Car of the week - January 22 - McLaren 570S Coupe

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  • McLaren 570S Coupe.

    McLaren may well be struggling in Formula One but in the world of production cars they are forging ahead with impressive speed, with dream machines built to thrill.

    Since the launch of the legendary McLaren F1, the first road car to be built with a carbon fibre chassis, they have slowly, but surely, whilst suffering from a lack of any production car history, compared to say Porsche and Ferrari, created their own identity in the supercar arena.

    McLaren had two tiers of cars – the Super Series with the stunning 650S Spider and Coupe, the 675LT and LT Spider, and the Ultimate Series with the iconic P1 and the insanely fast P1GTR, a track only car for drivers looking for extreme levels of performance.

    Now there is a third tier as they target the sports car market, new customers and territory inhabited by some of the best vehicles on the planet. Enter the 570S and the 540C Coupe, the Sports Series, two of the most beautiful cars you will ever lay your eyes on. These cars have been pitched into a battlefield where icons like the Porsche 911 Turbo S, Aston Martin Vantage, and the Mercedes GT AMG strut their stuff so if you are going to poke these boys in the chest then you need to be very good indeed.

    I have yet to drive the 540C but I can tell you that the 570S Coupe is beyond good, it’s a game changer that throws down the gauntlet to the very best in the business and sets a whole new set of standards in exhilarating driving. This is a car you fall in love with at first sight. It is a work of art, a masterpiece that oozes class, and most importantly of all, an aggressiveness that will excite the senses of anyone with a pulse. These cars represent the entry level models of McLaren, but don’t expect them to come cheap because this is basically a baby supercar. McLaren say it is the most useable car they have built to date and have targeted wealthy enthusiasts who are likely to use it every day, rather than keep it in the garage for a weekend blast.

    The priority was to build a beautiful but functional car with airflow a key feature, designed to maximise  downforce with the use of splitters and sculptured body channels rather than any active aerodynamics you find on other McLarens. Weight was an absolutely a priority and this car is 150kg lighter than its nearest competitor which has been achieved through use of carbon fibre where McLaren lead the way.

    The cockpit is built inside a lightweight but extremely strong carbon fibre monocell which has been tailored for everyday use. Getting in and out of a McLaren which has spectacular dihedral doors that open like wings has never been easy but now Monocell II has been sculptured to make it more comfortable operation. Well, just about.  Frankly I quite enjoy entering and exiting this car because it is a drama that always attracts a small crowd.

    Each car is hand built in Woking, UK,  over 11 days by 370 skilled technicians. In conventional mass production, six cars are built in the same amount of time and the high quality is evident in the cockpit which is stuffed with carbon fibre and high-grade leather.

    The great thing about the 570S is its sophisticated simplicity. Everything in and on this car is there for a reason and there is no excess material used. The leather and carbon fibre steering wheel is race themed and the cockpit, whilst compact, is comfortable and spacious enough.

    There is a digital instrument cluster and the infotainment system is operated from a ‘floating’ centre console which dominates the interior and houses a seven-inch touchscreen which looks and works like a smartphone. Apart from the cool looking air conditioning vents there is nothing else to clutter the surroundings.

    Because this is built to be a car you can use everyday there is reasonable luggage space in the front and there are storage pockets, a reasonably spacious glove box and vanity mirrors.  McLaren have also fitted this car with a high quality Bowers and Wilkins audio system, if you get tired of listening to the gorgeous noise that comes from the back, thanks to this car’s fabulous engine which packs 562bhp and 600nm of torque.

    And that brings me to the most important part – the drive.  Apart from actually getting into the car, the excitement starts when you hit the ignition button and hear that 3.8 twin turbo V8 explode into life.

    You can drive the car in normal, sport, or track mode which determines the engine, chassis and gearbox set-up. Normal is perfect for pootling around town, sport for a little more fun, and track for, well, the track.  In all modes performance of this car is mindblowing with the power being delivered to the rear wheels via a seven-speed seamless shift dual clutch gearbox, which is as good as, and maybe even better than Porsche’s legendary PDK. Because it is light the 570S probably has enough power to launch into orbit and will propel you from 0-100kmh in just 3.2 seconds.

    It handles brilliantly, although it demands full concentration if you are going to throw it into corners at high speed which just adds to the fun. The drive is thrilling and totally engaging, everything a two-seater, mid-engined rear-wheel sports car should be, and more. It’s an absolute gem of a car.

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