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2016 McLaren 650S Spider Review [w/video]

All I saw was a cloud of dust. At some point during my 575-mile drive of the 2016 McLaren 650S Spider, I sort of became immune to gawkers. Phones snapped hundreds of pictures and videos, so I imagine I'm semi-famous on exactly 200,000 different Twitstagram accounts by now. But then a kid so intent on capturing my green machine actually drove off the road. Thankfully, he regained control, and in the process was hopefully taught a very important lesson about distracted driving. Probably not. That's what happens when you drive a bright green McLaren through the heartland of America: everyone takes notice. Car enthusiasts or not, every single person I passed in the 650S gave it a second look. Usually they just stared and stared. Or honked. Or tried to race me (and lost – dummies). My road trip was a 575-mile-long case of distracted driving, and all I can say is, "sorry, not sorry." It all started over dinner in New York. I told our McLaren guy that he should send a car to Detroit, and instead of hiring a transportation company, should just let me drive it over. Next thing I knew, I was on a plane to Baltimore with intrepid video producer Chris "Roy Rogers" McGraw, where a $350,000-plus, Mantis Green 650S Spider would be waiting for me by the BWI airport rental car plaza. McLaren cars enter the US through the Port of Baltimore, so it felt right picking up the car there, instead of in New York. Plus, driving this thing through Manhattan seemed like a massive pain in the ass. View 10 Photos No car I've ever driven could draw a crowd like the 650S. No car I've ever driven could draw a crowd like the 650S. It's not uncommon to see supercars rolling through big cities – people don't bat an eye if one drives by in Los Angeles. But in the country, it's a sight to behold. Say what you will about Mac's derivative styling, I think the 650 looks killer. And so did everyone who stopped me on the street. What I found most interesting was, just saying "McLaren" was enough to really draw people in. If they're familiar with the British marque, they haven't heard the name in a really long time. And if the word doesn't ring a bell, they want to know what it's all about. "It's not a Ferrari – it's a McLaren," one guy said to his wife at a rest stop. The brand recognition might still be lower than McLaren would like – everyone instantly thinks it's a Ferrari or Lamborghini – but everyone I met took this car very, very seriously. And you have to take it seriously.

Watch McLaren's 650S successor drift around a racetrack

Performing big, smoky drifts is more than just hooning around, or so McLaren says. The follow-up to the 12C and 650S is set to debut next month in Geneva, and a new video from McLaren explains that the wonderful dance that is intentionally induced oversteer actually teaches you a lot about car control. Oh, and there are plenty of clips of McLaren's new supercar to boot. Chief Test Driver Chris Goodwin gives a brief overview of the what makes a McLaren so wonderful to drive. Goodwin says that all of the high-speed track development that McLaren performs during the development stage actually makes the car better to drive at low speeds as well. Watch the video for the full brief and listen to the sounds of the new Macca's 4.0-liter twin turbocharged V8. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: McLaren Geneva Motor Show McLaren Coupe Performance Videos mclaren 650s mclaren 12c mclaren super series

Gordon Murray's reborn F1 will reportedly have a V12 and a manual

The McLaren P1 is not a McLaren F1 successor. The Senna is not an F1 successor. Neither is the Lamborghini Centenario, or LaFerrari, or the Bugatti Divo, or the Brabham BT62, or the Aston Martin Valkyrie, or the Koenigsegg Jesko. According to Gordon Murray, an F1 successor does not exist. So he's going to build one. In an interview and report from Road & Track, Murray said, "I truly believe nobody's done another McLaren F1 since the F1. And although very few auto journalists have had the chance to drive an F1, we're inclined to agree, just based on how specific of a car the F1 was. Not even McLaren's new Speedtail, which does have a center seating position, can be considered a spiritual successor, as it has a hybrid powertrain. The F1 was an engineering marvel when it was introduced in 1992, and it remains one in 2019. The combination of the center seating position, the 542-horsepower V12, and the 2,244-pound dry weight is nearly impossible to recreate today, thanks to the loads of safety standards, added technology, and more complicated powertrains. Nearly impossible is not impossible, though. According to the report, Murray's new car would have all the features of the old, but better. It will have a V12 powerplant linked to a manual transmission, and the driver will sit in the middle of the car. Like many supercars today (including McLarens), it will use a carbon fiber monocoque, which helped Murray keep the car light. He claims it weighs less than 2,200 pounds, which is bananas. For full information about timing, pricing, availability, and more details about the car, read the full report and all of Murray's quotes at Road & Track. Related Video: