2020 Mclaren 720s Spider Performance Over $430,000 Msrp, $30k Mods + Full P on 2040-cars

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2015 Russian Grand Prix was full of crashes and DNFs

Mercedes-AMG Petronas non-executive chairman Niki Lauda said of Lewis Hamilton's race-day domination this year, "The guy is driving like a god." Qualifying is another story, though – teammate Nico Rosberg taking pole proved that sometimes deities have to settle for second on the grid. Williams driver Valtteri Bottas surprised himself and his team with third place, half a second behind Hamilton but 0.05 sec ahead of the first Ferrari driven by Sebastian Vettel, while a mistake on Kimi Raikkonen's final flying lap left him in fifth, 0.4 sec behind Vettel. The Sahara Force India team had a good showing, with Nico Hulkenberg qualifying sixth just ahead of teammate Sergio Perez in seventh. It's the first time they've had both drivers in the top ten on the grid since the 2014 British Grand Prix. Romain Grosjean is leaving the stormy waters of Lotus at the end of the year for the unknown waters of Haas F1, but he made the shoestring operation look really good before Renault takes over by taking eighth place on the grid. Max Verstappen qualified well again with ninth in the Toro Rosso, ahead of the first Infiniti Red Bull Racing of Daniel Ricciardo in tenth. Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat lined up eleventh for his home grand prix, certainly a disappointment after locking up fifth place on the grid last year in a Toro Rosso. When Pirelli brought soft and supersoft compounds to Sochi, the company said it hoped this year's race would be better than last year's. We're sure this first-lap mishap isn't what they meant. Rosberg and Hamilton dragged it down to Turn 1, with Rosberg getting the inside line. Hamilton had to go wide at Turn 2 as Rosberg fought to hold position, but they left a mess in their wake: Hulkenberg spun going into Turn 2 and stopped in the middle of the track, and Marcus Ericsson in the Sauber – who'd started 16th – collided with him. Both cars were out of the race immediately, and the Safety Car came in. The Safety Car returned to the pits on Lap 3 Rosberg led the field, but just two laps later the German complained of a sticking throttle pedal. Two laps later he had to retire, unable to drive the car properly. That put Hamilton at the front, and we've seen that race a bunch of times before. He built a double-digit lead and never lost it.

McLaren adding hardcore GT4-based 620R model to the range

The McLaren 570S has provided a versatile and ever more powerful platform for the English brand. In early 2016, McLaren launched the 570S GT4 (pictured) to compete in global campaigns of the FIA racing series, and a 570S Sprint that was a track-only, unrestricted GT4 car for customers who wanted stimulation free of FIA regulations. In early 2018, McLaren Newport commissioned 10 examples of the MSO X, a road-going version of the 570S GT4 Le Mans wearing a livery reminiscent of that on one of the McLaren F1 GTRs. Then came the 600LT, a lighter, longer, more powerful version of the 570S. Autocar and PistonHeads report McLaren will take the Sports Series range even further, with a forthcoming 620R model bearing traits from each of those forebears. Road-legal but with the visual purpose of a track car, the 620R will be based on the 600LT. As the name hints, power from the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 should increase to 620 metric horsepower, or 612 of our horses, a step beyond the 592 hp in the 600LT. The aero package looks taken directly from the GT4, and then some. Note the front splitter and angled strakes, aero flics at the corners, hood intakes, floor-widening sill extensions, and rear wing all from the GT4. The exhaust location retains the GT4 layout at the corners of a GT4 rear diffuser, a switch from the top-exit exhaust on the 600LT. PistonHeads suspects the 620R adopts the GT4's coilover springs with adjustable dampers, and perhaps the race car's wider track, too. The modifications go further than the race car with the addition of a roof-mounted intake, found on the dealer-commissioned 570S GT4 Le Mans. Autocar managed to get spy shots of the 620R's exterior, but the interior remains a mystery. The cabin will likely be stripped of fripperies, though, as seen on the MSO X. McLaren confirmed the 620R to Autocar and said, "This IS a car that will be offered to select customers by invitation only." The customers invited to order should expect a price premium over the 600LT, which started at $224,000. We'll know how much of a premium whenever McLaren goes public. 

McLaren 765LT: How the limited-edition longtail got its $358,000 price

The McLaren 720S starts at $299,000 in the U.S. before the $2,500 destination charge that takes a buyer over the hump to $301,500. McLaren has announced the new, limited edition 765LT will start at $358,000 before destination and any other fees, a number guaranteed to encourage parsing as buyers and enthusiasts try to figure out if the 765LT represents $59,000 in extra goodness. Before whipping out your abacuses, however, the Woking carmaker wants all to know that the 765LT comes standard with options that would add roughly $50,000 to the price of a 720S. These include upgrades like the Exterior Carbon Fiber Pack, normally $7,070, the 10-spoke super lightweight sport wheels, normally $5,490, the parking sensors and rearview camera that together add $5,770, and colored brake calipers with a machined McLaren logo, normally $1,380.  The rest of the dosh pays for extras that can't be optioned from the factory, like the redesigned front fascia and longtail rear end with the bigger active spoiler that help increase downforce by about 25% compared to the 720S. The 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 gains 45 horsepower and 22 pound-feet of torque, totaling 755 hp and 590 lb-ft, shifting through a transmission that houses F1-derived materials and provides 15% quicker in-gear acceleration. Overall weight, assuming the buyer orders the carbon fiber racing seats — saving another $6,390, as a no-cost option on the 765LT — drops DIN curb weight by 176 pounds versus the standard sibling (DIN weight is fluids and 90% full fuel tank). And the suspension has gotten even more precise, which defies belief since McLarens are already so good, thanks to knowledge from the Senna and Speedtail. If you'd like to crunch the numbers yourself, a poster at the McLaren Life forum has graciously uploaded the 765LT options list and ordering guide. We might skip the $8,470 Double Glazed Engine Window that offers a view into the engine bay, but the $36,340 MSO Defined Gloss Finish Visual Carbon Fiber Roof Scoop would be a great place to start jacking up the price with gusto. McLaren will make 765 examples of the 756LT for global consumption. We're not sure how many will make it to the States, but the ones that do will begin arriving in September. Related Video: