The McLaren 720 is an ugly car.

[loose cannon]

I have 3 friends that work at mclaren building them, two of them would not be able to tell you which model is which unless the job sheet is infront of them, the other is an anorak
I couldn’t tell you which model is which tbh as they look to similar to me and as I could never afford one I don’t generally pay them much attention tbh and they just don’t jump out on me and say please dream of me in the same ilk as supercars did when I was younger. the 720s j looks like the headlights have fallen off to my eyes sorry mclaren it just doesn’t look good. today I get more kicks out of browsing 70’s and 80’s clankers

Edited by loose cannon on Thursday 5th October 19:57

[RyanTank]

garreth64 said:

Spotted this in Singapore a couple of weeks ago and IMHO it looked stunning:

From that angle I agree.

from this one, not so much.

garreth64 said:

So of the few pics of it posted in this thread, and I think someone already said it, but depending on the colour of the car affects how bad the front looks. darker colours = less offensive, bright colours = hideous.

[RobDown]

There's such a marked contrast between the 720S in these threads (ugly) and the McLaren F1/GTR Owners Club tour (beautiful)

I can tell those apart

[billshoreham]

out locally today and saw a dark grey one in the metal for the first time, it looked stunning; dont see many cars like that in Shoreham by Sea!

[Cold]

DonkeyApple said:

Numbers are much better for McLaren. Given their nature if they had to give the 4 models names they would be something like Clive, Leslie, Brian and Ethel. With any spec differentiation in a model being 'from Accounts' or 'from HR'.

Better to leave names to Italians and not some bloke from Woking.

There's some truth in this. Using names like the Italians do means we could end up with a car called McLaren The McLaren Open.

[thegreenhell]

Cold said:

There's some truth in this. Using names like the Italians do means we could end up with a car called McLaren The McLaren Open.

But who wouldn't want a car called the McLaren Bruce?

[Rich_W]

Firstly F1GTRUeno

Get the fk out. You tragic sad little child!



I saw a 720s a couple months back. Think it was a Press car from the plate. Grey.


Its not a coherent shape to my eyes. The front overhang is too long. The eye sockets are a disaster (sod the "cooling" excuse. There's no excuse for them, design something more elegant! ) The rear is fiddly and untidy.







I fear the only reason people give the car a pass on the looks is because its a McLaren. If this was some odd new start up from Austria or Poland or Brazil people would laugh.

The irony is that the original and greatest is a small, compact, simple and uncluttered.







I genuinely believe there isn't a bad angle on the F1!

On a related note, F355 was also a great looking thing!



Again, small, compact, simple lines.


EDIT

I know some will say "crash regulations" or somesuch. But 918 isn't exactly a disaster due to the relatively simple lines

Edited by Rich_W on Friday 6th October 22:00

[castex]

Rich_W said:

Firstly F1GTRUeno

Get the fk out. You tragic sad little child!

No need for that, Richard.

[Exige77]

It’s just the headlight arrangement that spoils the face.

On Super cars, the face is everything.

The rest looks pretty good.

I wouldn’t have one purely due to the lights.

The 996 of the Macca world

[Jimmy Recard]

I thought the new McLaren looked rubbish when I saw it in pictures. I saw one this week on the road and I thought it looked great

Most McLarens look the same to me though. If I was 14 again, I would know the nuances and differences between each one and identify them immediately

The F1 is a great car and I’d love one but the styling has never interested me. I loved the XJ220 and always wanted one more than an F1 because the F1 styling just didn’t interest me, despite the F1 being better than the XJ220

[Jimmy Recard]

Exige77 said:

It’s just the headlight arrangement that spoils the face.

On Super cars, the face is everything.

The rest looks pretty good.

I wouldn’t have one purely due to the lights.

The 996 of the Macca world

Oddly enough, I think the 996 is the best looking 911 ever. Not that there has ever been a good looking 911 (to me)

[Rich_W]

Exige77 said:

It’s just the headlight arrangement that spoils the face.

On Super cars, the face is everything.

The rest looks pretty good.

I wouldn’t have one purely due to the lights.

The 996 of the Macca world

I agree with the face. And how McLaren have got it so wrong is beyond me. The face is what makes you think "ah it's a BMW/Merc/Audi/Range Rover" It's an important part of brand ID and something that needs to be stable for a good number of years when a brand starts up.

12C has a face that is reminiscent of F1.






Obviously not the same, but a derivative. Square (ish) lights, cooling ducts on the sides at the bottom

I always wondered why they didn't fit round rear lights to 12C for "Legacy" purposes Remember that McLaren Automotive had precisely 2 cars on the roads prior to 12C, and even one of those still looked like a Mercedes to people who didn't know cars. That's the power of brand ID.


bbcode for images
ROUGH Paintbrush which I'll admit looks a bit Lotus, but they could have done a better job I'm sure.

