RE: McLaren - New York 2015
Wednesday 1st April 2015
There was dry ice, a strange musical act in the form of a rock violinist and the inevitable mention of the Black Swan Moments that have been teasing us for months. But in a converted warehouse in New York, we finally got to meet the McLaren Sports Series in the carbon for the first time in the form of the 570S Coupe.
Low sill should prevent entry/exit histrionicsIt's seldom you encounter a new car that is set to double the size of the company that produces it, but that's the stated aim for the Sports Series. If all goes to plan then it will account for over half of McLaren's production by the time the third body variant is launched in 2017; that's a seriously big ask for any car.
Forged wheels needed for that 1,313kg weightWell aware of this, McLaren chose to emphasise the differences between the Sports Series and the 650S/ 675 LT 'Super Series' rather than the similarities. We're told that 30 per cent of the new car's engine is different, and we know it loses both the Super Series' active aerodynamics and also its clever interconnected active suspension (although it keeps switchable dampers). The Sports Series also has mostly aluminium bodywork and - thanks mostly to the reinforcement needed for the wider and lower sill - it weighs slightly more.
Looks smaller than a 650S, is actually longerLike all McLarens its been designed with extensive reference to the wind tunnel, and although there have been some accusations that the shape of the air intake set into the door has been designed to look like the wing of that frequently mentioned Black Swan, design director Frank Stephenson was keen to tell us that's its actually the most efficient shape for an intake there is, being in effect half a NACA duct. Getting any car to a 200mph-plus top speed without any moveable rear wing is a considerable achievement in aero-engineering.
McLaren - New York 2015
More details on McLaren's new sports car direct from the show floor
Low sill should prevent entry/exit histrionics
First impressions are - well, good. Okay, so the car we saw was a fully blinged 570S with optional carbonfibre bodywork and ultra-light forged alloy wheels; the basic 540C is going to look considerably more sparse than this. But then the entry level model is also going to have a pricetag of around £127,000 - £65,000 less than the 650S Coupe, the current entry to McLaren ownership in the UK. We're told the 570S will start at around £145,000, so still a healthy discount. And with the Sports Series also offering a carbonfibre monocoque and twin-turbocharged V8 engine it's hard to see what buyers will lose by going for the cheaper car.
Forged wheels needed for that 1,313kg weight
The official line that the 570S is 1,313kg with 'lightweight options' rang some alarm bells - that's the same euphemism that some supercar makers use for stripping a car to a shell and then drilling holes in it. But the difference in weight between a 570S with every mass-reducing option ticked and a full-fat one is a relatively modest 31kg, meaning it's still set to be the lightest car in its segment by a fair margin.
The design is clever. McLaren's headlight treatment has split opinion here before, with the critical tide in the forums running against it. From head-on the smallness of the lights and the vastness of the number means this might be the first car to look better while wearing a UK numberplate. But you've got to respect the abilities of a design team that has managed to make the Sports Series look smaller than the 650S - as befits its status as the baby of the family - despite the fact it's slightly longer. And the cabin is just better. Scuzzy journos weren't allowed to climb into a one-off show car, but the lowered sill makes it look far easier to get into, and the dashboard and instrument pack seem neater and better laid out than the 650S.
Looks smaller than a 650S, is actually longer
After the Coupe there will be a second variant, which although unconfirmed we believe will be branded as Long Tail, launched in 2016 with the Spider following in 2017. And if those sales ambitions go to plan then, by then, this will be the car you're most likely to think of when somebody says "McLaren."
 |
 |
Discussion
British Beef said:
How about an old school variant that does with a manual gearbox and a nice simple NA V12 engine, no ABS or traction control......
That would really float my boat, if I was in a position to dump £200k in a sports car!!!!
Because there is absolutely no market for it (including you)? That would really float my boat, if I was in a position to dump £200k in a sports car!!!!
I wouldn't like to be a 650s owner with an eye on the second hand values now that this has turned up for circa £100k less with only 80bhp less (can you really tell the difference between 570 and 650bhp on the road?), less weight and arguably a much prettier rear end (I always thought the rear end of the 650s a design weak point in an otherwise stunning car)
I think it'll be a very popular car, but I can't help from feeling it detracts from the experience of the 650s other than for people that 'have to have the better model' and surely that's where the 675LT comes in
It's also the first car from MCL in my price range
I think it'll be a very popular car, but I can't help from feeling it detracts from the experience of the 650s other than for people that 'have to have the better model' and surely that's where the 675LT comes in
It's also the first car from MCL in my price range
Edited by graeme4130 on Wednesday 1st April 14:25
Macboy said:
British Beef said:
How about an old school variant that does with a manual gearbox and a nice simple NA V12 engine, no ABS or traction control......
That would really float my boat, if I was in a position to dump £200k in a sports car!!!!
Because there is absolutely no market for it (including you)? That would really float my boat, if I was in a position to dump £200k in a sports car!!!!
Would something with Mclaren badge on the front, a modern carbon tub (as per all their other cars) but with some "old school" manual gearbox and NA power plant, not be in demand?
