The new McLaren 750S is the thoroughly updated and enhanced replacement for the 720S, Woking’s best-selling car.
Subtly restyled but said to be 30% new under the skin, the 750S – once again available in hard-top and Spider guises – has been designed to provide “a new benchmark” in the supercar segment, boosting not just usability over its predecessor, but also ramping up the fun factor.
As the name suggests, it brings a power bump over the 720S, to 750PS (740bhp), which, in conjunction with a weight saving of 30kg to bring it down to 1277kg dry, gives a “segment-leading” power-to-weight ratio of 579bhp per tonne. Its closest rival, the Ferrari 296 GTB plug-in hybrid, claims a ratio of 552bhp per tonne.
The 750S is the lightest series-production McLaren road car yet, tipping the scales at just 79kg more than the track-honed Senna hypercar, without fluids.
Weight-shaving measures extend to new carbon fibre-shelled alloys saving 13.8kg, 17.5kg lighter carbon-shelled race seats and even a trimmed instrument cluster which contributes a 1.6kg saving.
As a result of the weight loss, power boost and a shorter final drive ratio, McLaren claims it is 10% faster accelerating than the 720S across the board; the 750S screams from 0-62mph in just 2.8 seconds and only needs another 4.4 seconds to clock 186mph. Top speed, though, is very slightly down, at 206mph.
The enhancements to the twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 are subtle but, evidently, effective; aside from being newly calibrated for improved power delivery, there’s a new triple-layer head gasket, new twin fuel pumps, higher-pressure turbos, lighter pistons and a standard-fit sports exhaust – exiting through the centre of the rear deck à la P1 – which shaves 2.2kg and “delivers a new, distinctive crescendo”.
Plus, in line with the focus on driver engagement and viscerality, the engine mounts have even been modified to give “an intensified sense of connection”, and the whole power lump can be put on display courtesy of a new optional glass decklid.