The new McLaren 750S unveiled! This is the most powerful and lightest production McLaren yet

Six years ago McLaren expanded its “Super Series” family with the arrival of the 720S, a great supercar that, after all these years, now has to make way for its replacement, which has in fact already been presented: the McLaren 750S, arriving in both Coupé and Spider versions with a V8 mounted at the rear that delivers breathtaking figures.

Six years ago McLaren got it right with the formula brought together in the 720S, so if it works, what better base for shaping its successor. The 750S is therefore based on its predecessor, but with that formula improved in line with the goals of lower weight and more power. With the first of these goals the result has been far from bad: the 750S manages to shed 30 kilograms on the scales compared with the 720S, partly because 30% of its components have been improved and are therefore new, among them the carbon fibre chassis.

Improved and optimised aerodynamics

Aesthetically, the McLaren 750S may look very similar to the 720S, and we may even struggle to tell them apart, but let’s pay a little attention because there are several details that set them apart. The front end still uses large openings to house the daytime running lights and the LED headlights, with a change to their light signature; meanwhile, the lower part softens its lines with a splitter that gains presence, lines that are also softened around the front bonnet.

These bonnet lines, especially those at the edges, connect perfectly with those that continue along the side, which on the 750S are much more sculpted in the area before reaching the rear wheel arches, leaving more of the rear tyres exposed in order to reduce the air pressure that builds up inside the wheel arches themselves. The rear is perhaps the most distinctive part, with a more elaborate diffuser embraced by the bumper itself, which also wraps around the upper section where the twin exhaust outlet, now positioned in the centre, sits level with the LED rear lights, over which the active carbon fibre rear wing extends or hides away.

As for the Spider version of the 750S, as you can imagine they are practically the same, with differences that logically centre on the roof area, featuring a fully glazed rear window to improve visibility. In addition, in this respect, McLaren offers the option of equipping the 750S with electrochromic glass for the roof, thus increasing the light that reaches the interior. Either way, whether carbon fibre or glazed, the retractable roof of the 750S can be retracted on the move in under 11 seconds as long as we are not travelling at more than 31 km/h.

If we now step inside the McLaren 750S, we find sportiness on every side, although quality welcomes us in the form of the Nappa leather upholstery or the combination of that same leather with Alcantara. Its design has also changed for the 750S, centred on the driver, with a digital instrument cluster display mounted on the electric steering column itself as standard, which helps improve comfort, noise and vibrations.

In front of this display is the steering wheel, simple in appearance, with the buttons located in the surrounding area, which has been designed with the driver in mind at all times, so the driver will still not have to take their hands off the wheel to activate functions such as Active Dynamics for selecting the driving modes, Launch or Aero. The driver can also enjoy the new McLaren Control Launcher function in the McLaren 750S, which allows them to save their favourite aerodynamics, driving mode, powertrain and transmission settings.

V8 engine now with more power

Mechanically, the McLaren 750S continues to use the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 block mounted at the rear, which has received a series of improvements to elements such as the turbo, the pistons and the gearbox itself, all to increase its power and reach a spectacular 750 CV and 800 Nm of torque sent exclusively to the rear axle. These figures allow it to accelerate to 100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds, reach 200 km/h in 7.2 seconds and 300 km/h in under 20 seconds (exactly 20.4 seconds for the Spider version), and reach a limited top speed of 332 km/h.

Working with this renewed V8 engine is the seven-speed automatic transmission, which has been fine-tuned with a shorter final drive ratio, helping to make its acceleration even more spectacular; it also features a function that limits downshifts if the driver requests an overly aggressive reduction in gears. This function will continue to downshift as the driver has requested, but at the right moment, automatically, delighting us as well with a truly spectacular sound together with the exhaust line.