The McLaren 720S Spider is celebrating its global premiere at the Geneva Motor Show, and while we’ve seen it in photos and videos in recent months, viewing it live at the event is very different.
As the droptop version of a McLaren’s current Super Series sole model, the 720S Spider doesn’t bring anything particularly surprising to the table. Mind you, it doesn’t have to, because the 720S Coupe is already a very impressive supercar.
The carbon fiber monocoque underpinning the 720S is so strong that the British marque didn’t have to add any structural support when chopping off the roof. What they did do is add fixed carbon fiber supports for added rollover protection, which resulted in the 720S Spider weighing 1332 kg (2937 lbs), or 49 kg (108 lbs) more than the coupe.
The removable roof is made from lightweight carbon fiber and can be raised or lowered in just 11 seconds and at speeds of up to 31 mph (50 km/h). McLaren claims this makes it the fastest-operating convertible roof of any current supercar.
One of the most intriguing elements of the 720S Spider are its special flying buttresses. Rather than simply making them out of carbon fiber, the British car manufacturer opted to make them from lightweight glass in order to improve rear visibility.
Like the 720S Coupe, the Spider is powered by a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 pumping out 710 HP (720 PS) and 568 lb-ft (769 Nm) of torque. This allows the car to reach 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 2.8 seconds and 124 mph (200 km/h) in 7.9 seconds.
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