An Eruption of Imprudence - Volcano Orange McLaren 570GT
Discussion
I've always been into cars, both driving and reading about them. Since I started the latter when I was 11, I've long enjoyed reading about cars I can't afford - Ferraris, Lamborghinis, McLaren F1, Lexus LFA, Carrera GT - unobtainable, but totally fascinating.
(Sorry, long post - skip to the end for photos)
In the real world my I had my RX-7 - beautiful, iconic (to this Initial D fanboy), quick and endlessly adjustable on the limit, I bought it in 2012 and didn't find anything I'd rather have instead, so it stayed. I never felt less than excited by driving it or less than fortunate to own it.
Then the start-up I work at was acquired, meaning a payout for us employees. Not millions, but enough to re-read old supercar road tests and ECOTYs in a different light.
At around the £100k mark, there was one car which stood head and shoulders above the others in critical opinion. The McLaren 570 combines a carbon tub (so light and stiff), a powerful twin-turbo V8, with a chassis by ex-Lotus engineers to make it not just ridiculously fast, but also fun and engaging. It's genuinely hard to find a journalist with anything less than wholehearted praise for the way these cars drive, and on paper it really did look like my perfect supercar - all the speed and drama of the real thing, but still reasonably compact, light and agile.
My quest stretched out for nine months, and although the identity of my 'grail' seemed clear from the start, I did consider lots of other options. I had a proper test drive in an A110 on good local roads. I like this car a lot in many ways and definitely rate it, but ultimately the EPAS steering lacked the weight and feel I want, coming from older cars like the RX-7. I scored a go in an E-Type thanks to a friendly Jag PR man. It's very cool to get to drive a historic machine like this... but as something to drive, I prefer my RX-7. I had a couple of quick goes in Caterhams on track at the Palmersport day, fun, but the basic balance and drive doesn't feel that much different from/ahead of... my RX-7. I also discarded many other options without trying them - Porsches don't excite me personally, 458s are a bit expensive, the C8 Vette seems a bit big and heavy, etc.
I then invested a bit of money to hire a 570S for a long weekend, on the basis that it would both help me make a good decision, and form a memorable experience either way. Jackpot! Finally a car that actually feels better to drive than my trusty rotary rocket - better steering weight and feel, as well as of course a bigger performance envelope. The concerns about it being too low and too wide to really get stuck in to a proper B-road also melted away with experience, you can place the car precisely with the steering and it's not that wide, 'only' 1.9m across the body.
It was indeed a memorable experience, especially belting up Sutton Bank and down Blakey Ridge near where my parents live. The memories sustained me through a frustrating process trying to get the RX-7 welded up and into a saleable condition, and then getting past the final hurdle, a garage door that was barely wide enough for the cars I had, and definitely too tight for a supercar. Bricks cut out and new power roller-door installed, I was ready to go shopping.
Having decided on a McLaren, I had a few more decisions to make. The 650S was tempting, they're a similar price to the Sports Series, the Spiders in particular are good value. However the extra complexity of the interlinked suspension, active aero and folding hardtop seemed a bit much to take on for my first supercar. Of the Sports Series, the 600LT was tempting but stretched the budget a bit far. 540Cs seemed to cost the same as the 570S but generally be all-round lower in spec. I was heading for a 570S, but ultimately my eyes fell for the sweeping fastback of the 570GT. They get a slightly softer suspension setup as standard, but as I was coming from a car that rolls a lot more anyway, I wasn't concerned - body roll isn't really a negative when you have proper double wishbones keeping the tyres perpendicular to the road, anyway. Conversely a little extra civility and luggage space might increase chances to tour with the car. I wanted the ceramic brakes, which meant a 2018-on car, but newer seemed worthwhile anyway. There's a general hope that McLaren quality improved through a build run, and also they only cover the common issue with paint corrosion for five years; so a car younger than that gives you a chance to see if any develops, get it resprayed for free at the five year mark, and then decide at that point if you want to keep the car or sell it on before it happens again.
Looking at the market, I noticed a preponderance of white cars, followed by other monochrome non-colours. I'd put up with three black cars in a row because they were old JDM models and you take what you can get, but this was a special purchase with no deadline, so no need to compromise. I assembled my own gallery of examples of different McLaren paint colours. For those who don't know, McLaren do an astonishing array of colours, something like half a dozen different oranges for example. Just when you think you've 'got them all' you discover something new - blues Curacao, Fistral, Mauvine, Cerulean, Vega, Paris and Ludus, just to name a few - and yes, there are Sports Series cars out there wearing all of those. Ron Dennis may have been known for insisting his Technical Centre was rendered in fifty shades of grey, but the Automotive side is much brighter. I decided on a shortlist of basically all the bright, metallic colours.
I went to see a Vega Blue car on 31k miles, high for these cars. It was ok, but had a few issues, one being a cracked door hinge. I also decided the blue was a bit 'cold' for me, although that might just have been the January light! I then saw a Volcano Orange car at Romans St Albans, this was more like it, near perfect condition, and just loved the colour. I offered £102k against £105k asking, they said no, then called back the next evening and said actually yes. I got the car inspected at McLaren Hatfield, which I thought would basically ensure the car was all good and eliminate the risk of buying from an independent. In fact it wasn't quite as clear-cut as all that and they messed me around a bit. Fortunately Romans were helpful and pro-active in getting issues sorted, and the handful of points raised got ticked off one way and another.
Finally I picked the car up from St Albans on Wednesday. Driving straight back to Cambridge would take about an hour, but I decided it would be more fun to take a detour up the well-known B660. Now to be honest I think this route is over-rated, with more time trundling through villages than squirting between them, but it did give me a chance to enjoy just how cleanly and incisively the car slices through corners. It also showed that the car copes with B-roads fine, no grounding and not too wide.
Then last night I had to take the car out for a little drive to try to get the rear hatch to close properly, as it was refusing to latch. I got it shut after a couple of stops, and decided to continue on my regular local B-road loop, the same one I tried the Alpine on last year. It was dark, but that meant the roads were quiet and the McLaren has good headlights. Crucially I put the car into Sport handling and powertrain mode, and the gears to manual. Wow! I seem to have unlocked another level of performance from the car, well above what I experienced to date or in the hired car last summer. Picking a gear manually and riding the boost curve just feels crazy, hurtling towards the next bend while anxiously scanning for a bit of straight flat tarmac to use as a braking zone. I actually need to adapt, it's too easy to get behind the car mentally, my mind still exiting the last corner while the car's entering the next. I also need to adapt to the problem where you hit the brakes, shed 60mph, think you're doing walking pace and then realise the speedo's still reading 60!
It's not just the power, the chassis handles really bumpy roads well at speed, and the steering is brilliantly connected, you really feel the forces at the front wheels as the car dives straight for the apex. It seems to nail bends in one single smooth motion, rather than having an entry, apex and exit phase as the weight moves around.
This morning I was determined to take the car out in daylight and get some better photos. I pulled the car up in a layby just outside Cambridge, got out, took a few steps away and turned around to take photos, and just burst out giggling like a schoolboy at the sight of it, I can't quite believe I now own this crazy car.
Anyway, after pulling myself together I did get some pics, hopefully visible below. I really love the Volcano Orange, I think it's like 'flip' paint, but instead of contrasting colours like green and purple, it's a bunch of different oranges so it doesn't look as wild but still highlights the shape as the paint catches the light at different angles.
