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The McLaren 720S leaks out on Instagram before Geneva debut

The McLaren 650S is an excellent vehicle, but it's time for a replacement. We've seen spy shots of said replacement before, codenamed P14 and expected to be called the 720S, but not the finalized car fully uncovered. Thanks to an Instagram user known as Lamborghiniks, that changes today. Take a look: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Like all modern McLarens short of the P1, the name is significant. It's a sure indicator that the 720S will make 720 metric horsepower (PS), or roughly 710 horsepower on the SAE scale. That's within the realm of possibility, since the 675LT makes 666 hp just fine thanks to a tweaked version of the standard, Ricardo-developed 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8. The 720S might have to stuff another couple of radiators in its underoos somewhere, but it shouldn't have much trouble producing more than 700 hp. You'll notice quite a divergence between the 650S (and its predecessor, the MP4-12C) and this car. For one, it ditches trademark boomerang-shaped headlights for ovoid units stuffed inside a deep triangular vent that also appears to house the turn signals or marker lights. And there's the roofline – it's not body colored, for one, and it also dives into the rear bodywork more sharply. It gives it a bit of a fighter jet bubble canopy look, or perhaps its reminiscent of a Pagani's roofline. Either way, it's different. And unlike the 650S, there's no ductwork behind the door. Instead, the door is accentuated by a blade of sorts protruding from the fender just behind the front wheels. It recalls the three-dimensionality of the 570-series cars' door ductwork without necessarily echoing its shape. The bottom line is that the 720S represents a big external styling departure and may set the tone for all McLarens moving forward. The car will officially be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show, so we can expect more details and better photos then. Stay tuned! Related Video: News Source: Instagram via Jalopnik Spy Photos Geneva Motor Show McLaren Coupe Future Vehicles Performance Supercars mclaren 720s

McLaren 570S kicks off new Sport Series

McLaren makes sports cars. Right? Well, not quite: it has until now made supercars like the 650S, and what you might call hypercars like the P1. But Woking has long been previewing its upcoming assault on the sports car market with the introduction of its new, (relatively) more accessible Sports Series. And at long last, here it is. It's called the 570S, and it represents McLaren's first foray into the upper end of the sports car market populated by models like the Porsche 911 Turbo, Audi R8 and Mercedes-AMG GT. It's based, of course, around the same basic parameters as its higher-end stablemates, and that means a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, mounted smack in the middle of a carbon monocoque chassis. 30 percent of the engine components have been redesigned, and instead of kicking out 641 horsepower like the 650S or 903 hp like the hybrid P1, the 570S (as its name suggests) offers 570 metric horsepower. That's 562 hp by our count, backed up by 443 pound-feet of torque. That's quoted to be enough to send the baby Mac from a standstill to 62 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds, to 124 in 9.5 and on to a top speed of 204 mph. (All of which is even more impressive when you consider, as McLaren claims, that its low fuel consumption means the 570S will be exempt from the gas-guzzler tax.) There'll be a less potent, more accessible version positioned alongside it, but the point is clear: a McLaren can be no slouch, and the new Sports Series is no exception. The performance is enabled by its light weight: the redesigned MonoCell II chassis weighs just 80 kilograms (176 pounds), contributing to a 2,895-pound dry weight that McLaren says is over 350 pounds lighter than its nearest competitor, contributing to a power-to-weight ratio of 434 metric horsepower per ton. The tub has been redesigned to allow for easier ingress and egress, making the prospect of using it as a daily driver that much more realistic. It even has the upwards-swinging dihedral doors that are a signature of every road-going McLaren, and which you'd usually only find on a vehicle a couple of categories up the market. The overall size is roughly comparable to that of a 911 or R8 – barely any longer, a little wider and a little stouter in height. It's actually a little longer than the 650S (but shorter than the 675LT) and comes cloaked in aluminum body panels that bare more than a passing resemblance to the shapes of its big brothers.

McLaren could make 675LT Spider after all

When McLaren came out with the 675LT, it initially said it'd only be offered as a coupe. That decision has now apparently been reversed, however, with news that the hardcore flagship of the company's Super Series may yet breed a convertible version after all. According to Autovisie out of the Netherlands, customer demand has compelled Woking to make an additional run of 675LT Spiders. Just how many it would make, we don't know. The company built just 500 examples of the coupe – all of which sold out in short order – so we wouldn't be surprised to see a similar number of convertibles made. Reached for comment, McLaren spokesman Wayne Bruce would only confirm that it is under consideration: "The 675LT was conceived as a Coupe," said Bruce, "but we are receiving many enquiries about a Spider derivative which we are considering." The 675LT debuted at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, based on the 650S but with extended bodywork to give it more downforce, inspired by the Longtail version of the McLaren F1 GTR. It also featured more power and less weight to make it even faster. The output of the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 was upped to 666 horsepower, and the curb weight cut down to 2,712 pounds, giving it a 0-62 time of 2.9 seconds. It also came with a price tag of about $400k, elevating the Super Series, in relative terms, from Lamborghini Huracan territory to Aventador rival. Expect the Spider to bear a negligible performance penalty for the open bodystyle, but a slightly higher price than the coupe version. Don't expect it, however, to sit around unsold for long.