If you're going to peddle the skills of your bespoke division the manicured lawns of Pebble Beach are probably the place to do it.
McLaren's Special Operations
sub-brand has form here too, showing off its ability to tastefully bling up 12C and
650S
P1
if the standard one isn't quite exclusive enough.
And as Monterey Car Week kicks off McLaren has confirmed that MSO has been let loose on the forthcoming
570S 'Sports Series'
before we've even had a chance to drive or see it away from the glitzy show reveal.
Does it rather steal the thunder of the standard car before it's even had a chance to prove its credentials in standard form? Not really, the MSO makeover really only showing off some of the personalisation options open to customers for whom the £145,000 starting price just isn't enough. These consisting in this case of ... purpleness. Prince, or whatever he's calling himself these days, would love it.
Of course this isn't any old purple. In fact it's not officially even purple at all, it being 'specially formulated' Mauvine Blue with matching interior detailing. Call it what you like guys. It's purple. At least it shouldn't reflect on the dash like the bright green of the 675LT we drove recently. If such things irritate you - and they did us - probably best avoid the other 570S McLaren is taking. This one is finished in Ventura Orange with "a selection of styling details from the MSO Defined range of options." What this entails isn't specified; we'll update with pics as soon as we have them.
You could argue the merits of throwing lots of money at a 570S when that would inevitably have you knocking on the door of the price of the Super Series, shown at Pebble in limited MSO 650S Le Mans edition and 675LT form. As demonstrated by the
'detuned' 625C
though, some markets care more about the way a car looks than the way it goes and personalisation matters more than performance bragging rights. And who are we to begrudge McLaren finding some more creative ways of extracting extra money out of folk with more of it than they know what to do with. As Ferrari well understands, fostering a climate of insecurity among customers that their car won't stand out without some personalisation is good for the bottom line.
And while MSO is busy offering Pebble Beach visitors the chance to colour match their 570S or 650S to whichever pair of luridly coloured chinos they're wearing on the day we'll just look forward to driving the thing. Whatever shade it is.