So I'm feeling very fortunate, I honestly never dreamed I'd actually own a 200mph supercar, and I can't quite believe I do.
The only problem is now, when I'm not driving the car I want to drive it, and when I am driving it, I want to drive it faster, chasing that feeling when it's really moving and flowing down the road. I told the insurance 4k miles a year...
(Sorry, long post - skip to the end for photos)
In the real world my I had my RX-7 - beautiful, iconic (to this Initial D fanboy), quick and endlessly adjustable on the limit, I bought it in 2012 and didn't find anything I'd rather have instead, so it stayed. I never felt less than excited by driving it or less than fortunate to own it.
Then the start-up I work at was acquired, meaning a payout for us employees. Not millions, but enough to re-read old supercar road tests and ECOTYs in a different light.
At around the £100k mark, there was one car which stood head and shoulders above the others in critical opinion. The McLaren 570 combines a carbon tub (so light and stiff), a powerful twin-turbo V8, with a chassis by ex-Lotus engineers to make it not just ridiculously fast, but also fun and engaging. It's genuinely hard to find a journalist with anything less than wholehearted praise for the way these cars drive, and on paper it really did look like my perfect supercar - all the speed and drama of the real thing, but still reasonably compact, light and agile.
My quest stretched out for nine months, and although the identity of my 'grail' seemed clear from the start, I did consider lots of other options. I had a proper test drive in an A110 on good local roads. I like this car a lot in many ways and definitely rate it, but ultimately the EPAS steering lacked the weight and feel I want, coming from older cars like the RX-7. I scored a go in an E-Type thanks to a friendly Jag PR man. It's very cool to get to drive a historic machine like this... but as something to drive, I prefer my RX-7. I had a couple of quick goes in Caterhams on track at the Palmersport day, fun, but the basic balance and drive doesn't feel that much different from/ahead of... my RX-7. I also discarded many other options without trying them - Porsches don't excite me personally, 458s are a bit expensive, the C8 Vette seems a bit big and heavy, etc.
I then invested a bit of money to hire a 570S for a long weekend, on the basis that it would both help me make a good decision, and form a memorable experience either way. Jackpot! Finally a car that actually feels better to drive than my trusty rotary rocket - better steering weight and feel, as well as of course a bigger performance envelope. The concerns about it being too low and too wide to really get stuck in to a proper B-road also melted away with experience, you can place the car precisely with the steering and it's not that wide, 'only' 1.9m across the body.
It was indeed a memorable experience, especially belting up Sutton Bank and down Blakey Ridge near where my parents live. The memories sustained me through a frustrating process trying to get the RX-7 welded up and into a saleable condition, and then getting past the final hurdle, a garage door that was barely wide enough for the cars I had, and definitely too tight for a supercar. Bricks cut out and new power roller-door installed, I was ready to go shopping.
Having decided on a McLaren, I had a few more decisions to make. The 650S was tempting, they're a similar price to the Sports Series, the Spiders in particular are good value. However the extra complexity of the interlinked suspension, active aero and folding hardtop seemed a bit much to take on for my first supercar. Of the Sports Series, the 600LT was tempting but stretched the budget a bit far. 540Cs seemed to cost the same as the 570S but generally be all-round lower in spec. I was heading for a 570S, but ultimately my eyes fell for the sweeping fastback of the 570GT. They get a slightly softer suspension setup as standard, but as I was coming from a car that rolls a lot more anyway, I wasn't concerned - body roll isn't really a negative when you have proper double wishbones keeping the tyres perpendicular to the road, anyway. Conversely a little extra civility and luggage space might increase chances to tour with the car. I wanted the ceramic brakes, which meant a 2018-on car, but newer seemed worthwhile anyway. There's a general hope that McLaren quality improved through a build run, and also they only cover the common issue with paint corrosion for five years; so a car younger than that gives you a chance to see if any develops, get it resprayed for free at the five year mark, and then decide at that point if you want to keep the car or sell it on before it happens again.
Looking at the market, I noticed a preponderance of white cars, followed by other monochrome non-colours. I'd put up with three black cars in a row because they were old JDM models and you take what you can get, but this was a special purchase with no deadline, so no need to compromise. I assembled my own gallery of examples of different McLaren paint colours. For those who don't know, McLaren do an astonishing array of colours, something like half a dozen different oranges for example. Just when you think you've 'got them all' you discover something new - blues Curacao, Fistral, Mauvine, Cerulean, Vega, Paris and Ludus, just to name a few - and yes, there are Sports Series cars out there wearing all of those. Ron Dennis may have been known for insisting his Technical Centre was rendered in fifty shades of grey, but the Automotive side is much brighter. I decided on a shortlist of basically all the bright, metallic colours.
I went to see a Vega Blue car on 31k miles, high for these cars. It was ok, but had a few issues, one being a cracked door hinge. I also decided the blue was a bit 'cold' for me, although that might just have been the January light! I then saw a Volcano Orange car at Romans St Albans, this was more like it, near perfect condition, and just loved the colour. I offered £102k against £105k asking, they said no, then called back the next evening and said actually yes. I got the car inspected at McLaren Hatfield, which I thought would basically ensure the car was all good and eliminate the risk of buying from an independent. In fact it wasn't quite as clear-cut as all that and they messed me around a bit. Fortunately Romans were helpful and pro-active in getting issues sorted, and the handful of points raised got ticked off one way and another.
Finally I picked the car up from St Albans on Wednesday. Driving straight back to Cambridge would take about an hour, but I decided it would be more fun to take a detour up the well-known B660. Now to be honest I think this route is over-rated, with more time trundling through villages than squirting between them, but it did give me a chance to enjoy just how cleanly and incisively the car slices through corners. It also showed that the car copes with B-roads fine, no grounding and not too wide.
Then last night I had to take the car out for a little drive to try to get the rear hatch to close properly, as it was refusing to latch. I got it shut after a couple of stops, and decided to continue on my regular local B-road loop, the same one I tried the Alpine on last year. It was dark, but that meant the roads were quiet and the McLaren has good headlights. Crucially I put the car into Sport handling and powertrain mode, and the gears to manual. Wow! I seem to have unlocked another level of performance from the car, well above what I experienced to date or in the hired car last summer. Picking a gear manually and riding the boost curve just feels crazy, hurtling towards the next bend while anxiously scanning for a bit of straight flat tarmac to use as a braking zone. I actually need to adapt, it's too easy to get behind the car mentally, my mind still exiting the last corner while the car's entering the next. I also need to adapt to the problem where you hit the brakes, shed 60mph, think you're doing walking pace and then realise the speedo's still reading 60!
It's not just the power, the chassis handles really bumpy roads well at speed, and the steering is brilliantly connected, you really feel the forces at the front wheels as the car dives straight for the apex. It seems to nail bends in one single smooth motion, rather than having an entry, apex and exit phase as the weight moves around.
This morning I was determined to take the car out in daylight and get some better photos. I pulled the car up in a layby just outside Cambridge, got out, took a few steps away and turned around to take photos, and just burst out giggling like a schoolboy at the sight of it, I can't quite believe I now own this crazy car.
Anyway, after pulling myself together I did get some pics, hopefully visible below. I really love the Volcano Orange, I think it's like 'flip' paint, but instead of contrasting colours like green and purple, it's a bunch of different oranges so it doesn't look as wild but still highlights the shape as the paint catches the light at different angles.
