(Image credit: McLaren Cars)
McLaren says 124 mph is dispatched in 8.4 seconds and the Spider reaches 186 mph (or a nice, round 300 km/h) in 21.6 seconds. The top speed is electronically limited to 205 mph, while McLaren says its 1,457 kg weight means the Spider has a class-leading power-to-weight ratio of 473 bhp per tonne. It also says the car suffers from no loss of rigidity despite losing its roof – you’ve the stiff carbon tub to thank for that.
The facelift also includes revised aerodynamics to help reduce buffeting, while cooling for the engines and brakes has also been increased, and the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox has been tweaked to speed up shifts by 25 percent. This is achieved by pressurising the hydraulic fluid in the gearbox to the threshold required to perform a gear change, so when the next gear is selected it’ll be shifted almost instantaneously.
(Image credit: McLaren Cars)
McLaren says the all-electric range of the 7.4 kWh battery pack has also been improved, up from 19 to 21 miles if you’re gentle with your right foot. Lastly, the exhaust has been tuned to produce what McLaren describes as a “cleaner” sound intended to envelop the occupants when the roof’s down or the rear windscreen is lowered.
Despite its reputation for being a somewhat sensible supercar maker – at least compared to its Italian rivals – McLaren has added a bit of fun to the Artura Spider. It’s called Spinning Wheel Pull-Away, and it “allows dramatic wheelspin when accelerating from standstill with a large throttle load.” In other words, if you turn the electronic stability control off and mash the accelerator, it’ll bonfire the rear tyres. Hopefully it also places an order for fresh rubber from Pirelli.