But then P1 came out and had completely different headlamps with the shape that aped McLarens "lozenge"



So they felt the need to graft those lights onto the 12C and make 650s and 675LT (I know there are underskin changes, I'm purely talking visuals)




But that doesn't work because the back of 12C/650s doesn't work with those lights in the same way P1 does. P1 has a sculpted arse compared to the squarer 650s which suited the 12C



vs






720S is ANOTHER new face and side profile and rear end. Its like McLarens designers/management are deliberately ripping up the design language after each car and starting again.


Compare to Ferraris evolution between 348-355-360-430



Evolution works for brands IMO

[greenarrow]

I took a trip to Meridien Modena at Lyndhurst the other week and confused a 458 with a 488.....most of the major manufacturers are building cars that are hard to tell apart, so I don't really get this mass trolling of McLaren on Pistonheads

Richard Porter wrote an interesting piece in EVO the other week highlighting how the Brits don't back their own stars and its true with cars too. Porsche have been gently evolving the 911 for 54 years now and everyone wets their pants over the latest GT3, yet McLaren get nothing but negative comments from Brits on a car enthusiastic forum about the design of their cars and the so called "lack of soul". Indeed it is strange, I cant imagine German fans queuing up on the german equivalent of PH to diss Porsche for their "one design fits all" policy which has served them so well for decades......

As for the 720, each to their own but personally I think its stunning...

[Rich_W]

greenarrow said:

I took a trip to Meridien Modena at Lyndhurst the other week and confused a 458 with a 488.....most of the major manufacturers are building cars that are hard to tell apart, so I don't really get this mass trolling of McLaren on Pistonheads

Richard Porter wrote an interesting piece in EVO the other week highlighting how the Brits don't back their own stars and its true with cars too. Porsche have been gently evolving the 911 for 54 years now and everyone wets their pants over the latest GT3, yet McLaren get nothing but negative comments from Brits on a car enthusiastic forum about the design of their cars and the so called "lack of soul". Indeed it is strange, I cant imagine German fans queuing up on the german equivalent of PH to diss Porsche for their "one design fits all" policy which has served them so well for decades......

As for the 720, each to their own but personally I think its stunning...

You miss the point.

No ones denying the performance of the thing. But the looks are, to many, bloody awful for the exact opposite reason Porsche have been successful. There's no visual evolution between the models. So whatever replaces 720S (in probably 3 years if past McLaren releasing is anything to go by) will probably not look anything like 720s but probably the front of BP23 grafted to the rear of 720S

[MrBarry123]

I agree with the sentiment of the OP.

I saw a grey example outside a hotel a week ago and whilst I’m sure it’s an impressive thing to drive, it doesn’t look great. Every other McLaren looks better so I’m not really sure what went wrong with the design of the 720S.

[Streetrod]

Rich_W said:

greenarrow said:

I took a trip to Meridien Modena at Lyndhurst the other week and confused a 458 with a 488.....most of the major manufacturers are building cars that are hard to tell apart, so I don't really get this mass trolling of McLaren on Pistonheads

Richard Porter wrote an interesting piece in EVO the other week highlighting how the Brits don't back their own stars and its true with cars too. Porsche have been gently evolving the 911 for 54 years now and everyone wets their pants over the latest GT3, yet McLaren get nothing but negative comments from Brits on a car enthusiastic forum about the design of their cars and the so called "lack of soul". Indeed it is strange, I cant imagine German fans queuing up on the german equivalent of PH to diss Porsche for their "one design fits all" policy which has served them so well for decades......

As for the 720, each to their own but personally I think its stunning...

You miss the point.

No ones denying the performance of the thing. But the looks are, to many, bloody awful for the exact opposite reason Porsche have been successful. There's no visual evolution between the models. So whatever replaces 720S (in probably 3 years if past McLaren releasing is anything to go by) will probably not look anything like 720s but probably the front of BP23 grafted to the rear of 720S

To be honest I think you have missed the point. Porsche do not have the guts to change the 911. The shape has become so familar now it is rooted within our subconscious. I am willing to bet if its previous history did not exist and you were presented with a new 911 today most people would dismiss it as an ugly and very flawed design

As for Ferrari, they have just been exploiting the gullibility of their customers for years knowing that people will buy them just because they are Ferrari's. They are becoming almost as lazy as Porsche.

McLaren at least have had the guts to say "You know what, we are going to take things in another direction" And I for one am glad that they did. So some don't like the new look, so what! As long as enough do then that's all that matters

[Rich_W]

Streetrod said:

To be honest I think you have missed the point. Porsche do not have the guts to change the 911. The shape has become so familar now it is rooted within our subconscious. I am willing to bet if its previous history did not exist and you were presented with a new 911 today most people would dismiss it as an ugly and very flawed design

As for Ferrari, they have just been exploiting the gullibility of their customers for years knowing that people will buy them just because they are Ferrari's. They are becoming almost as lazy as Porsche.

