McLaren has carved out a niche in between the 12C and ludicrous P1 with the 650S, a car that borrows one’s main body and rear, and the other’s front with an extra dose of refinement and performance over the base car in the range.
Placed under the magnifying glass for EVO, the 650S is put into context, and it’s not the one you’d expect. Not only is it reportedly more soothing and quieter than the 12C, but it’s also been infused with extra power (650 stands for the number of PS it has, which in horsepower equates to 641) in order not to lose sight of the Ferrari 458 Speciale and other enhanced supercars of this type.
However, while it is better in every single way than the 12C, it does not look as good– not by a long shot. The P1 snout looks fine… on the P1, but the 12C rear end simply does not match its design in any way and knowing both cars, this looks like mix and match; an exercise that detracts from the specialness of the P1, but without it benefitting the 650S which just seems like a scaled down version.
It could have been a lot better-looking, since McLaren is clearly capable of providing differentiated design and styling ideas.
By Andrei Nedelea
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