McLaren Automotive is expanding its Super Series product family with the introduction of a second new model, the new 720S Spider.
Revealed online December 8, 2018 and available to order with immediate effect, the new 720S Spider delivers the exhilaration of open-air driving and levels of day-to-day usability unseen in the convertible supercar class.
Like all McLaren cars, the new 720S Spider has a carbon fibre structure at its core, in this case designated Monocage II-S.
The strength, rigidity and light weight of the McLaren Monocage is the base for the dynamic excellence for which McLarens are renowned. The Monocage II-S is a development of the Coupé ’s Monocage II, without the central ‘spine’ running front to rear above the cabin. The rearmost section of the upper structure is also unique to the Spider, to accommodate the Retractable Hard Top; additionally, the header rail across the top of the windscreen has been revised, to integrate the central latching mechanism.
McLaren’s engineering ingenuity, underpinned by the inherent strength and rigidity of carbon fibre, means that despite the removal of the fixed roof there is no need for additional strengthening; even the unusually slim but incredibly strong windscreen A-pillars first seen on the 720S Coupé remain. To provide enhanced rollover protection for occupants, fixed carbon fibre structural supports are integrated into the rear of the Monocage II-S, additionally providing the main anchor points for the roof system and the seatbelts. In the first-generation Super Series, steel supports featured and the switch to carbon fibre has contributed to the Rollover Protection Structure (ROPS) in the 720S Spider being 6.8kg lighter than in the 650S.
Overall, the new 720S Spider is just 49kg – or less than 4% - heavier than the 720S Coupé.
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12 December 2018
