McLaren 675LT Spider – a force of nature

THAT old ‘what’s the best car you’ve ever driven’ question can produce a different answer depending on mood or season.

I’ve had a few favourites, until they became faded in the memory at least, but now there’s a clear-cut winner in the shape of a car few will ever be lucky enough to see let alone steer.

The McLaren 675LT Spider is more a force of nature than lightweight supercar, a creation of outstanding beauty – and unbridled aggression.

When its stablemate the 675LT Coupe was put up for grabs last year as a limited edition model, all 500 examples were sold out in an instant.

And the clamour from McLaren fans was such that from never having intended to follow it with an open-top version, producing a spider became a no-brainer.

Again it was kept to 500 cars, costing £285,450 – though you’d have to be named Jenson Button to lay your hands on one – and all were snapped up inside two weeks.

We’re talking serious hardcore with the 675LT siblings, to use Mclaren’s own words their ‘quickest, most track-focused, yet road legal supercars to date’.

The 675 bit references the power developed by the 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 engine while LT namechecks the brand’s Longtail heritage, a famous name in the history of McLaren and first used on the fastest version of the iconic McLaren F1.

As for performance, well how about 0-62 in 2.9 seconds, 0-124 in 8.1 seconds and 0-186 in 23.6 seconds. And if there’s a racetrack straight long enough, the top speed is 203mph.

It’s a pure adrenaline rush, enough to flatten your eyeballs, yet there’s an amazing amount of feedback from the steering and terrific balance through corners.

And a rotary switch below the dash alters the handling depending on whether you are driving on the road or a track, similarly for the powertrain.

The difference is striking as the car assumes a more race-ready character, as if it didn’t have that anyway.

But whatever the setting the spider sticks to the road like glue, regardless of the quality of surface – and driving a mountain forest road fit for an international rally there was plenty of variety, and adverse cambered bends, on my test route.

McLaren says the car’s sensational performance is underpinned by a relentless process of optimisation – more power, less weight, higher cornering speeds.

Styling cues run from the carbon fibre front splitter, through an extended door blade and extra cooling intake, to the circular twin titanium exhaust pipes.

The active ‘Longtail’ Airbrake is 50 per cent bigger than the one fitted to the McLaren 650S yet, due its carbon fibre structure, is actually lighter – so stopping power is incredible.

And more than half the parts have been changed in the V8 engine to deliver more power and torque, the upgrades including more efficient turbos, cylinder heads, exhaust manifolds and a faster-flowing fuel pump and delivery system.

Inside, there’s a pair of lightweight carbon fibre-shelled bucket seats upholstered in Alcantara as standard and modelled on those in the McLaren P1.

They are easy to get in and out of via the car’s butterfly doors and supremely comfortable too.

No doubt there’s sensational driving to be had from the likes of Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche, but for me – McLaren’s the master.