So I'm feeling very fortunate, I honestly never dreamed I'd actually own a 200mph supercar, and I can't quite believe I do.
The only problem is now, when I'm not driving the car I want to drive it, and when I am driving it, I want to drive it faster, chasing that feeling when it's really moving and flowing down the road. I told the insurance 4k miles a year...
ChocolateFrog said:
Much more of a bronze orange than I was expecting and looks all the better for it.
Yeah, quite a bronze/copper colour. This is an obscurity, but the colour reminds me a bit of the Dodge Copperhead concept from the 90s, a 'junior Viper' which went into the first two Gran Turismo games. The 1:18 scale Maisto version I still have isn't quite the same but is close to my car, although I don't really know how close the model's paint is to the actual concept.Saying that, it was cloudy/showery yesterday when I got those pics, I think it can look quite different in direct sun.
stuthe
said:
said: So long as we’re all agreed the rx7, whilst not the better car, is definitely the cooler one, then we’re all good!
Space only really allows me one 'fun' car at a time, and I'd had the RX-7 for just shy of a decade. My thinking was, if I don't move on now then when would I ever, I'd be buried in that car. I'd made quite a few memories with it, and felt it was time to move on and have new experiences while I can.stuthe said:
said: I prefer the lines of the gt to s, slinky!
Yeah, I've always liked glass fastbacks (had a 180SX before), and I love the continuous glass strip from windscreen, through the glass roof and into the hatch. It really smooths out the shape, making it a bit less fussy. I think because all the strength is in the carbon tub and alloy panels don't need the same tooling investment as steel, it was fairly easy for McLaren to create both variants. I don't think the extra luggage capacity is meaningful - the space between the hatch and the top of the engine is vanishingly shallow and the main useful capacity is directly behind the seats same as the S, so it's mainly the looks, the glass roof, and a little extra comfort that the GT gives.Pflanzgarten said:
I understand why the wheels are black to match in with the other parts but I still think they would look better in silver but that's just personal preference-it's such a good looking car in that colour.
I completely agree, I understand why the first owner specced it that way, but it doesn't change the fact that black wheels disappear visually against the tyres, they don't look good except rarely when the light is such that you can see them.I'm thinking of perhaps getting them refinished in a sort of smoked grey, a bit like the ones I had on my RX-7 - maybe that's a good compromise, or maybe it's neither one thing nor the other? Another option the salesman at Romans mentioned was to have them done in a 'diamond cut' style with part silver, part black, but although that's fashionable I'm not a big fan. To be honest I'm not exactly looking for reasons to go out and spend more money just now, but it is something I'd ideally like to change down the line. Since the wheels themselves are one of the lighter styles I don't want to replace them, but refinishing should work.
Had a bit of a drive today, still feels awesome
Only slight thing I notice is that there seems to be some noticeable bump-steer, I think from the rear, when loaded up laterally a bit and you hit an undulation it tends to make the rear step sideways a bit - not a loss of grip, more a deflection from line I think. It's booked in to V Engineering for 22nd for alignment, I'm anticipating they'll be able to give me a verdict on whether this can be improved or is characteristic of these.
Still loving it though, the way it goes down a bumpy country road feels fantastic.
Last weekend's photos were in overcast conditions, so I was really keen to get some in direct sunlight to see how the paint looks then. The Spring weather was very teasing today, but did manage to wait for a gap in the clouds to take these.
I did some googling, I think I do want a smoked finish like this or this rather than silver like this or this. Will ask around for suitable places to do this.
Only slight thing I notice is that there seems to be some noticeable bump-steer, I think from the rear, when loaded up laterally a bit and you hit an undulation it tends to make the rear step sideways a bit - not a loss of grip, more a deflection from line I think. It's booked in to V Engineering for 22nd for alignment, I'm anticipating they'll be able to give me a verdict on whether this can be improved or is characteristic of these.
Still loving it though, the way it goes down a bumpy country road feels fantastic.
Last weekend's photos were in overcast conditions, so I was really keen to get some in direct sunlight to see how the paint looks then. The Spring weather was very teasing today, but did manage to wait for a gap in the clouds to take these.
I did some googling, I think I do want a smoked finish like this or this rather than silver like this or this. Will ask around for suitable places to do this.
Edited by samoht on Sunday 26th February 16:06
CABC said:
what are you doing about warranty?
No warranty at present; Hatfield had initially suggested they could bend the rules around needing to own the car for 90 days before getting a warranty, but there were complications around the warranty the previous owner had on the car, and that ended up not being possible.I'm not that concerned; the way I see it you either keep up a warranty and pay main dealer rates to maintain the car, or you don't, and go to an independent specialist for more cost-effective solutions as required. My intent is to get a 12m warranty when the car goes for its annual service at Hatfield in June, have the car go back to them next April for the five-year corrosion rectification if required, and then decide whether to sell the car (with fresh paint & transferable warranty), keep it and continue with warranty, or keep it and rely on an independent to look after it. I'm hoping to get a feel for V Engineering when I take the car there for alignment and MoT next month, see how I feel about them and what they can offer.
Don Roque said:
That RX-7 is great, do you have any more photos of it?
Since this seems to be a popular request 
there's an album of basically all the pics I have of it here https://photos.app.goo.gl/zk5kYCCuPRN3EQhX6 , also I did a write-up when I got the car https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&....
BlueEyedBoy said:
I recently got my wheels refurbished and went from full gloss black to this. It's diamond cut and gloss black, but with a slight tint to the lacquer as I'm not a big fan of diamond cut, could work quite well on yours?
https://images.cdn.circlesix.co/image/1/1366/0/upl...
I see the slight lacquer tint on yours, which is nice. However personally it's still in second place behind some kind of smoked grey.
Edited by samoht on Sunday 26th February 23:17
The week I got the car I went for a run on some local B-roads, and at one point turning into a moderately tight left-hander off-throttle, I felt the rear step out. I wound off some lock, but I had the sense that the ESC angel had more to do with the save than me. It wasn’t a massive moment or anything, but it did leave me wondering whether I’d gone in too fast without realising, if there was anything on the road, or if this was characteristic of the car. Or perhaps the alignment wasn’t quite right. Anyway being new to me, I was keen to get the alignment done and know it’s good. Dave had recommended V Engineering for this, so I booked in there.
Steve had barely got my car up on the ramp when he commented that the right rear wheel was toed out - perfect for drifting, less suitable for learning the car’s limits on narrow B-roads. In the process of correcting the alignment he sorted a few seized or incorrect bolts on the undertray, freed up an adjuster, and generally had a look around finding a couple of very minor issues with the rear suspension to fix in due course.
I’m really impressed with V Engineering. They were really full of knowledge and info (Paul worked at McLaren for I think ten years before leaving and starting V Engineering two years ago), they checked the car over carefully, fixing a couple of small things while doing the alignment as well as finding a couple of minor issues to address down the road. They also suggested there are a load of things they can do to suppress the PAS pump high-pitched whine from behind the dash, which I’d assumed was just a characteristic of these cars that I’d have to live with, apparently not. They were really open and happy to show me everything they were doing. And their prices are very reasonable. I hate the 2.5 hours motorway trek to get there, but every other aspect seems very promising, and makes me feel more hopeful that I'll be able to keep this car long-term.
The car’s filthy because it did a long wet motorway journey to get there. Unfortunately no pics are allowed inside, so I can’t share the six P1s, the Miura or other highlights.
