McLaren 720S revealed, replacing 650S

The British supercar maker, McLaren, has showcased a new entrant to their portfolio at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. Called the 720S, the new supercar will be a lot faster than the outgoing 650S, with a power to weight ratio of more than 500 hp per ton. 

The 720S sounds like an aerodynamic masterpiece with all the work McLaren has apparently done to aid cooling and downforce. The engine cooling ducts on the sides of the 650S have given way to a clever air guiding mechanism that manages the air into the door ducts from where it flows into the gills on either side of the engine. This improves engine cooling by 15% while adding a good amount of downforce. An active rear wing at the back works in three different positions to aid three different functions, straight line speed, handling and braking.

The Proactive Chassis Control II system in the 720S uses hydraulically-interlinked dampers at each wheel to completely get rid of anti-roll bars, similar to the 650S. A plethora of sensors around the car feeds the central system with a bevy of information to revise the suspension according to the mode chosen — Comfort, Sport and Track. To add some fun to the equation, McLaren offers a new Variable Drift Control system which sorts everything out for you. Choosing the level of traction and drift angle is left to the driver and the 720S will take care of not letting you spin out, in theory. If it doesn’t, you can be sure of the aftermath going viral on the internet soon.

The body of the McLaren 720S is made with a combination of aluminium/carbon fibre which makes it very light. the whole car tips the scales at 1270 kg. The Monocage II carbon fibre tub by McLaren combines rigidity and light weight.

Inside the McLaren 720S doesn’t miss out on any of the usual creature comforts, but the big news is a gimmicky LCD-screen gauge cluster that can fold down out of the way so you can concentrate on driving. A small thin screen still shows basic readings such as speed.

The engine is a new 4.0-litre biturbo V8 affair that delivers 710 hp (or 720 PS) to the rear wheels through a seven-speed paddle shift gearbox. The engine makes 770 Nm of torque at 5500 rpm. The 720S will do the 0 to 100 kph run in just over 3 seconds and will only run out of breath at 341 kph. To keep a check on its pace, the carbon ceramic brakes work along with the rear wing that acts as an air brake to bring the car to a grinding halt from 200 kph in 4.6 seconds.

Deliveries of the McLaren 720S are scheduled to start in May, closer to which the pricing for our market will be announced. Currently, the McLaren 720S retails in the UK at £207,900 (about Dhs 930,000).