thoroughbred. Its carbon-fiber backbone, proactive chassis control, and carbon-fiber monocell body -- each adjusted to increase downforce at high speed -- lend such stability that the road becomes a slab of magnetized iron and the car a metal bearing gliding atop its surface.

British Racing Power

McLaren has forced every component of this machine to justify its existence in a quest to make it even lighter than the 3,033-pound 12C. (At 3,020 pounds they’ve succeeded, if only just.) Everything inside and out maximizes efficient power. They even developed lightweight pearlescent exterior paint (volcano orange, aurora blue, mantis green) to shave more kilograms.

What’s that Muhammad Ali mantra? Fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee? It applies here. You can maneuver the 650S Spider with two fingers pressed at 10 and 2 while you weave through traffic as lightly as a prizefighter dodges punches. Shifting is seamless. Braking is quick and tight. The Champ would be proud.

Credit the twin-turbo V-8 mid-placed engine (641 horsepower, 500 pound-feet of torque), new double-wishbone suspension, and Formula One-derived seven-speed double-clutch transmission for that elegant performance. Its 3-second 0-to-62mph sprint time beats the 12C, Ferrari F12, and Porsche 911 Turbo. Top speed is 207 mph.

But in true British fashion, the 650S Spider’s raw aggression is suggested but never imposed. Philosophy in action: A specialized “brake steer” system engages the car’s rear brakes during high-speed turns to manage traction, minimize understeering, and control oversteering. There’s no straining here, no screaming engine nor transmission growling. There’s nothing so outré as that to signal struggle.

Parting Thoughts

Fuel economy runs a greedy 16 mpg in the city and 22 mpg highway. This beats larger sedans from Bentley and Rolls-Royce but roughly equals Audi’s R8 and most other supercars on the market today. Which isn’t saying much. If you want an economic luxury car try the Tesla.

You could, though, consider the similarly priced 458 Ferrari, Lamborghini Aventador, Aston Martin Vanquish, and Porsche 911 Turbo alongside the 650S Spider. But you’ll get more attention in McLaren than in any of those, even if it’s painted, say, a demure gray. But you already knew that. It’s part of the appeal -- just ask your friendly neighborhood dowager.

The McLaren 650S Spider starts at $280,225.

                                                                  McLaren 650S Launch 2014 Ascari

McLaren's 650S Spider boasts more horsepower than the 12C, plus new super-efficient LED lighting, tighter tuning, and a lightened, brightened face.