I’d asked my friend Antony for advice when buying this car, and now having the car, he suggested meeting up at the Essex Car Meet at Hilton and Moss today. I’m not sure that the day the clocks go forward would be my first choice for a breakfast meet, but it’s an impressive place with some cool cars in the showroom, and some nice metal turned up.
When I arrived the organisers on the gate said ‘oh it’s Stephen’s car’, apparently he was due to come with his Ferrari (?), but I guess he thought better of it due to the weather - shame as I was looking forward to meeting one of my car’s previous owners.
I did however meet the owner of the nice 600LT parked next-but-one, since he’s had a few years in McLarens it was great to hear his (very positive) experiences. Coincidentally he’d also been to V Engineering this past week and gained a similarly good impression as I had.
I may be getting old, but I have to admit when the local police turned up I was relieved, as people blasting noisily up and down the narrow, soaking wet lane in front of the venue was just starting to worry me.
That apart it was a nice meet. It was interesting to see a few other McLaren colours, a M3 Touring, a 296, an FF, an Emira and a few others in the metal. It’s also another bit of a pinch-yourself moment, being asked to park up next to Lambos and Ferraris
A few quick phone snaps, unfortunately given the weather I didn't get the proper camera out or document anywhere near all the cars, although lots of other people did.
Steve had barely got my car up on the ramp when he commented that the right rear wheel was toed out - perfect for drifting, less suitable for learning the car’s limits on narrow B-roads. In the process of correcting the alignment he sorted a few seized or incorrect bolts on the undertray, freed up an adjuster, and generally had a look around finding a couple of very minor issues with the rear suspension to fix in due course.
I’m really impressed with V Engineering. They were really full of knowledge and info (Paul worked at McLaren for I think ten years before leaving and starting V Engineering two years ago), they checked the car over carefully, fixing a couple of small things while doing the alignment as well as finding a couple of minor issues to address down the road. They also suggested there are a load of things they can do to suppress the PAS pump high-pitched whine from behind the dash, which I’d assumed was just a characteristic of these cars that I’d have to live with, apparently not. They were really open and happy to show me everything they were doing. And their prices are very reasonable. I hate the 2.5 hours motorway trek to get there, but every other aspect seems very promising, and makes me feel more hopeful that I'll be able to keep this car long-term.
The car’s filthy because it did a long wet motorway journey to get there. Unfortunately no pics are allowed inside, so I can’t share the six P1s, the Miura or other highlights.
I’d asked my friend Antony for advice when buying this car, and now having the car, he suggested meeting up at the Essex Car Meet at Hilton and Moss today. I’m not sure that the day the clocks go forward would be my first choice for a breakfast meet, but it’s an impressive place with some cool cars in the showroom, and some nice metal turned up.
When I arrived the organisers on the gate said ‘oh it’s Stephen’s car’, apparently he was due to come with his Ferrari (?), but I guess he thought better of it due to the weather - shame as I was looking forward to meeting one of my car’s previous owners.
I did however meet the owner of the nice 600LT parked next-but-one, since he’s had a few years in McLarens it was great to hear his (very positive) experiences. Coincidentally he’d also been to V Engineering this past week and gained a similarly good impression as I had.
I may be getting old, but I have to admit when the local police turned up I was relieved, as people blasting noisily up and down the narrow, soaking wet lane in front of the venue was just starting to worry me.
That apart it was a nice meet. It was interesting to see a few other McLaren colours, a M3 Touring, a 296, an FF, an Emira and a few others in the metal. It’s also another bit of a pinch-yourself moment, being asked to park up next to Lambos and Ferraris
A few quick phone snaps, unfortunately given the weather I didn't get the proper camera out or document anywhere near all the cars, although lots of other people did.
Edited by samoht on Sunday 26th March 15:22
samoht said:
a little extra civility and luggage space might increase chances to tour with the car.
Wise people like SSO and Harry M talk about establishing a 'use case' for a car before you buy it. Since I’ve not had anything like this before, I’m still exploring how best to enjoy it. The latest experiment was innocently triggered by my wife, who expressed a desire to visit a few cities in Germany. Yes dear, that would be lovely wouldn't it, and why don't we take the new car? Supercar road trips are among the most enjoyable magazine features to read, and the Autobahn is one of the last places where the high speeds of yore are still permitted. That was the dream, but would the reality be a pain in the back from hours uncomfortably seated, parking worries, re-wearing smelly shirts and traffic jams?
The plan ended up being chunnel, Reims, Stuttgart, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, then back by ferry from Holland; about 2000 miles over ten days.
The first hurdle was luggage space, not always a feature of mid-engined cars. Fortunately the suitcase I’d identified as neatly fitting the front boot, plus the two sausage bags for behind the seats, proved to hold ten days' clothes for two so that challenge was ticked off.
We had a quiet run down to Folkstone and were surprised on check-in to be offered the option of jumping on the next crossing in five minutes, as an alternative to our booked slot over an hour later. On the ‘wide’ section of the Eurotunnel we shared a carriage with a white 488, driven by a friendly gent who was off to visit the Normandy beaches. He’d had it on track a few times, clearly an enthusiast and a nice guy.
The autoroute was pleasant as usual, and we set the cruise conservatively, avoiding temptation for this leg of the trip. The seats are a bit of a challenge; they have a dozen separate adjustments of each part, and being rather firm any mis-alignment between car and driver is keenly felt. However, I can only really tell what position I need while I’m actually driving the car, yet that means blindly groping at the hidden controls buried between seat and centre console. I think I’ve now got an idea what all the 12 buttons do however, and with a series of running tweaks on the first day down to Reims I found a position I’m happy with, and had no aches or pains for the rest of the trip. The primary ergonomics of the car are great, feet out straight, one foot on each pedal, sat comfortably, great visibility.
Crossing France on a Saturday the aires were fairly busy, and a bright orange McLaren garnered plenty of attention - fortunately all positive, and a good chance to use our rusty french and german skills. For whatever reason it seems that even the humblest McLaren is perceived as exotic, perhaps even more when outside the UK.
Arriving in Reims I was pleased the hotel had space for us in their own car park; after squeezing through an incredibly tight twisting entrance and then a car lift down to the second level, a little less so. At what point is the peace of mind of stashing a car in a private underground car park overnight outweighed by the fear of scraping a wheel or worse in the process? Having said that, at least the nose lift gives you plenty of clearance, and we had no issues with scraping despite a few rather steep ramps and transitions.
Between Reims and Stuttgart my wife insisted on a detour to the Mosel region and wanted to buy some wine at a particular hotel. I had my doubts, but a very hospitable Ukrainian member of front-desk staff was happy for us to park up out front, plied us with coffee and juice, and identified the perfect slot for a three-pack of very good white wines to slot into in the front boot. In fact the front boot’s odd extra spaces proved perfect for my wife to collect various bottles; on the other hand any cold drinks stashed behind the seats come out as hot ones, due to the very considerable heat from the engine room below. Perfect for take-away pizzas though.
Most of the luggage
Talking of food, we were very glad to find Speisemeisterei in Stuttgart, pricey but probably our new most delicious restaurant. Even in more reasonably priced establishments, most of the food we found was good-to-great. At some point in the last decade, the Germans have learned to cook (just as we did in the 90s). At some point in the next ten years, they will probably be persuaded to give up their tradition of unlimited autobahnen. So if you’re looking for somewhere to take a driving holiday, it’s a really good time to go enjoy Germany!