British Beef said:
Would something with Mclaren badge on the front, a modern carbon tub (as per all their other cars) but with some "old school" manual gearbox and NA power plant, not be in demand?
Would McLaren not have done their market research before building any new car and concluded that there was simply no economic sense in making such a car? I don't understand why people are so stuck on this point regarding manuals. The F1 in its time represented a pinnacle of performance engineering, packaging and practicality. All this talk of driver interaction makes no sense to me when the company clearly is about using the quickest, most efficient methods to propel their products - in todays world a manual gearbox simply doesn't cut it when performance bragging rights are everything to the market that actually buys these cars. It's the same reason Porsche threw out their manual gearbox for the GT3 - it simply would lose out in absolute performance terms to a paddle shifter. You're right, the manual gearbox IS old-school, no need for quotation marks!
As for the forced induction, we all know that legislation is the cause of manufacturers going down that route - McLaren isn't VW, they're a small company and as such have no recourse as a brand like Lamborghini do where a Aventadors emissions can be offset buy selling 10 blue efficiency Golfs or whatever.
Edited by mrclav on Wednesday 1st April 16:11
Seems a shame they didn't fettle the existing engine to make this version a high revving V8. That way it would then create a clearer differential between this model and the existing offerings. I guess its all down to these poxy emissions regulations but to me it would have made more sense in the overall model line up.
graeme4130 said:
I wouldn't like to be a 650s owner with an eye on the second hand values now that this has turned up for circa £100k less with only 80bhp less (can you really tell the difference between 570 and 650bhp on the road?), less weight and arguably a much prettier rear end (I always thought the rear end of the 650s a design weak point in an otherwise stunning car)
I think it'll be a very popular car, but I can't help from feeling it detracts from the experience of the 650s other than for people that 'have to have the better model' and surely that's where the 675LT comes in
It's also the first car from MCL in my price range
Quite the opposite. I think this is a little disappointing and not the game changer I was hoping for from McLaren.I think it'll be a very popular car, but I can't help from feeling it detracts from the experience of the 650s other than for people that 'have to have the better model' and surely that's where the 675LT comes in
It's also the first car from MCL in my price range
Edited by graeme4130 on Wednesday 1st April 14:25
Looks are subjective but personally I think its far too fussy almost as if they have tried too hard to make it look different.
As regards performance and driving dynamics this is not in the same league as a 650S which has more power, better suspension and active aero just for starters.
Its aimed at the high end sports car market and not the SUPERCAR segment which is where the 650S firmly sits
With 570S spider prices estimated to be £180k it makes a new or used 650S seem a bargain and I can see residuals becoming even stronger. Used 650S are in short supply and are selling quickly unlike 458 Ferraris which are abundant and sitting around for months on end unsold
Given the choice of a reasonable spec 570S spider at £180k, a 650S spider at circa £225k or a 675LT at £300k I would choose the 650S hands down everytime
Hope the car is a real success and conquest sales from Porsche 911 and Audi R8 etc
I'm sure some will like the looks more than myself but I hope the 570S doesn't become like the Porsche Boxster and be labelled the poor mans 911.
Lets just call it the baby Mac
GRBF430F1 said:
As regards performance and driving dynamics this is not in the same league as a 650S which has more power, better suspension and active aero just for starters.
Its aimed at the high end sports car market and not the SUPERCAR segment which is where the 650S firmly sits
Do tell - what's so supercar (in caps) about the 650 that the 570 lacks? The styling of the 2 cars are clearly very closely linked, they are close to being the same size and are clearly aimed at the same sector of the market (high performance 2 seater sports cars). Apart from more power, a bit more overall performance (helped by being hamstrung by oddly narrow tyres) of which how much is useable on the public road is debatable and a considerably higher price tag, there is not exactly a lot that seperates the 2 cars.Its aimed at the high end sports car market and not the SUPERCAR segment which is where the 650S firmly sits
king thing yet. Change the record.The 570s just allows Mclaren to sell the 12c/650s/570s in the price segment it should have always been - approx £150k. If you start to go north of that, you need a product that has the design flair and attention to detail of the Italians. Mclaren is not yet ready for that, so this is the car that will save them. However, now not only the 12C customers are complaining, but the 650s customers as well!
isaldiri said:
Do tell - what's so supercar (in caps) about the 650 that the 570 lacks? The styling of the 2 cars are clearly very closely linked, they are close to being the same size and are clearly aimed at the same sector of the market (high performance 2 seater sports cars). Apart from more power, a bit more overall performance (helped by being hamstrung by oddly narrow tyres) of which how much is useable on the public road is debatable and a considerably higher price tag, there is not exactly a lot that seperates the 2 cars.
The 650S has a distinct performance advantage and anyone who has driven one can confirm it is indeed a SUPERCAR with HYPERCAR performance.It is most definitely not a sports car like the 570S unless you are also classifying Ferrari 458/speciale/488 in that category as well.
Personally I don't think the cars look that alike and certainly vastly different to 458 versus 488 ( a 458 with air intakes and different front bumper )
Edited by GRBF430F1 on Wednesday 1st April 22:16
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff