McLaren’s new model, the 720S, was just unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show.
The 720S represents—as McLaren suggests—a significant leap in the company’s developmental evolution; when they say it’s a little like they skipped a generation by jumping to the 720S, the comment may not be mere sanguine corporate hyperbole. It might be pretty close to the truth.
For a company that invests so extremely heavily in R&D, though, the 720S might be a simple matter of fulfilled expectations. McLaren would like to share the throne currently occupied by Ferrari—they are currently the enfant terrible of the supercar manufacturing world, but, with another decade of experience and such extraordinary dedication to craft under their belts, they could have the credibility to do just that. Heaven knows, they’re well on their way.
The 720S is lighter, faster, and more acutely aerodynamically designed than the outgoing model, the 650S. It features a carbon fiber passenger cell—the Monocage II—which incorporates the roof into the design, for a highly rigid, and very lightweight cabin foundation. The engine is a newly designed 4.0L, twin-turbo V8 that produces about 720HP, and will take the 720S to 62MPH in 2.8 seconds. Dynamic airflow via active aerodynamics, and a shape that optimizes engine cooling are at the heart of the design, and the 720S provides half again the top speed down force of the outgoing model; the top speed of the 720S, by the way, is reported to be 212MPH.
The car’s ‘fighter jet’ glass roof is intended to enhance the sense of liberation derived from being behind the wheel. And—interestingly—the company sees the overall design as a narrative expression of the car’s functionality, and capacity to evoke emotional response. If McLaren didn’t take design development so seriously, that might come across as empty company patter. Under the circumstances, it doesn’t. If there is poetry hidden in supercar design, McLaren is determined to find it.
Production will be limited, and McLaren reports all planned launch edition examples have been pre-sold.
Pricing for the 720s will reportedly run about 5% higher than the 650S. Seems rather modest, considering.