McLaren at least have had the guts to say "You know what, we are going to take things in another direction" And I for one am glad that they did. So some don't like the new look, so what! As long as enough do then that's all that matters

If Porsche was a new start up company founded this year and their first car was a 991 GT2RS. Whilst some wouldn't like the looks, and you'd be able to argue against the rear engine position. They'd still sell like hot cakes.

To say that Ferrari exploit gullibility of their customers shows wilful ignoring of how good modern Ferraris are. And how much technology there is in the things. There's a reason they sell so well. They are good cars.

You can argue that both manufacturers have a design language, but I'm afraid to say "it's lazy" is to misunderstand consumers and how they are conditioned.


Take the iPod. Until they stopped, all looked like variants of the original but slightly modernised as they evolved





Most non car people know what a 911 looks like. Or a Ferrari 458. Or a Mercedes S Class

McLaren have gone wrong with the looks of 720s. Even if you ignore the challenging looks. Its not instantly recognisable as a McLaren. There's very little looks wise that links it to previous cars. As a relatively young company. They need to get their profile into the wider world. Not keep changing. Consumers don't like it. And moreover, it means products "age/date" more quickly if you go for funky design like they have.

Hence why F1 still looks amazing. And how as they go further from 12C that starts to look better when tbh everyone at launch thought "its a bit safe" (myself included) But if you stick a handful of MSO bits (or the HS car) on it looks less dated than the 720s or even 650s will in 5 years.

HS car



That side profile, rear window is very McLaren F1 imo


(Yes I know that's a diecast model )

MSO


I really like this spec.

[Streetrod]

Rich_W said:

Streetrod said:

To be honest I think you have missed the point. Porsche do not have the guts to change the 911. The shape has become so familar now it is rooted within our subconscious. I am willing to bet if its previous history did not exist and you were presented with a new 911 today most people would dismiss it as an ugly and very flawed design

As for Ferrari, they have just been exploiting the gullibility of their customers for years knowing that people will buy them just because they are Ferrari's. They are becoming almost as lazy as Porsche.

McLaren at least have had the guts to say "You know what, we are going to take things in another direction" And I for one am glad that they did. So some don't like the new look, so what! As long as enough do then that's all that matters

If Porsche was a new start up company founded this year and their first car was a 991 GT2RS. Whilst some wouldn't like the looks, and you'd be able to argue against the rear engine position. They'd still sell like hot cakes.

To say that Ferrari exploit gullibility of their customers shows wilful ignoring of how good modern Ferraris are. And how much technology there is in the things. There's a reason they sell so well. They are good cars.

You can argue that both manufacturers have a design language, but I'm afraid to say "it's lazy" is to misunderstand consumers and how they are conditioned.


Take the iPod. Until they stopped, all looked like variants of the original but slightly modernised as they evolved





Most non car people know what a 911 looks like. Or a Ferrari 458. Or a Mercedes S Class

McLaren have gone wrong with the looks of 720s. Even if you ignore the challenging looks. Its not instantly recognisable as a McLaren. There's very little looks wise that links it to previous cars. As a relatively young company. They need to get their profile into the wider world. Not keep changing. Consumers don't like it. And moreover, it means products "age/date" more quickly if you go for funky design like they have.

Hence why F1 still looks amazing. And how as they go further from 12C that starts to look better when tbh everyone at launch thought "its a bit safe" (myself included) But if you stick a handful of MSO bits (or the HS car) on it looks less dated than the 720s or even 650s will in 5 years.

HS car



That side profile, rear window is very McLaren F1 imo


(Yes I know that's a diecast model )

MSO


I really like this spec.

Hang on a second, first off the GT2 RS is a limited run track focused car, the 720s is production car than anyone with the funds can buy. And its pure conjecture that Joe public would find in desirable if it was the first Porsche they had seen.

As for Ferrari, I never said the cars were not good, I was commenting on their visual designs. As for the gullibility of their customers you just have to look at how many have a standing order for every new model they produce. These people don't try before they buy they just want the latest Ferrari as soon as possible. I would not exactly call these people discerning customers.

You mention "conditioned," I think that is a perfect word for this situation. The marketing behind this marques has conditioned their customers to such an extent that they will lap up the likes of the Califonia and Panamera and anything else they produce just because they are buying into the brand.

McLaren has only been in existence for seven years, Ferrari for for over seventy. Their early cars all looked very different, it did not seem to cause them any issues.

I am glad you don't like the look of the 720s, it's a disruptive design but is currently selling very well so someone must like it. The last thing personally I am interested in is cars that look the same and show no flair or imagination. Currently, Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini all suffer from this problem.

Dare to be different I say

[Marathon Guy]

WOW . I though the 720 was an awesome looking car (and crazy fast), basically taking the P1 look (which I love)

However at the same time, I love the classy look of the 12c. (But I would say that, as I've got one and preferred the looks over the 650)