Having said that, driving during the day the autobahns were at times quite busy, and it also seemed to be roadworks season, inconveniently. Still, there were clear bits too. Somewhere to or from Munich we briefly hit 180 mph before slowing for traffic. There were good sections maintaining 100 or 120mph for reasonable periods, too. I really notice how planted this car is at high speed; the Autobahns are often twistier and hillier than most of our motorways, and previously in the C55 I was sometimes backing off, unsure quite how much understeer to anticipate. The McLaren inspires absolute confidence, from the feel of the steering you just know the car’s with you and the fat Michelins aren’t going to yield a millimetre. At one point we were running at about 120 in the outside lane past slower traffic as the road swept dramatically down and over a sunlit valley in a sweeping right-hand arc, which felt awesome (and ever so slightly like playing Outrun!)
The only times I backed off was when visibility was limited or there was more than isolated traffic in the neighbouring lane; it’s hard to judge exactly how much faith to put in people seeing you approaching at very high speed. More than once someone pulled out in front of us, then saw us coming and returned to their original lane. Generally the lane discipline and willingness to co-operate with faster drivers is noticeable in Germany, and in stark contrast to crossing Holland on the final leg.
I found a couple of other fast drivers; it’s quite fun when an M135i or CLK55 pulls over into the middle lane but stays at wide open throttle, almost asking for a demonstration of the McLaren’s reach - one I was of course happy to provide
. It’s not “racing” when you’re just both in a hurry, right? Passing the Merc was the one time my wife passed comment, as it was a rather bumpy section of road; otherwise she was entirely relaxed about my exercising the car, sometimes remaining asleep deep into three-digit speeds. As you’d expect, when working at high speeds there’s no such thing as too much power; an engine which feels borderline insane to unleash on an unsuspecting B-road provides only a ‘normal’ sense of acceleration when the outside lane clears at 120mph.Munich meant a chance of a return visit to the BMW Museum, which has changed quite a bit since I visited while on German exchange in 1996. Well worth a visit, with a lot of interesting especially older cars, bikes and engines.
It's lucky BMW learned from their mistake with the 2000CS oversized grille, isn't it?
Still BMW's only real supercar
The soft damper setting (normal) is generally comfortable, although it is as you’d expect a tad underdamped, which can lead to corkscrewing in fast corners; I took to switching up to Sport when traffic cleared, a good compromise that takes out surplus body movements while still absorbing bumps at high speed. Road noise isn’t as low as a contemporary unsporting car, but maybe similar to a family hatch from 15 years ago, so perfectly acceptable.
Queueing for the overnight ferry, we reflected on the trip. It's incredibly lucky to not only have a car like this, but to have the chance to take it on this sort of longer-distance adventure. The car didn’t miss a beat mechanically despite being run hard, the lone glitch being a one-off Iris infotainment crash. It was comfortable, capacious enough, utterly in its element on derestricted autobahn yet ok with tight car park ramps. Every move it makes, even in slow traffic, is shot through with a dynamic quality, an considered elegance and grace of movement. And it also seemed to manage to make friends wherever it goes, too.
BrettMRC said:
Fantastic write up, sounds like you found the perfect use for it!
Anything you would do differently if going again?
Yeah, I'm definitely intending to do more continental trips with this car, it's by no means a classic 'Grand Tourer' but it is good at grand touring.Anything you would do differently if going again?
I regret not arranging to get onto an Autobahn at 8-10pm in the evening, it stays light late now and would have been nice to have a shot at the double ton. So that's something to try and wrangle into the schedule next time.
Probably staying two nights in each of four cities consecutively was a little on the fast-paced side, maybe next time aim to spend three nights in some places and do fewer destinations.
Also I'd like to mix it up and spend three nights staying somewhere more rural, might also get some interesting country roads although obviously those all do have speed limits.
I have an itch to get to Scandinavia next time, just a question of working out the timings given AFAIK there aren't ferries there from here any more.
Yeah, would have to go 'the long way around' to Scandinavia, hopefully can make that work next year.
You may have been wondering what running costs would be like on a McLaren - I know I have been! Yesterday I spent the day at V Engineering near Thatcham again. Agenda was the annual service, plus a few minor running gear bits and bobs which were spotted in March, but they needed to order parts for.
One was a broken rear brake air duct - these plastic scoops hang down under the car next to each rear wheel and cool the rear brakes, which do double duty on McLarens for brake steer and to act as an ersatz LSD. I suspect I snapped one when pulling the car off the tarmac onto an unsurfaced layby, so will be avoiding that in future!
Then there was slight play in the ball joint of a rear track rod, and another ball joint rubber gaiter was split.
Cost was £474 for the minor annual service, plus £658 for the other stuff, total £1132.
If the costs continue at this sort of rate then I'll be very happy, I'm sure there will be the odd larger bill down the line but I'm being given the impression it's not too bad.
Steve is always happy to demonstrate everything he's doing, so I saw all the work plus the back and forth he had to do removing and refitting wheels, arch liners, underfloor panels etc. He showed me the shutters on the radiators which close in traffic to avoid the rad fan just recirculating hot air to and fro (since the fan doesn't cover the entire rad area), and lots more interesting stuff besides.
While waiting I also took the chance to ogle the Miura and Daytona in the workshop, plus have a gander at a Testarossa with its bumper off, demonstrating the notorious engine-over-gearbox layout. They're down to a single P1 in the workshop now, there was also a very nice purple 765LT with a lot of carbon and custom MSO touches. Sadly but understandably they don't want photos taken in the shop, to respect other customers' privacy. However it's always reassuring that when I go there, my car is about the cheapest one in sight You can see a bit of the workshop in the middle of this recent Tavarish vid https://youtu.be/2hI1IY782ig?t=1242
Also on running costs, I saw 36mpg on a steady cruise to visit family in Yorkshire, a lot better than we did in Germany funnily enough! McLaren owners often express dissatisfaction with how the estimated range varies wildly, but I think it's just a function of a drivetrain which can do both a fairly economical cruise, and turn petrol into motion at a vast rate if you really ask it to, it has a very wide range. So self-restraint is worthwhile (most of the time, at least).
I'd told the insurance 4k miles for the year, now five months in the odo is just over 21k, from 17600 on collection, so have nearly done that much already. I increasingly want to use this car for everything that doesn't involve leaving it parked on the street / a muddy verge, as it's just so nice to drive (even just driving normally in traffic), and very usable.
You may have been wondering what running costs would be like on a McLaren - I know I have been! Yesterday I spent the day at V Engineering near Thatcham again. Agenda was the annual service, plus a few minor running gear bits and bobs which were spotted in March, but they needed to order parts for.
One was a broken rear brake air duct - these plastic scoops hang down under the car next to each rear wheel and cool the rear brakes, which do double duty on McLarens for brake steer and to act as an ersatz LSD. I suspect I snapped one when pulling the car off the tarmac onto an unsurfaced layby, so will be avoiding that in future!
Then there was slight play in the ball joint of a rear track rod, and another ball joint rubber gaiter was split.
Cost was £474 for the minor annual service, plus £658 for the other stuff, total £1132.
If the costs continue at this sort of rate then I'll be very happy, I'm sure there will be the odd larger bill down the line but I'm being given the impression it's not too bad.
