McLaren 570S Spider, 570 hp to make your hair blow in the wind

The McLaren 570S has been in the Woking lineup for a couple of years now. It isn’t quite the entry-level model for the brand, but it’s close. Still, throughout all this time the 570S could not boast a convertible version, something that has finally changed with the arrival of the McLaren 570S Spider, which can be considered the brand’s entry-level convertible.

The technology the McLaren 570S Spider uses to open and close its retractable roof is already a familiar one within the brand, since it is the same system found in the McLaren 650S Spider and the 675 LT Spider, which use elements such as carbon fibre. Opening or closing the roof takes just 15 seconds, and it can also be done on the move as long as the car does not exceed 40 km/h.

As I said earlier, these roofs are built with lightweight materials such as carbon fibre, but even so the weight of the McLaren 570S Spider increases by 46 kg compared with the 570S coupé, something McLaren attributes to all the mechanisms needed for the retractable roof to work. Even so, despite the added weight, I doubt any ordinary buyer of this car would notice the difference, and the fun behind the wheel remains guaranteed.

Mechanically, as expected, nothing changes, so its powertrain remains the powerful 3,800 cc twin-turbo V8, which produces 570 hp and 600 Nm of torque. With the roof closed, the top speed is identical to that of the 570S coupé at 328 km/h, and the same goes for its 0-100 km/h acceleration, which it completes in just 3.2 seconds. Conversely, with the roof stowed, the top speed drops slightly to 315 km/h.

The rest, such as the carbon-ceramic brakes, the suspension, or the electro-hydraulic power steering, remains the same as in the 570S coupé. Aesthetically there are some small differences, since the rear spoiler of the McLaren 570S Spider is 12 mm taller, in addition to the covers that house the roll-over hoops. By the way, to coincide with the launch of this model, new wheel designs will also be released, in 19-inch sizes at the front and 20-inch at the rear, as well as new body colours.

The McLaren 570S Spider will make its public debut on the 29th of this month during the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Orders can already be placed, at a price for the UK market set at £164,750. The first 400 units of the 570S Spider will be a Launch Edition version, aiming to repeat the success achieved with the 720S Launch Edition.