By the time the public knew that the 765LT Spider was McLaren’s fastest ever convertible, it was already sold out.
The McLaren 765LT Spider is essentially a convertible version of the 765LT (which was recently brought into Malaysia). It is also the successor to the 675LT Spider and 720S Spider. Only 765 units will be made and it’s the fastest convertible that McLaren Automotive has ever produced.
This drop-top supercar is parked under Mclaren’s “Super Series” of cars and the name refers to the vehicle’s engine output of 765PS. The article below will help you understand the company’s nomenclature system better.
Familiar Engine, New Gearbox Feature
Just like the McLaren 765LT Coupé, the 765LT Spider is powered by a 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine. It sends 765PS and 800NM through a 7-speed Sequential Shift Gearbox to the rear wheels. Performance figures are extremely impressive, as you’d imagine.
Here’s a brief summary:
- 0-100km/h in just 2.8 seconds
- 0-200km/h in just 7.2 seconds
- top speed of 330km/h
The Active Dynamics Panel allows the driver to choose between Comfort, Sport and Track Modes, and the gearbox has a new ‘Limit Downshift’ function. Let’s say the driver shifts down early using the paddle shifter. In most cars, the gearbox would refuse the shift down, as it would rev the motor beyond its redline. With this feature, the gearbox saves the downshift request and delivers it the moment it’s possible.
765LT Has A Special Hard Top
The retractable roof on the 765LT Spider consists of a single piece of carbon fibre and takes just 11 seconds to drop. Sandwiched within the carbon fibre frame is a high-density, noise-reducing foam core which helps with NVH without sacrificing weight. And because it’s just a single piece, there’s no need for a central seal that would eat up headroom for occupants. It is operated electrically and can be dropped in speeds of up to 50km/h.
It’s also really quiet, with the completely electronic mechanism being no louder than 50-60 dBA during roof deployment. The rear window can also be lowered when the roof is up if occupants want a taste of the exhaust note.
Compared to the 765LT coupé. this model is only 49kg heavier to due the addition of the retractable hard top and its related hardware. This also makes it 80kg lighter than the 720S Spider that it directly succeeds.
Revised Engineering For The 765LT Spider
The chassis of the 765LT is an improved version of the MonoCage II called the MonoCage II-S. While it shares most of the same structural elements at the front, they’ve fully bonded the carbon fibre structural supports at the rear for better rollover protection.
The retractable roof necessitates the tweaking of the aerodynamics package, the dampers and more.