Steve is always happy to demonstrate everything he's doing, so I saw all the work plus the back and forth he had to do removing and refitting wheels, arch liners, underfloor panels etc. He showed me the shutters on the radiators which close in traffic to avoid the rad fan just recirculating hot air to and fro (since the fan doesn't cover the entire rad area), and lots more interesting stuff besides.
While waiting I also took the chance to ogle the Miura and Daytona in the workshop, plus have a gander at a Testarossa with its bumper off, demonstrating the notorious engine-over-gearbox layout. They're down to a single P1 in the workshop now, there was also a very nice purple 765LT with a lot of carbon and custom MSO touches. Sadly but understandably they don't want photos taken in the shop, to respect other customers' privacy. However it's always reassuring that when I go there, my car is about the cheapest one in sight
You can see a bit of the workshop in the middle of this recent Tavarish vid https://youtu.be/2hI1IY782ig?t=1242Also on running costs, I saw 36mpg on a steady cruise to visit family in Yorkshire, a lot better than we did in Germany funnily enough! McLaren owners often express dissatisfaction with how the estimated range varies wildly, but I think it's just a function of a drivetrain which can do both a fairly economical cruise, and turn petrol into motion at a vast rate if you really ask it to, it has a very wide range. So self-restraint is worthwhile (most of the time, at least).
I'd told the insurance 4k miles for the year, now five months in the odo is just over 21k, from 17600 on collection, so have nearly done that much already. I increasingly want to use this car for everything that doesn't involve leaving it parked on the street / a muddy verge, as it's just so nice to drive (even just driving normally in traffic), and very usable.
T350 Al said:
Loved reading the write up of your trip, thank you! Funnily enough, an idea for a similar trip was what inspired me to start looking at a 570; having seen how much one is to hire for a few weeks, a now ill-fated statement from the wife of "That must be about the same as 6 months of finance payments" and I pick mine up this Friday!
It's also good to see that the running costs needn't be stratospheric, so another thanks for sharing those!
Great stuff! Yeah the hire costs are pretty steep, vs likely cost of ownership unless unlucky I think. I think you'll enjoy it; having something so special, that feels so good to drive and is so quick, and yet still comfortable makes for a great road trip.It's also good to see that the running costs needn't be stratospheric, so another thanks for sharing those!
And in the long run I always think that I'd much more likely regret not buying a McLaren when I had the chance, than I would ever regret going for it.
Yeah, they feel very professional to me, deeply knowledgeable after a decade each at McLaren but also with an open-minded approach, willing to learn new things rather than feeling the need to pretend to know everything.
V Engineering don't offer a warranty scheme.
Paul's line is basically that the worst 'known' issue is a gearbox failure, which they can repair for something like £6k, so they recommend not paying for a warranty and essentially their aim is to provide more affordable fixes for all but the most unlikely disasters. Hence their rechargeable accumulators for the Super Series cars, and they're working on being able to replace just the bushes on suspension arms, as that's a fairly common issue which currently requires entire new arms. Steve showed me how he 3D-printed a part to mend the latch on a 675LT engine cover, another case of a small fix that saves a potentially big bill to replace the whole cover. Obviously their lower labour rate also keeps things more affordable.
I've gone with this, so have not taken up McLaren Hatfield's offer to wait 3 months and then pay them three grand for their warranty. Time will tell if this works out, but in my mind the McWarranty is a lot of money, it doesn't cover certain things like paint corrosion and (AFAIK) door hinges, and overall the V Engineering approach of finding smarter solutions than firing the main-dealer parts cannon feels like the way for ordinary enthusiasts like me to enjoy these cars at >3 years old.
I'll keep you all posted if this decision backfires on me!
V Engineering don't offer a warranty scheme.
Paul's line is basically that the worst 'known' issue is a gearbox failure, which they can repair for something like £6k, so they recommend not paying for a warranty and essentially their aim is to provide more affordable fixes for all but the most unlikely disasters. Hence their rechargeable accumulators for the Super Series cars, and they're working on being able to replace just the bushes on suspension arms, as that's a fairly common issue which currently requires entire new arms. Steve showed me how he 3D-printed a part to mend the latch on a 675LT engine cover, another case of a small fix that saves a potentially big bill to replace the whole cover. Obviously their lower labour rate also keeps things more affordable.
I've gone with this, so have not taken up McLaren Hatfield's offer to wait 3 months and then pay them three grand for their warranty. Time will tell if this works out, but in my mind the McWarranty is a lot of money, it doesn't cover certain things like paint corrosion and (AFAIK) door hinges, and overall the V Engineering approach of finding smarter solutions than firing the main-dealer parts cannon feels like the way for ordinary enthusiasts like me to enjoy these cars at >3 years old.
I'll keep you all posted if this decision backfires on me!
PinkHouse said:
Quick question regarding practicality, has the 570GT rear hatch made much of a difference on your road trips? More specifically, are there any trips you've been on that you wouldn't have been able to take as much luggage if you had the 570S/540C even with creative packing in soft bags?
Good question, I'd say it makes a pretty small difference.The 540C/570S have the shelf behind the seats, ahead of the vertical rear screen. With the GT, the only difference is that this space extends further back to the base of the rear tailgate but the floor ramps up sharply about where the screen is on the regular coupes (because the engine inlet plenum is underneath). Since the floor ramps up and the roofline sweeps down, the available height narrows down pretty sharply, coming to pretty much nothing at the trailing edge of the tailgate hatch.
On the trip we had two sausage bags transversely across behind the seats, these would go just the same in a regular coupe. We then had a fairly thin rucksack behind them in the 'extra' space (which was pain to try and squash down thin enough to avoid blocking the rear view). And of course the front boot, where we had a medium roller suitcase.
Of those, only the thin rucksack wouldn't have fitted straight into a regular coupe, probably less than 10% of the storage and we could've squeezed those items in two or three smaller bags in the front, back or down the back of the seats. So we could have made the trip just as well in a 540C or 570S coupe.
IMO the points about the 570GT are (1) looks, which are personal (2) it's a bit less tiring on longer trips (but concomitantly less exciting on short blasts) I think due to being a bit quieter, softer and having less steering kickback. The marginal extra luggage capacity is definitely the least significant difference, and wouldn't affect things really I don't think.
Disclaimer: this is assuming you use the shelf behind the seats in a regular coupe for luggage, in contravention of the sticker explicitly forbidding this - I assume all owners do so anyway
^ those Surman bags look great, really useful use of space and look good quality too. I only didn't go for that as I wanted a suitcase specifically so as to have rollers to wheel it around, but probably by splitting the frunk space between two bags, neither would be too weighty.
It's always tricky to know which model and spec to go for and then how long to wait for one's ideal car to turn up. A McLaren is normally a second or third car so there's no real time pressure to buy, yet one's patience is only so long. It's unlikely the car of the ideal model with your absolute favourite colour, interior, wheels, spec and great condition at a keen price will appear, so it's a question of which things to compromise on and which to hold out for. Personally I would probably try to stay patient until a car comes that you're really taken with, the hunt is all part of the fun after all. At the same time I don't think there are any wrong choices, as long as you don't end up buying a wreck(!)
I decided I wanted a GT mainly for the looks, and I wanted a bright colour, so seeing this car with the forged wheels and generally decent spec, and in good condition, I was pretty much sold as soon as I saw it in the metal.
This afternoon it was too hot for a walk so I went out for a little drive, had some fun, checked the oil and grabbed some pics.
