After several hours of appropriate testing on winding rural English roads behind the wheel of McLaren’s new 570S Spider, it’s clear to me – other sports cars can be inspiring but are hardly suitable for everyday use as this extremely sporty McLaren.
On the streets of England, I experience the orange-colored super sports car as a fine-tuned street racer that suavely walks a tightrope between wow and oh my god! And not only with this rather poetic statement does the McLaren differ without compromise from a Porsche 911 turbo, Audi R8 or the AMG GT Roadster. The design and the whole ambience are different: where a Porsche even as a Turbo S feels like a power sedan, the Audi R 8 is reminiscent of a game console on wheels and Mercedes cannot leave luxury behind even as an AMG GT Roadster, the 570S Spider is the most authentic car – no unnecessary staging and no frills.
A McLaren still belongs in the category super sports-car with rare value.
The shape is pure function and largely from the wind tunnel, while the “dihedral opening doors (the English would say “butterfly doors”) are an important part of the bodywork. The interior is dominated by filigree, the few switches are well integrated and even the touchscreen is somehow restrained. Although the 570S Spider, as McLaren’s Amel Boubaaya explains, now also comes with a glove compartment, make-up mirror, and side storage options.
Here comes my driving report. The handling can be adjusted in three stages which range from good-natured to fierce. Okay… good-natured is relative. Actually, these models are understood as street sports cars with elegant ambitions. In a way, every McLaren is a disguised racing car, curvy and always ready to fight. They are extremely good-natured, so it only takes a good dose of courage to show their teeth. The 600 Newton-meters strong outdoor sportsman with their very effective lowerable glass wind deflector wants to be tackled hard. In the third gear with over 90 mph on the highway, curve by curve I try how high I can push my pulse. In theory, I could test my nerve up to 212 mph – so addictive! Finally, there is only the question: When can you rent a McLaren from Sixt?
PHOTOS & TEXT: CHRISTOF R. SAGE
