54 JUNE <strong>2017</strong>
MC720S DRIVE penthisnewMcLarenandinsertafatblokeinto the passenger seat. Add another one, strapped acrossitsrearwing.Fillthebootwithbottlesof O theirbeer.There.Nowyou’veequalledtheweight ofaLamborghiniAventadorSV.Andyetthe McLaren’snewtwin-turboV8isonlyafewhorsepowershyofwhat Italy’sdozenfinestcylinderscanmuster.Thankstotwoturbos,the Britishcaractuallyyieldsawholelotmoretorque.Nowreleaseyour victims(itwasathoughtexperiment,OK?TG does not condone kidnapping) and return the McLaren to its manufactured weight. Withjustyouonboard,it’llsendtheMcLaren,asifonatrebuchet, fromastandstillto200km/hin7.8secs.Sevenpointeight.Theboss Lambo is still clawing towards that mark for another 0.8secs. The720S’sperformanceprettymuchhitsitoutofthepark. Full-noise away from an Italian motorway toll booth or slip road, it’s quitetherocketship.Thegearsshiftsofasttheykindofmerge,but once you’re into fourth it’s plainly possessed of the wherewithal to resisttheusualdeclineinacceleration.IknowthisbecauseIlater tried it on a track, and the sensation is that speed simply reinforces its greed for yet more speed. Toanextent,thisisn’tevenanillusion.AswithFerrari’sturbo V8 (and also as with the 675LT, although McLaren made less fuss aboutitthanFerrari),the720S’senginedeliversmoreasyouclimb thegears.There’sadifferentboostmapforeachgear,sothatinthe lowonesthemid-rangetorqueismoderated.Thatkeepswheelspin undercontrol,andalsomakesitfeelmorenaturallyaspiratedsince with reducedboostthere’slesslag,anditmeansit’sworth climbing rightto8,200rpmtocollectthefull530kW. So itdoesn’tfeeltooturbocharged. That isn’t the only reason of course. It’s now 4.0 litresinsteadof3.8andisheavilyreworkedinotherways.Itanswers thepedalsharpishatmidrevs,andifyoukeepitplantedthenthe red lineexertsablack-holegravitationalpullontherevneedle. Itsnoisebeginssoftandsmooth,andasyouclimbit progressivelystrengthensitstenor.Butthat’sit.Progressiveand well-mannered.Onlyinacarfittedwiththeoptionalsoniccomboof intake resonator and sports exhaust does the music change from earbudstoactualgig.From6000rpmupwardsthere’sreal excitementthere.Evenso,it’srecognisablythesoundofaturbo engine and, as when I drove a 488, my fingers involuntarily type thesewords:AudiR8V10. But,ofcourse,McLarenisleavingspacehereforanLTmodelof thenewseries.Theengineers’720Stargetwasthatitcanbealmost asfastandengagingaroundatrackasthelast675LT.Yetbythe sametoken,ifspeccedwithelectricseatsandthequietpipe,as refined and comfy as the 570GT. I’d agree this highly stretched aim hasprettymuchbeenmet. It’llhumthroughatownwithasoftthrottle,gentlygreased takeup of its clutches and very little noisy disturbance of the streetscapebeyondthisone’sloudorangepaint.Onamotorway, there’s some tyre roar and slap over expansion joints, but otherwise itjusthumsalong.Andit’ssousable.Afrontbootisaugmentedbya big space behind your head. The infotainment system is worth the name, and in contrast to the 488’s and R8/Huracán’s, is shared with thepassenger.Thedoorsopendiagonally,sotheydon’tneedmuch spacealongsidethecarandtheypresentahugeaperturethrough whichyoudroptoyourseat.Oncethere,youroutwardvisionis panoramic.Thedoor-hangingandthevisionareintrinsic advantagesofthenewstructure,whichusescarbonfibreforthe pillars.It’ssostrongtheycanbemadeuncommonlythin,andthe ones behind you are split into two fine spars with glazing between. “Full-noise away from an Italian motorway toll booth, it’s quite the rocketship” JUNE <strong>2017</strong> 55