McLaren 600LT Spider unleashed
Take one McLaren 600LT, swap in 50kg of folding roof and - voila - a 600LT Spider
You didn't need to be palm reader to know the 600LT Spider was on the way. See the success of the 675LT Spider, the fact that Sports Series Spiders outsell Coupes in the UK and that the 600LT is perhaps the best car McLaren Automotive has ever made - they were hardly going to stop at just one model. Oh yeah, and they've sort of said all along that a sun-seeking Longtail was coming...
Anyway, after a preview last week, here is the 600LT Spider in all its glory. And, well, it's exactly as you might expect: same 600hp as the hardtop, same 100kg - if you pay enough money for the right options - weight saving from an equivalent 570S (meaning 1,297kg dry), same 50kg weight penalty overall that happens with any Sports Series conversion from Coupe to Spider. Therefore performance is pretty much identical: McLaren says 62mph comes up in 2.9 seconds (so no change), and that the sprint to 124mph takes 8.4 seconds, or just two tenths shy of the 600LT. Top speed is 201mph, or 196mph with the roof down.
McLaren makes no mention of any chassis changes or strengthening for the Spider from the Coupe; the transfer is wholesale, and obviously very exciting for those who know of the 600's talents. Indeed, even the fixed rear wing is claimed to generate the same 100k of downforce (at 155mph) as the 600LT, despite the convertible status. Speaking of which, the roof can be raised or lowered at up to 25mph and, if it's anything like the other Sports Series Spiders, will take 15 seconds either way. All the better for hearing those incredible exhausts with...
Mike Flewitt has described the 600LT Spider as adding "a new dimension of excitement to the most extreme model in the Sports Series family, while losing none of the Longtail focus." Given the Spider was our favourite Sports Series before the Longtail, and the 600LT is one of the best cars of 2018, expectations are set very much to lofty for the Longtail Spider. It's on sale now, priced from £201,500 and, like the Coupe, limited by the amount of production slots that can be squeezed in around other Sports and Super Series models on the Woking line. Move fast, basically; all the signs are the LT Spider will absolutely be worth it.
I don't really understand why. I look at it, it looks great (although I'm still not keen on the sports series front end), the numbers are great. But then, I just can't bring myself to buy a McLaren for some reason. I had a 570s Spider on a 3 day test too. Didn't stir me at all. I only have to look at my 458 Spider in the garage and I start grinning. I'm aware it's bizarre. I try, I look at McLarens, and nothing.
It reminds me of a conversation between Rimmer and Lister on Red Dwarf. Rimmer is McLaren, Lister and his sandwich are Ferrari. I'm not saying McLarens are despised by everyone and I'm not having a dig at McLaren (see above) but there is a general kind of 'imperfect but loveable' nature to Ferrari and a 'perfect but unloved' nature about McLarens, bizarre.
RIMMER: I could never invent a sandwich like this, Lister. You see all the ingredients are wrong. The fried eggs: wrong; the chutney:wrong. The chili sauce: all wrong. But put them together and somehow it works. It becomes right. It's you -- this sandwich, Lister, is you.
LISTER: What are you saying to me, Rimmer?
RIMMER: You're wrong, right? All your ingredients are wrong. You're slobby, you've got no sense of discipline, you're the only man ever to get his money back from the Odour Eater people, but people like you, don't you see? That's why you're a fried egg, chili, chutney sandwich. Now me ... now me ... All the ingredients are right. I'm disciplined, I'm organised, I'm dedicated to my career, I've always got a pen. Result? Total smeghead despised by everyone except the ship's parrot. And that's only because we haven't got one. Why? Why is that?
I don't really understand why. I look at it, it looks great (although I'm still not keen on the sports series front end), the numbers are great. But then, I just can't bring myself to buy a McLaren for some reason. I had a 570s Spider on a 3 day test too. Didn't stir me at all. I only have to look at my 458 Spider in the garage and I start grinning. I'm aware it's bizarre. I try, I look at McLarens, and nothing.