The window stickers are air pollution ratings for France and Germany, so far I'm keeping them on as they can't be removed and re-applied, so would have to remember to order them again, seems easier this way and it's a reminder of good times
It's always tricky to know which model and spec to go for and then how long to wait for one's ideal car to turn up. A McLaren is normally a second or third car so there's no real time pressure to buy, yet one's patience is only so long. It's unlikely the car of the ideal model with your absolute favourite colour, interior, wheels, spec and great condition at a keen price will appear, so it's a question of which things to compromise on and which to hold out for. Personally I would probably try to stay patient until a car comes that you're really taken with, the hunt is all part of the fun after all. At the same time I don't think there are any wrong choices, as long as you don't end up buying a wreck(!)
I decided I wanted a GT mainly for the looks, and I wanted a bright colour, so seeing this car with the forged wheels and generally decent spec, and in good condition, I was pretty much sold as soon as I saw it in the metal.
This afternoon it was too hot for a walk so I went out for a little drive, had some fun, checked the oil and grabbed some pics.
The window stickers are air pollution ratings for France and Germany, so far I'm keeping them on as they can't be removed and re-applied, so would have to remember to order them again, seems easier this way and it's a reminder of good times
danmarr14 said:
Really enjoying your thread and writeup! Not that I could ever afford one - but does that rear shelf space exist in the Spyder versions too?
I've not yet been up close to a Spider, but I looked into it and I think the answer is 'yes and no'. The rear screen is hard behind the seats in the Spider so you don't have the shelf inside the cabin space. There is however a smaller space under the tonneau cover, available for use when the top is up only:
All variants (incl the 600LTs) have the same front boot.
If we said the 570GT's usable luggage space is 100%, a regular Coupe might be 90-95%, and a Spider maybe 50-60% ? So it's less, but at the same time still relatively practical for a convertible supercar.
I recently had to renew the insurance, reminding me I'm just approaching a year with this car.
A bit of a no-news update really, no real excitments or problems since June. I did take it to a family party in summer, and it was fun to give my uncles rides especially as they've always had more of an interest in cars than my own parents. Otherwise it's tended to be used for some "A to A" drives around local B-roads, I've found a couple of decent loops south-east of Cambridge.
Costs for the 12 months were insurance £873, road tax £570, servicing & repairs £1421 as discussed above, and £350 to remove an entirely self-inflicted dent in the front wing (big thanks to Body Poppers who came through when others wouldn't). I've not been counting the petrol, save that it uses less of it than my AMG like for like, making it my 'economy' car
A few weekends ago I got it out for the first time since before Christmas, and found to my alarm that the battery was low, despite it being on a NOCO charger. With the charger connected it did fire up, and after a run all seems to be back to normal. This is good because the battery is lithium, and could be something like three grand to replace(!), although V Engineering do have some alternatives. Anyway I've now ordered a CTEK to eliminate the charger as the issue, otherwise I'll have to ask when it goes to V for MoT in April, it could be the battery management getting confused.
Driving the car for the first time in a couple of months was great, the performance amazes and sometimes scares all over again, the roads were even just about clean enough to generate some grip.
Plans, or should I say vague aspirations, for 2024 are to make a Scandinavian road trip, and to get on track somewhere, ideally a circuit with very little to hit! I won't be pushing it too hard but it'd be lovely to get a bit of a feel for its capabilities.
The roads were pretty muddy when I took it out and grabbed these pics, so the car's not very clean - a job for tomorrow.
A bit of a no-news update really, no real excitments or problems since June. I did take it to a family party in summer, and it was fun to give my uncles rides especially as they've always had more of an interest in cars than my own parents. Otherwise it's tended to be used for some "A to A" drives around local B-roads, I've found a couple of decent loops south-east of Cambridge.
Costs for the 12 months were insurance £873, road tax £570, servicing & repairs £1421 as discussed above, and £350 to remove an entirely self-inflicted dent in the front wing (big thanks to Body Poppers who came through when others wouldn't). I've not been counting the petrol, save that it uses less of it than my AMG like for like, making it my 'economy' car
A few weekends ago I got it out for the first time since before Christmas, and found to my alarm that the battery was low, despite it being on a NOCO charger. With the charger connected it did fire up, and after a run all seems to be back to normal. This is good because the battery is lithium, and could be something like three grand to replace(!), although V Engineering do have some alternatives. Anyway I've now ordered a CTEK to eliminate the charger as the issue, otherwise I'll have to ask when it goes to V for MoT in April, it could be the battery management getting confused.
Driving the car for the first time in a couple of months was great, the performance amazes and sometimes scares all over again, the roads were even just about clean enough to generate some grip.
Plans, or should I say vague aspirations, for 2024 are to make a Scandinavian road trip, and to get on track somewhere, ideally a circuit with very little to hit! I won't be pushing it too hard but it'd be lovely to get a bit of a feel for its capabilities.
The roads were pretty muddy when I took it out and grabbed these pics, so the car's not very clean - a job for tomorrow.
Car went to V Engineering for annual service last week, £530.
The CTEK charger seems to have done the trick as the car's staying on '49 days' battery remaining as it wasn't on the NOCO.
Tomorrow I'm going for my first trackday in this car. I've picked Bedford as it seems to be the least risky track, it's also not too far away. Downloaded TOCA3 to get the track layout into my head.
I've been there once before with the RX-7, as well as about half a dozen other trackdays, but this'll be my first in a car like this.
Steve at V gave me a load of helpful advice for tracking my car, apparently Sport powertrain mode is the noisiest as it adds pops and bangs, so may be worth avoiding at Bedford. When the tyres get to 60-70 degrees then it's time to take a cooldown lap, for both tyres and the expensive brakes. ESC Dynamic is recommended to give a bit more freedom and avoid over-using the rear brakes. Also as I have new pads in (from when I bought the car), they'll need to off-gas so get them hot until they lose bite, then let them cool, then they should be good to work hard thereafter.
It's very helpful and reassuring to get detailed guidance from someone who's clearly been there, done that in these cars.
I'm really keen to see what this car's like on track, road driving feels fabulous but always has to be to some degree contained by an awareness of the inherent uncertainties of the public road. I'll report back how it goes!
The CTEK charger seems to have done the trick as the car's staying on '49 days' battery remaining as it wasn't on the NOCO.
Tomorrow I'm going for my first trackday in this car. I've picked Bedford as it seems to be the least risky track, it's also not too far away. Downloaded TOCA3 to get the track layout into my head.
I've been there once before with the RX-7, as well as about half a dozen other trackdays, but this'll be my first in a car like this.
Steve at V gave me a load of helpful advice for tracking my car, apparently Sport powertrain mode is the noisiest as it adds pops and bangs, so may be worth avoiding at Bedford. When the tyres get to 60-70 degrees then it's time to take a cooldown lap, for both tyres and the expensive brakes. ESC Dynamic is recommended to give a bit more freedom and avoid over-using the rear brakes. Also as I have new pads in (from when I bought the car), they'll need to off-gas so get them hot until they lose bite, then let them cool, then they should be good to work hard thereafter.
It's very helpful and reassuring to get detailed guidance from someone who's clearly been there, done that in these cars.
I'm really keen to see what this car's like on track, road driving feels fabulous but always has to be to some degree contained by an awareness of the inherent uncertainties of the public road. I'll report back how it goes!
