We all know that the McLaren 720S is a superb supercar, able to hold its own against Italian challengers. We all also know that its semi-hypercar model, the McLaren 765LT Coupe, turns everything up to 11 without blowing up the engine.
So what happens when you take a can opener to the roof, and upgrade the 765LT into the 765LT Spider?
Well, first off, EVO has a great review of the car both on track and on the canyon roads of Spain to give you the first answer.
With its upgraded full titanium exhaust, reinforced carbon tub that doesn’t add any weight at all to the car, and the roof tucked away, you get a monster of a 765LT. It barks out a full, throaty bellow from its four pipes, while the induction noise, the turbos spooling up, and the way that the car growls on shifts, both up and down, give you something to listen to that beats any radio station in the world.
Yet, there is something about the Spider that is different than the Coupe version. It’s that it is ever so slightly softer than the Coupe, giving a bit more in the suspension, wagging the tail a bit more on track, and not being the weapon that the Coupe, driven hard, can be.
Henry Catchpole, the tall man with silly hair that presents Carfection reviews, also notices this in his video review of the same car, in the same Spanish countryside, and same Spanish Navarra circuit.
The point that both make is that while the 765LT Spider is a beast of a car that won’t disappoint any of your senses should you take it canyon carving or around a track, it improves on the already fantastic 765LT Coupe by being able to relax. That “softer” side of the Spider is what makes it special, as the Coupe is hardcore McLaren 10 times out of 10. The Spider can relax a little, settle down into being a GT car with the sensibility and comfort of being exactly that.
In essence, the 765LT Spider is probably the better representation of what a hopped-up 720S Spider should be. Fast, dynamic, naughtier in sound, more powerful in grunt, more exciting in cornering… but it also has that gentle touch that the 720S has, that something that makes it the perfect car to cruise down the French Riviera in, instead of bombing around Circuit Paul Ricard trying to set the fastest lap time. That makes it a far more realistic and useful car, because the real world is where we live, unless you are of course a billionaire and own your own private race track!
