So it is with the supercar market where for years many buyers of these cars will have been sticking with the manufacturer they’ve love for years or decades. You’re either a Porsche person or a Ferrari person and most don’t seem to mix their marques. How then do you pitch up with your (almost) brand new company and make a dent in the competition’s sales? It’s quite simple really.
McLaren launched the MP4 12C back in 2011 and the motoring world was blown away by it just how good their first car in 13 years turned out. It was faster than a 458 Italia and 911 Turbo and for many people that was enough to convince them – the sales started to roll in.
While many were impressed by the speed and composure of the 12C, others felt it lacked involvement, it was too clinical and there were a few quality control issues. This resulted in an unexpectedly quick release of the 12C’s replacement in 2014, the 650S. More power, more downforce and more….price, the 650S, with it’s 0-100mph time of 5.7 seconds, really lit up the supercar world and showed competitors that McLaren was a serious threat.
Since 2014 we’ve had the 675LT, 570S, 570GT, 540C, Spider versions of almost all of them and now the 720S with it’s divisive looks.
All of this leaves newly monied lottery winners, footballers and seasoned supercar owners with a difficult question: which new supercar should I go out and buy today? For those of us living in Scotland the answer is surprisingly simple: the McLaren 570S.
At around £150k the 570S is a sweet spot in McLaren ownership and it doesn’t have any real rival. You could get a 911 Turbo or an Audi R8 but both those companies make family cars and SUVs – it’s not exactly an exclusive club. The Ferrari 488 GTB and Lamborghini Huracan are lot more money and are really rivals for the 650S/720S.
In my mind at least, the only real decision is whether you should choose a 570GT or a 720S.
Having been lucky enough to drive 570S, 570GT and 650S in one day in and around the Loch Lomond area, I had a great opportunity to glimpse at what ownership in Scotland would be like.
The 570GT is a lovely machine and would make a great sporty, daily driver if that’s something you’re in to. Personally, I’d rather have a comfortable and sensible car for commuting and parking in a city every day. The 570GT could handle this with ease but it seems a total waste of it’s capabilities.
Driving the 650S after both of the slower cars made it seem insanely fast. It was a bit of a wet day and as such it was never really possible to apply full throttle, even on wide, open roads. The capabilities of the car are so far away from what you can use on the roads that it would almost seem a waste to own it for most of the year. If you venture over to Europe or do track days then that’s a different matter but most of the time, if you enjoy going out for a day’s worth of hooning, it’s more car than you really need.
So, the 570S ticks all of the boxes? Looks amazing, proper fast, good value (it’s all relative) and gets you into an exclusive ownership club.
Using the same 3.8-litre twin-turbo engine that you’ll find in the P1 hypercar, the 570S produces 562bhp at 7500rpm and 443lb ft from 5000rpm. This propels the car from 0-62mph in 3.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 204mph. Transmitting this power to the wheels is McLaren’s twin clutch gearbox which, even during full bore acceleration runs, can switch almost seamlessly.
With just over 1300kg (dry) to lug around, the 570S feels really nimble when out on the roads. Where a 911 Turbo seems to defy physics, the McLaren sees off both tight and sweeping corners without it feeling like computers are doing all the work for you. Of course it doesn’t have the feel of something like a Lotus Elise but this is a car that can handle being driven on it’s door handles (you’ll never actually do this as it always stays flat!) and cruising motorways with ease.
Even on a wet day, and wearing Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres, you could drive the 570S hard enough to really feel it grip through corners while never feeling it was about to bite you. It’s that combination of being able to have fun while staying within safe limits that really sells the car for me.
The only thing that lets the 570S down is the lack of aural drama from the turbocharged engine, and that’s something I can let it off with given how exploitable and capable it is.
My chances at being a professional footballer might be past but with lottery ticket firmly in hand I’ve got my 570S configured and waiting: Mantis Green, ceramic brakes, sports exhaust and a few choice carbon fibre bits.
Fingers crossed.
https://vimeo.com/115476183
