McLaren and its range of confidence boosters
15 Dec 2015|11,879 views
Confidence is a tool you can use in your everyday life to do all kinds of cool stuff, but not many people realise that confidence works just like a muscle - it grows in response to the level of performance required of it.
Speaking of confidence, heading to a track experience requires quite a bit of it and for a selected group of drivers eager to explore the performance of a McLaren in a safe environment, the British carmaker had just the event for them to explore and build up their confidence - on track that is.
The first Asian leg of the Pure McLaren Driving Experience event was held at the famed Sepang International Circuit and it gave drivers the opportunity to push the marque's sports cars to the limit to allow them to experience the unmatched racing pedigree that's in every McLaren.
McLaren 570S
This was the very first chance in Asia for driving enthusiasts to experience the first model of the recently announced Sports Series - the 570S.
The car may be McLaren's entry level model and may be the weakest in terms of horsepower but it proved to be a pleasant surprise on track.The 570S dares to dial back the technical overkill of its siblings in favour of a sweeter, more fluid, less fretful driving experience.
Powered by a revised version of McLaren's 3.8-litre twin-turbo engine complemented by a seamless-shift gearbox for ultra-fast, ultra-smooth gearshifts, 562bhp and 600Nm of torque is driven to the rear wheels.
From standstill, the 570S will reach 100km/h in 3.2 seconds, making it a lot slower than its siblings, and this is also felt when you realise there is that slight lack of punch as you are accelerating out of a bend. But it's the way the 570S makes you feel as it delivers those figures that's more impressive.
On track, the baby McLaren feels remarkably more natural in its movements than some of its bigger and badder brethrens and is surprisingly the one that gives you the most confidence to go deeper into each corner.
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McLaren 650S
Behind the wheel of the 650S, it takes more than just the average driver to control the car's each and every manoeuvre as it feels decidedly nervous at times.
Perhaps it could have been the wet weather that greeted us that day. But even though the rain had stopped when it was our turn in this Super Series car, certain areas of the circuit were still laden with puddles, so full throttle was unobtainable without the wheels violently breaking traction and the rump squirming for attention.
It was drier a little further around the lap, and power was progressively added - an action that changed our perception of the car. The steering is well-connected to the tarmac and there was no slippage felt at all, only great, glorious grip.
With 641bhp and 678Nm of torque driven to the rear wheels from a smash of the throttle, this is one fast McLaren. Three seconds is all it takes for the 650S to hit the century mark and it goes on to 200km/h in only 8.4 seconds. That set of numbers is delivered in a rather inhuman fashion, courtesy of its twin-turbo V8 engine and a seamless-shift double-clutch gearbox.
McLaren 675LT
There is no doubting this is the hot favourite of the day. Limited to 500 units worldwide with all of them spoken for, it was indeed an exclusive opportunity for participants to get behind the wheel of this track-focused variant of the 650S.
The 675LT exits the pits with a uniquely rich and aggressive roar, thanks to its lightweight titanium exhaust system, which instantly differentiates this car with the rest. As soon as the right foot hits the floor, this McLaren makes the world melt around it, like being teleported into deep space.
A mind-boggling 666bhp and 700Nm of torque, 25bhp and 22Nm more torque over the 650S, comes from a thoroughly re-engineered M838TL twin-turbo engine and is delivered to the rear wheels via a doubly fast seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Reaching 100km/h is done in a blazing 2.9 seconds and rapid it may be, but when it comes to deceleration, the way the powerful carbon fibre brakes work could probably stop a high-speed train in its track. Stopping distances are further reduced with the 'Longtail' Airbrake, which deploys under heavy braking and features a unique control strategy to match the extreme capabilities of the 675LT.
Piloting the car through the famous turns of the circuit, we found ourselves repeating the 'easy' mantra. The car was phenomenal, its stiff chassis and adaptive dampers handling the turns with zero drama, allowing us to point and shoot with the steering wheel, choosing the racing line we wanted.
