2021 720s Spider Performance $359k Msrp 10-spoke Forged Wheels on 2040-cars

Auto blog

McLaren 675LT Spider Carbon Series stuns in naked carbon fiber

Following its two-car showing at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, McLaren Special Operations has turned out another special edition 675LT Spider – the Carbon Series LT. The last time McLaren's custom division touched a droptop 675LT, it was this lovely Ceramic Gray model shown in Geneva. This new one ditches the paint altogether, opting for exposed carbon fiber across the entire body. According to MSO, an extra 40 percent of the body panels are carbon fiber – the "retractable roof and tonneau, A-pillars, bonnet and rear deck, side blades, complete front and rear wings, and even fuel filler flap" are all finished in the stuff. That's on top of the pieces that were already carbon-fiber, like the front bumper, splitter, side skirts, side intakes, rear fenders, rear deck, bumper, diffuser, and airbrake. McLaren went with a gloss finish all around. What hasn't changed is the 675LT's powerplant. A 666-horsepower, 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V8 remains on duty. McLaren hasn't published any performance metrics for the MSO Carbon Series LT, but replacing a painted body with an exposed carbon-fiber one should lead to a healthy drop in weight, which in turn should improve acceleration, braking, and handling. MSO is only building 25 Carbon Series LTs, and they've all been spoken for. McLaren is selling these 25 cars in addition to the 675LT's original 500-unit run, though, so at the very least, your chances of purchasing a used long-tail in the future have increased, if only incrementally. Oh, and if you're waiting for delivery of your standard long-tail and think you can just ask real nicely for some more carbon fiber, McLaren claims the "significant additional development work by the team of MSO craftsmen," prevents swapping the normal car's body panels for the carbon-fiber pieces. Related Video:

McLaren 570S GT and Spider on the way

McLaren confirmed to Autoblog on July 26 that it would launch a convertible version of the 570S in 2016. With it known that another bodystyle for the range is coming in 2017, one that McLaren wouldn't divulge, the question is: What we can expect in two years? Autocar reports that it will be a GT. We go back to the realm of rumor when it comes to how the transformation will be carried out. Autocar says it will be "an all-new bodystyle" that will offer more storage with "minor styling changes." If that's the case, it would quash the past year of rumblings that seemed to sketch out a shooting brake. A GT bodystyle has been scuttlebutt ever since last year, when the 570S was still called the P13, speculation at that time being that it would have "an unconventional trunk" behind the passenger compartment. Car and Driver gossip that came from a McLaren source, said the final car "looks more like an E-type than the Jaguar F-type does," with new cooling measures and a concave rear window. Another report earlier this year said that the luggage area can be accessed from the side. None of those rumors are compatible with "minor styling changes," so we'll find out which ones are true. Back to Autocar, the mag says the GT has "long-distance touring in mind," so the interior gets gussied up, too. Power will come from the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 that's done sterling work in the rest of the range, the 562 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque not expected to budge. If differentials are comparable to the 650S range, the 570S Spider will weigh about 90 pounds more and cost about $15,000 more in the US than the coupe. Performance should be comparable with its hardtop brother. Now the question is: what's the rumored fourth bodystyle for the 570S? Related Video: News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Brandon Turkus / AOL McLaren Coupe Future Vehicles Luxury Performance mclaren 570s mclaren 570s spider

2015 Bahrain F1 Grand Prix puts a dark horse in the desert [spoilers]

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen had said after Malaysia that Ferrari can challenge Mercedes-AMG Petronas purely on pace, beyond the scope of tire wear, in the dry. We didn't see that in China, where Lewis Hamilton easily kept everyone behind and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel only got close to Mercedes' Nico Rosberg when Rosberg slowed down to conserve his tires. But the Iceman's words seemed prescient during qualifying for the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix. At the front, nothing has changed so far this year: four races, four pole positions for Lewis Hamilton. Instead of teammate Rosberg next to him, though, he'll look over to see the scarlet Ferrari of Vettel, who took advantage of Rosberg's cautiousness to snatch second place on the grid. In Q2, Rosberg tried to conserve the tires he'd start the race on and said he couldn't get into a groove in Q3, putting in a time 0.147 seconds slower than Vettel. The second Silver Arrows will share his row with the second Ferrari, Raikkonen – yet again – saying he might have left some time on the table during his hot lap but getting around just one tenth off Rosberg's time. Williams is established as the best of the rest behind two teams this year instead of just one last year, Valtteri Bottas claiming fifth ahead of Felipe Massa. Daniel Ricciardo of Infiniti Red Bull Racing said he wants to fight with the Williams', he'll be helped with a good start off the line for the first time this year. Nico Hulkenberg got Force India into Q3 for the first time since the Italian Grand Prix last year and into eighth on the grid, ahead of Carlos Sainz in the Toro Rosso and Romain Grosjean putting in another excellent day's work for Lotus. Come race time, it turned into Mercedes power against Ferrari strategy. When Sky F1 commentator Martin Brundle talks about the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team he often mentions how their engine advantage leads to other advantages throughout the car. Not having to use aerodynamic changes to make up for power unit deficiencies, for instance, means they can run the aero setup they want, which optimizes speed and tire wear throughout a lap. It equates to advantage on top of advantage on top of advantage. That's where Lewis Hamilton is right now, so fundamentally dialed in to his car and his racing that he run the races he wants to run. From the front spot, the Brit ripped off another perfect start and led the field into Turn 1, relinquishing the lead only during pit stops.