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McLaren 765LT Spider | evo REVIEW
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May 1, 2025
Is the McLaren 765LT Spider just an open-top version of the already brilliant coupe, or does it have a different, more engaging personality? Steve Sutcliffe hit the road and track in Spain to find out. https://linktr.ee/evomagazine Follow us: https://twitter.com/evomagazine https://facebook.com/evomagazine https://www.instagram.com/officialevomagazine/ https://www.tiktok.com/@evomagazine?
View Video Transcript
0:00
On paper, the 765 Spyder seems like a predictable enough kind of car from McLaren
0:07
It's a 765 coupe, but with the same electric roof from the 720S Spyder
0:13
So, it weighs a bit more, goes a bit less mentally fast
0:17
and although it's a lovely enough thing to drive around in, with its carbon fibre hood down on a sunny day in Spain
0:24
it isn't as sharp or as entertaining as the coupe where it matters. Correct
0:30
No, not correct at all. Because in truth, McLaren has probably gone way further than it needed to with the 765 Spyder
0:39
to a point where it's more than just a 765 without a roof
0:45
Dynamically and visually, the Spyder has a personality all of its own
0:50
one that's more rounded than the coupes, and which could have produced an even better car overall
0:58
We drove it on the track at Navarra and on the roads that surround it in Britain, Spain, to find out why and how
1:07
The Spyder's twin-turbo 4-litre V8 engine is exactly the same as the Coupé's
1:13
and develops a whopping 755bhp at 7,500 revs and 590lb-ft of torque at 5,900 revs
1:25
That is enough to fire the 1388kg Spider to 62mph in just 2.7 seconds
1:34
It's also enough to fire it to 124mph or 200kmph in a mildly terrifying 7.2 seconds
1:45
Top speed is 205mph, but who cares? What does make a difference is the new titanium exhaust
1:53
which not only allows the V8 to breathe a bit better at the top
1:57
but also provides it with a much naughtier voice. In a car like this, that is significant
2:06
The tyres are Pirelli Trofeo R's and the brakes feature carbon ceramic discs as standard, just like the Coupe
2:14
What's different in the Spyder is the fine tuning of the dampers, the gearbox, the rear wing development
2:21
the steering you name it mclaren has tweeted for the spider and the result as you can see is one
2:30
heck of a good car on a track like this it's not the way it goes in a straight line that blows your
2:37
mind it's the way it stops and the balance it has with a corner i mean this is fifth gear
2:47
off camber slightly down the old right corner and it just planted The gearbox works really well too
3:03
They've made these Jill Clutch gearboxes better than the Clarence. And this is the best of the lot in a regular-ish road park
3:15
The thing is, there's a lot of Senna in this. A lot of Senna. It feels it
3:34
Lovely steering as well. I do like the way McLaren do their steering
3:40
it's light it's super accurate but there is feel so you know absolutely what's going on at the front
3:49
tires at all times in this thing so a bit of throttle a bit of oversteer not massive amounts
4:01
of oversteer because I've got the stability control system set to dynamic
4:14
I haven't got everything switched off. This is not a car that you jump into and go
4:17
right, reach for the buttons and turn everything off. It's got this really clever variable
4:25
Traction control and sort of drift control, which sounds like a gimmick, but it's not a gimmick in this thing
4:30
it really does allow you to dial yourself into the car and the circuit really nicely
4:37
in a way that you can't just by having something that's either sport on or off
4:44
The subtlety, the nuances of the way you can play with how much rock it gives you
4:49
and allows you through each corner, it's just brilliant. It really is
4:54
It's kind of like having a huge, great team of mechanics in the garage
4:58
there for your disposal to help you set the car up except you just do it down here
5:04
I mean that is some stopping stopping power
5:14
it really is it also feels like
5:25
you could do this for a whole day and it wouldn't break
5:32
It comes on Trafféa R tyres as standard. You can ask them to put a regular pair of set of P0s on it if you want
5:42
and they will and you should if you live in the UK and you want to drive yourself a 6 Spider in the winter without question Oh a tiny little bit of
5:56
Yeah, you see the TC just comes in very gently, very subtly through there
6:08
It's quite a big bump right at the end of the... Maybe I need to concentrate on what I'm doing a bit more
6:21
This is just so friendly. OK, calm down a bit. Let's try and talk about exactly how this car feels mid-corner, particularly through this left-hander up here
6:35
You turn in and it's slightly uphill, which is great because it allows you to balance
6:39
The inside curve is nice and smooth. but I'm going through here in fifth
6:43
Fifth gear! And then coming down to second up to here. And you can just float it through that corner in a way that..
6:53
Well, it's just rude. It really is rude. It's sort of one of those things that you think
6:58
is that actually allowed... Is that physically able to do that? Pretty extraordinary car, this
7:08
Very quick as well. But I hope you can tell that it's really not stressful to do this kind of thing in
7:15
As long as you know roughly what you're doing. I think anyone could jump in this thing and have a right ball in it
7:22
and, more to the point, go very, very quickly in it. So that's what the 765 Spyder is like to drive on a track
7:29
In a word, brilliant. But what's it like to drive on the road
7:33
And does it get better or worse when you drop the hood and give it some beans
7:40
OK, this is how much traction the 765 Spyder has got. I've got the drift mode turned up to quite a fruity setting
7:54
Second gear. Third. It's just, it's potty. It's absolutely potty how fast this car feels
8:06
But everything it does matches that potency. On the track, you end up thinking
8:14
I could do a little bit more poke. On the road, that moment never really arrives
8:21
Instead, you end up really appreciating how much sharper the steering is than a 720S Spider
8:28
How much more powerful the brakes feel. How much quicker the gearbox responds
8:34
how much closer the gear ratios are. And also the noise The noise is a big factor in this thing
9:08
I can't imagine another road car going faster than this car over this road
9:18
I really can't. It's insane. What a vehicle
9:59
I think if anything it's more impressive on the road than it is on the track this car
10:04
because it rides really beautifully. It feels twice as quick on the road than it does on the track
10:12
I think it looks a million bucks as well. It looks really nice and kind of menacing but also deeply
10:19
It's a sexy car this. great. What's wrong with it? What is wrong with a 765 Spyder? It's quite expensive. That's it
10:35
it really is quite some machine is the 765 spider more spectacular even than the coupe in many ways
10:55
because it is that much more rounded in its appeal which is saying something
11:00
no question McLaren Automotive has come a very long way in the last 11 years
11:07
and they say the best is yet to come
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