It reminds me of a conversation between Rimmer and Lister on Red Dwarf. Rimmer is McLaren, Lister and his sandwich are Ferrari. I'm not saying McLarens are despised by everyone and I'm not having a dig at McLaren (see above) but there is a general kind of 'imperfect but loveable' nature to Ferrari and a 'perfect but unloved' nature about McLarens, bizarre.
RIMMER: I could never invent a sandwich like this, Lister. You see all the ingredients are wrong. The fried eggs: wrong; the chutney:wrong. The chili sauce: all wrong. But put them together and somehow it works. It becomes right. It's you -- this sandwich, Lister, is you.
LISTER: What are you saying to me, Rimmer?
RIMMER: You're wrong, right? All your ingredients are wrong. You're slobby, you've got no sense of discipline, you're the only man ever to get his money back from the Odour Eater people, but people like you, don't you see? That's why you're a fried egg, chili, chutney sandwich. Now me ... now me ... All the ingredients are right. I'm disciplined, I'm organised, I'm dedicated to my career, I've always got a pen. Result? Total smeghead despised by everyone except the ship's parrot. And that's only because we haven't got one. Why? Why is that?
Improvements in manufacturing techniques and design mean that it is a lot easier to do short limited edition production runs and I think we'll get to a stage where companies like Mclaren and Ferrari won't do a normal car anymore, but just 200 odd "special editions", each being a small variation of some base model.
I might have lost track, but think we've had P1, various LT's and LT spiders, Senna, Whaletail alone in the last 3 years or so.
Does anyone still buy a vanilla Mclaren anymore ?
He's too busy championing his forthcoming Supra daily driver which is getting slated by all those on social media. Still can't quite figure out the maths as to how he's made his money. I've asked my 10 year old son to do the maths on it and have suggested he follows a similar career path...
This McLaren looks lovely by the way. One of the few cars that could tempt me away from the dream 911 turbo (neither of which I'm close to being able to afford).
I don't really understand why. I look at it, it looks great (although I'm still not keen on the sports series front end), the numbers are great. But then, I just can't bring myself to buy a McLaren for some reason. I had a 570s Spider on a 3 day test too. Didn't stir me at all. I only have to look at my 458 Spider in the garage and I start grinning. I'm aware it's bizarre. I try, I look at McLarens, and nothing.
It reminds me of a conversation between Rimmer and Lister on Red Dwarf. Rimmer is McLaren, Lister and his sandwich are Ferrari. I'm not saying McLarens are despised by everyone and I'm not having a dig at McLaren (see above) but there is a general kind of 'imperfect but loveable' nature to Ferrari and a 'perfect but unloved' nature about McLarens, bizarre.
RIMMER: I could never invent a sandwich like this, Lister. You see all the ingredients are wrong. The fried eggs: wrong; the chutney:wrong. The chili sauce: all wrong. But put them together and somehow it works. It becomes right. It's you -- this sandwich, Lister, is you.
LISTER: What are you saying to me, Rimmer?
RIMMER: You're wrong, right? All your ingredients are wrong. You're slobby, you've got no sense of discipline, you're the only man ever to get his money back from the Odour Eater people, but people like you, don't you see? That's why you're a fried egg, chili, chutney sandwich. Now me ... now me ... All the ingredients are right. I'm disciplined, I'm organised, I'm dedicated to my career, I've always got a pen. Result? Total smeghead despised by everyone except the ship's parrot. And that's only because we haven't got one. Why? Why is that?
Bonus points for an excellent Red Dwarf quote, one that often springs to mind.
Long gone are the days when generations of kids could be brainwashed and indoctrinated into loving ferrari the myth, passion, fake news, blah blah. The only "legend" i think of when i think of ferrari is, the fact their drive shafts didnt line up and the cars were so rubbish Lamborghini built his own! The internet is awash with "ferrari suck", "ferrari Press cars", "only idots buy ferraris now", "ferraris are for posers who cant drive", "ferrari edits journos reports/videos" "fake news" Etc Etc.
The reality is McLaren are better. And this is just the start, can you imagine the cars they will be building in 10yrs from now. I cant wait.
If the new Dino is carbon tubbed, thank Mclaren for dragging them out of the stoneage.
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