According to the British automaker, the convertible variant of the newly unveiled McLaren 650S is a no compromise open top high performance sports car. Also, as the ground breaking carbon fibre MonoCell chassis requires no additional strengthening or reinforcements, the 650S Spider retains the Coupe's handling and ride, along with a near identical straight line performance figures.
Mechanically, the McLaren 650S Spider is identical to the 650S Coupe - as it is fitted with the same, tweaked, twin turbo V8 engine producing 641bhp and 678Nm of torque. This allows similar perfomance figures, including a dash to the century mark in three seconds. From nought, the Spider takes 8.6 seconds to hit 200km/h - only 0.2 seconds shy of the coupe - before making its way to a top speed of 329km/h. The Spider returns 8.5km/L on the EU combined cycle while emitting 275g/km of CO2.
The Spider weighs 1,370kg - only 40kg heavier than the Coupe. The additional mass comes from the two piece Retractable Hard Top (RHT) and roof mechanism - which can be folded or raised automatically in less than 17 seconds, at speeds of up to 30km/h. The hard-top is stowed beneath a body coloured tonneau cover incorporated in the twin rear buttresses. With the roof raised, the area beneath the tonneau cover can be used as additional luggage space.
The latest model was displayed at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show in a new paint finish - Tarocco Orange - developed with technology partner AkzoNobel.
