McLaren 720S – A New Benchmark Of Supercar Excellence
McLaren 720S – Introduction
When it comes to the fastest cars in the world, McLaren is for sure one of the leading brands in the industry. During the Geneva Motorshow, they have presented their latest model: The McLaren 720S.
The England-based manufacturer of luxury, high-performance sports and supercars, has renewed the Super Series product family at the core of its brand with the introduction of the new McLaren 720S, a car that sets new benchmarks of supercar excellence.
Trust me, I couldn’t have been more excited to experience the 720S on the road. Why? The performance is absolutely insane. The 720S is shattering every sort of power I’ve witnessed in a car – by far.
But let me explain why
The new McLaren 720S introduces the second-generation Super Series, the product family at the heart of the McLaren brand. It’s the successor of the 650S I drove in Tenerife. Let’s go through a couple of facts to turn up the excitement:
- The engine has been upgraded from a 3.8 litre to a 4.0 litre twin turbo charged V8
- A Carbon fibre chassis is key to the 1,283kg lightest dry weight
- 41% of components in the engine are all-new
- Cooling performance improves by 15% in comparison to the 650S.
The numbers are staggering
Driving the 720S, sort of feels like passing galaxies in warp speed. Yes, I imagine a spaceship must be feeling similar. The turbochargers have been adjusted, so the 720S comes up with more torque – meaning the power is available in an earlier stage.
The 650S started to increase the acceleration after like 3’000 RPM, though the 720S provides the power at the very beginning. The 720bhp are just sending you into other dimensions, I guess you will have to drive it to fully experience what I mean.
But let’s get these impressive numbers a bit structured:
- 720PS and 770Nm, with a power-to-weight ratio of up to 561PS per tonne
- Maximum speed of 212mph (341km/h)
- Braking from 200 km/h to standstill in 4.6 seconds, covering 117m
McLaren 720S – The Design
My first impression was true, the 720S is all about a new concept of aerodynamics and design. The new McLaren 720S represents a step-change in McLaren Super Series’ design language. Balanced, compact, proportions are defined by the elegant sweep of the teardrop glasshouse, while the 720S bodywork creates a futuristic, highly technical appearance.
Hours of innovation are defining the design of the new McLaren 720S. The lean, sculpted body shape creates an instantly recognisable silhouette.
The canopy-like design also provides a feeling of 360-degree vision for occupants that is unrivalled in the supercar class, allowing light to flood into the cabin and setting a new benchmark for visibility.
The aggressively contoured front bumper takes its inspiration from the McLaren P1TM. Visually dramatic, digital LED headlights are integrated within ‘eye-sockets’ that feature an aero duct to channel air to the low-temperature radiators and cut deep into the front fenders to produce a distinctly predatory gaze.
The new McLaren 720S is equipped with Static Adaptive Headlights, a pioneering technology that optimises headlight performance by changing the directional light intensity based on steering input.
Double-skinned dihedral doors allow for the apparent removal of side air intakes from the toned, pinched waistline, despite the increased cooling requirements of the new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine. Fast moving air is efficiently managed around the sleek A-pillars into ducts within the door, maximising cooling performance without the need to increase radiator dimensions or mass.
The 720S – My Drive In Rome
At the moment I flew out of Zürich, we literally had snow in the middle of spring. Fortunately, the weather in Rome was much better and the following Saturday showed the city in its most beautiful glance.
We took the cars and drove it out of the city. The terrain was rather difficult – heavy corners and bumpy roads promised a lot of fun and required quite some concentration.
I’m still sure the McLaren brand engineers the best gearboxes on the market, the one in the 720S is yet again another piece of perfection. 7.8 seconds from 0-200 is almost the performance you’re expecting from a plug-in hybrid car like the Porsche 918 Spyder. But the McLaren 720S doesn’t bark and shout at you all the time, it’s not the crisp metallic sound we had in past supercars – the 720S is a hyper car – engineered towards perfection. And that’s how it feels to drive – bit like a spaceship.
Wrist shot of my Patravi Traveltec FourX Limited Edition 00.10620.22.93.01