Confidence boosted? You bet..
Confidence is a tool you can use in your everyday life to do all kinds of cool stuff, but not many people realise that confidence works just like a muscle - it grows in response to the level of performance required of it.
Speaking of confidence, heading to a track experience requires quite a bit of it and for a selected group of drivers eager to explore the performance of a McLaren in a safe environment, the British carmaker had just the event for them to explore and build up their confidence - on track that is.
The first Asian leg of the Pure McLaren Driving Experience event was held at the famed Sepang International Circuit and it gave drivers the opportunity to push the marque's sports cars to the limit to allow them to experience the unmatched racing pedigree that's in every McLaren.
McLaren 570S
This was the very first chance in Asia for driving enthusiasts to experience the first model of the recently announced Sports Series - the 570S.
The car may be McLaren's entry level model and may be the weakest in terms of horsepower but it proved to be a pleasant surprise on track.The 570S dares to dial back the technical overkill of its siblings in favour of a sweeter, more fluid, less fretful driving experience.
Powered by a revised version of McLaren's 3.8-litre twin-turbo engine complemented by a seamless-shift gearbox for ultra-fast, ultra-smooth gearshifts, 562bhp and 600Nm of torque is driven to the rear wheels.
From standstill, the 570S will reach 100km/h in 3.2 seconds, making it a lot slower than its siblings, and this is also felt when you realise there is that slight lack of punch as you are accelerating out of a bend. But it's the way the 570S makes you feel as it delivers those figures that's more impressive.
On track, the baby McLaren feels remarkably more natural in its movements than some of its bigger and badder brethrens and is surprisingly the one that gives you the most confidence to go deeper into each corner.
McLaren 650S
Behind the wheel of the 650S, it takes more than just the average driver to control the car's each and every manoeuvre as it feels decidedly nervous at times.
Perhaps it could have been the wet weather that greeted us that day. But even though the rain had stopped when it was our turn in this Super Series car, certain areas of the circuit were still laden with puddles, so full throttle was unobtainable without the wheels violently breaking traction and the rump squirming for attention.
It was drier a little further around the lap, and power was progressively added - an action that changed our perception of the car. The steering is well-connected to the tarmac and there was no slippage felt at all, only great, glorious grip.
With 641bhp and 678Nm of torque driven to the rear wheels from a smash of the throttle, this is one fast McLaren. Three seconds is all it takes for the 650S to hit the century mark and it goes on to 200km/h in only 8.4 seconds. That set of numbers is delivered in a rather inhuman fashion, courtesy of its twin-turbo V8 engine and a seamless-shift double-clutch gearbox.
McLaren 675LT
There is no doubting this is the hot favourite of the day. Limited to 500 units worldwide with all of them spoken for, it was indeed an exclusive opportunity for participants to get behind the wheel of this track-focused variant of the 650S.
The 675LT exits the pits with a uniquely rich and aggressive roar, thanks to its lightweight titanium exhaust system, which instantly differentiates this car with the rest. As soon as the right foot hits the floor, this McLaren makes the world melt around it, like being teleported into deep space.
A mind-boggling 666bhp and 700Nm of torque, 25bhp and 22Nm more torque over the 650S, comes from a thoroughly re-engineered M838TL twin-turbo engine and is delivered to the rear wheels via a doubly fast seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Reaching 100km/h is done in a blazing 2.9 seconds and rapid it may be, but when it comes to deceleration, the way the powerful carbon fibre brakes work could probably stop a high-speed train in its track. Stopping distances are further reduced with the 'Longtail' Airbrake, which deploys under heavy braking and features a unique control strategy to match the extreme capabilities of the 675LT.
Piloting the car through the famous turns of the circuit, we found ourselves repeating the 'easy' mantra. The car was phenomenal, its stiff chassis and adaptive dampers handling the turns with zero drama, allowing us to point and shoot with the steering wheel, choosing the racing line we wanted.
Confidence boosted? You bet..
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