Yeah, I was fortunate to buy my RX-7 when values were at their lowest, and paying £4500 for it probably helped me enjoy it to the full on track Tracking the 570 is a little more daunting, and I wasn’t exactly encouraged by Moris (who I’d previously used for trackday insurance on the FD) informing me that they no longer cover McLarens as the resulting claims had become too expensive (!) But ultimately it’s such a great opportunity to drive something like this on track. A colleague mooted the idea of getting on track, so it ended up being four of us.
The first session was honestly tough. I knew neither the car nor the ‘full’ GT layout we were on, the track was busy and I was struggling to judge braking distances. I was also trying to let enough air out of the tyres as they heated up. I was honestly starting to think that it wasn’t worth tracking this car and I’d have enjoyed my old RX-7 more. Then just before lunch I had a 20 minute session with an instructor. Rich was really good, pushing me to brake harder and accelerate more progressively, and with his guidance on braking points and entry speeds it all started to come together. Actually I’d say it was transformative, in the afternoon I started getting to grips with the car and things were starting to flow.
I know this sounds like a statement of the obvious, but the performance envelope is just night and day bigger with this car than what I’m used to. The braking feels like the biggest difference, when you’re really hanging on the seatbelt and the speed is plummeting so rapidly, it’s hard to judge when to release the pedal and turn without either stopping dead or carrying too much speed in. And of course getting the braking right is vital to setting up the whole corner. But following the tuition I was starting to get the hang of it.
The other awesome thing is the ESC Dynamic mode, which lets the car move around and feel like a powerful rwd car, but diplomatically saves you from yourself when you get it wrong, both under power and on lift-off. I actually went out once forgetting to enable Dynamic mode and immediately returned to the pits (you can’t enable it on the move), as with full stability control the car just felt inert and boring under power because it keeps things safe. What’s interesting is that when I tried ESC DYN on the road I genuinely couldn’t feel any difference, but on track it was immediately obvious. The car is quite playful and throttle responsive both on and off throttle, which I love, but the ESC takes the sting out of the rearward weight balance.
My last session of the day was the best, the track was quieter and I was starting to put corners together and getting a flow going. It’s probably the ‘infield’ section, with more corners and shorter straights, which I like the most - a quick squirt of power, dab of brakes and through the next apex, with no 120mph braking zones to try and judge. When you get it right with this car, it feels magical.
In answer to Brett, the car’s on PS4S tyres which do limit its cornering speed, as Steve had advised; some of the other cars there were on more track-specific rubber and could clearly carry more speed. In some ways though I’m fine with this, a bit less grip lets it move around and feel fun and responsive, and if I start getting sucked into laptime I’ll soon need new brakes. As it was I could do ok length stints pushing hard. The tyres definitely have that trackday sheen now, with a thin layer of melted rubber on top of the tread and some gravel pick-up, but no deeper damage.
The car showed a couple of minor “quirks” - on the first run after lunch my A/C stuck on full hot (not merely not cooling, but actively heating the air), but I came in and turned the car off and on again and it sorted itself out. And when driving back I had the message ‘key not found in car’, however the car started and drove fine; that message has also now cleared. But in terms of lapping it was spot on, with no brake fade or any other signs of stress.
My friends from work also had a good day, for two of them it was their first time driving on track, and fun was also had with passenger rides - it’s always more amusing with someone alongside reacting to everything that’s happening! Fortunately all four of us also drove home with cars intact, which not everyone did.
Even I am not brave/foolish/rich enough to make a habit of frequently tracking this car, but having got a feel for it, I’m hoping to go again towards autumn, maybe to Donnington as that has some elevation but (correct me if I’m wrong) also seems to have a fair amount of run-off? It's definitely a higher difficulty level driving this car than the RX-7, but when you start to get to grips with its capabilities, the rewards are correspondingly special.
Tracking the 570 is a little more daunting, and I wasn’t exactly encouraged by Moris (who I’d previously used for trackday insurance on the FD) informing me that they no longer cover McLarens as the resulting claims had become too expensive (!) But ultimately it’s such a great opportunity to drive something like this on track. A colleague mooted the idea of getting on track, so it ended up being four of us.The first session was honestly tough. I knew neither the car nor the ‘full’ GT layout we were on, the track was busy and I was struggling to judge braking distances. I was also trying to let enough air out of the tyres as they heated up. I was honestly starting to think that it wasn’t worth tracking this car and I’d have enjoyed my old RX-7 more. Then just before lunch I had a 20 minute session with an instructor. Rich was really good, pushing me to brake harder and accelerate more progressively, and with his guidance on braking points and entry speeds it all started to come together. Actually I’d say it was transformative, in the afternoon I started getting to grips with the car and things were starting to flow.
I know this sounds like a statement of the obvious, but the performance envelope is just night and day bigger with this car than what I’m used to. The braking feels like the biggest difference, when you’re really hanging on the seatbelt and the speed is plummeting so rapidly, it’s hard to judge when to release the pedal and turn without either stopping dead or carrying too much speed in. And of course getting the braking right is vital to setting up the whole corner. But following the tuition I was starting to get the hang of it.
The other awesome thing is the ESC Dynamic mode, which lets the car move around and feel like a powerful rwd car, but diplomatically saves you from yourself when you get it wrong, both under power and on lift-off. I actually went out once forgetting to enable Dynamic mode and immediately returned to the pits (you can’t enable it on the move), as with full stability control the car just felt inert and boring under power because it keeps things safe. What’s interesting is that when I tried ESC DYN on the road I genuinely couldn’t feel any difference, but on track it was immediately obvious. The car is quite playful and throttle responsive both on and off throttle, which I love, but the ESC takes the sting out of the rearward weight balance.
My last session of the day was the best, the track was quieter and I was starting to put corners together and getting a flow going. It’s probably the ‘infield’ section, with more corners and shorter straights, which I like the most - a quick squirt of power, dab of brakes and through the next apex, with no 120mph braking zones to try and judge. When you get it right with this car, it feels magical.
In answer to Brett, the car’s on PS4S tyres which do limit its cornering speed, as Steve had advised; some of the other cars there were on more track-specific rubber and could clearly carry more speed. In some ways though I’m fine with this, a bit less grip lets it move around and feel fun and responsive, and if I start getting sucked into laptime I’ll soon need new brakes. As it was I could do ok length stints pushing hard. The tyres definitely have that trackday sheen now, with a thin layer of melted rubber on top of the tread and some gravel pick-up, but no deeper damage.
The car showed a couple of minor “quirks” - on the first run after lunch my A/C stuck on full hot (not merely not cooling, but actively heating the air), but I came in and turned the car off and on again and it sorted itself out. And when driving back I had the message ‘key not found in car’, however the car started and drove fine; that message has also now cleared. But in terms of lapping it was spot on, with no brake fade or any other signs of stress.
My friends from work also had a good day, for two of them it was their first time driving on track, and fun was also had with passenger rides - it’s always more amusing with someone alongside reacting to everything that’s happening! Fortunately all four of us also drove home with cars intact, which not everyone did.
Even I am not brave/foolish/rich enough to make a habit of frequently tracking this car, but having got a feel for it, I’m hoping to go again towards autumn, maybe to Donnington as that has some elevation but (correct me if I’m wrong) also seems to have a fair amount of run-off? It's definitely a higher difficulty level driving this car than the RX-7, but when you start to get to grips with its capabilities, the rewards are correspondingly special.
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