Thereâs no bigger game in the motoring world than âmineâs bigger than yoursâ, especially when it comes to supercars.
The McLaren 570S is the latest sports car to come from the Woking-based outfit, and by McLarenâs own admissions the âbragging rights figuresâ were the starting point for the engineers. So here they are; 420kW from the tried and tested 3.8 litre turbo charged V8, 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 328km/h. These are figures that trounce the Porsche 911 Turbo S â which is no slouch, let me tell you.
Now that we have the measuring-stick-stuff out the way, letâs take a look at the rest of the 570S.
Design cues are undoubtedly taken from the existing McLaren range. The 650Sâ LED headlamps for a start – and the way they feed into the front aero bits â along with the overall silhouette of the car. Big brother’s P1 rear end is called upon too, only the 570Sâ rear wing is fixed rather than being an extendable one.
Which brings me nicely to the ways in which McLaren cut costs to make the 570 the cheapest car in its line-up. There are no fancy moving aerodynamic devices for start, while the equipment list has been âtrimmedâ and McLaren has used fewer exotic materials, opting rather for more aluminium and the like.
But donât think the 570 has lost all of McLarenâs geeky-ness. No no. Despite the cost cutting youâll still find carbon ceramic brakes fitted as standard and some bespoke Pirelli takkies. Thereâs the familiar Normal, Sport and Track modes for the suspension, operating on double wishbones with adaptive dampers. The downgrade is that the 570 uses more traditional mechanical rear anti-roll bars rather than the Proactive Chassis Control system of the 650S.
Despite being the cheapest and least powerful model in the British manufacturerâs line-up, it is actually longer and wider than the 650S. This allows for a roomier interior and more luggage space, while avoiding the label of the âbabyâ McLaren.
Thereâs some tough competition here in the form of the Porsche 911 Turbo S, Audi R8 V10+ and even the Lamborghini Huracan. Knowing McLarenâs obsessive attention to detail and exceptional engineering ability the 570S is likely to make them all shudder.
The McLaren 570S debuts this week at the New York motor show before sales start later in the year. Pricing is expected to kick off at around ÂŁ145,000.