Otherwise, this McLaren 4.0 liter twin turbo 710 HP V-8 should be all you need to get your pizzas home while they're still warm.
How fast? 212 MPH top end.
0-60 in under 3 seconds.
Does the Quarter in around 10 seconds.
But "feel" is just as much of the 720 S' story as is its speed.
The feeling that you can pull this bad boy down from triple digit speeds to legal in just two or three seconds. The brakes look like they're the same size as the wheels on my Grandson's first bike.
The feeling that you could steer or accelerate your way out of a jam with just a twitch of the wheel…thanks to its race-inspired computer-controlled suspension.
McLaren's 720 S is a real, genuine street-legal race car. Put a number on its side and take it to the track.
But that said, the 720 S has enough creature comforts to keep your lady cooing on the way to valet parking. Just caution her to not wear a short skirt. Scissor doors are sexy, but not too easy for a lady to exit gracefully.
So what's the downside?
Let's just say you need to be patient, tolerant and extroverted.
Strangers will stop you in parking lots. "Can I just have a picture?"
And others will challenge your "carhood": ( That's the car equivalent of manhood. ) Porches and Vettes will challenge you. Silly optimists….thinking that they just may have a chance.
But it's all the others that'll leave you shaking your head. The ancient stone-washed Odysseys and Corollas that'll bob and weave toward you. Are they trying to race…or just get a better look? Hard to say.
And then there was the 24 foot cube van following me on a twisty residential two-lane. Here I'm trying to be an almost law-abiding citizen…but I'm being tailed by an unshaven gent with wild eyes and a lopsided grin…approaching 60 on the curves…resolutely refusing to let me get more than a first down ahead of his front bumper.
In other words…this vehicle is a magnet. Prepare to draw crowds. And it's OK. Most of 'em mean well. Just let 'em have a seat and take their picture for them.
As for driving…press "start"…wake up the neighborhood…raise the suspension two inches to clear your driveway and press "D". Your 7-speed dual-clutch auto will take it from there. It's a go-cart driving position…you'll even look up at Miatas. But all the better for handling, right?
What's missing? Room to really let the 720 S stretch its legs. Owning something like this without having a membership at one of those private racetracks is kinda' like having a pint of Hagen Daz without having a spoon.
So here's a core question: Is this McLaren 720 S really a "car"?
Sure, it's got 4wheels. $5,300 worth of forged lightweight wheels, in fact…but this Ferrari-fighting 720 S is much more.
It's a work of art in carbon-fibre. It weighs roughly as little as a Mini Cooper. Imagine 710 HP in a Mini!
So it's way more than a car. It's a modern sculpture…a statement…a toy…an indulgence. But one that you can also use to go get take-out.
How much, in contrast, might other "indulgences" set your kids' trust funds back?
What does a yacht run these days…or a private plane….or a beachfront house?
Look at it that way and the $350-ish initiation fee for McLaren's 720 S might just be a bargain.
But hey…if this 212 MPH Super Car is not enough, McLaren also made a little over a hundred "Hyper Cars"...their three-seat, 1050 HP, 250 MPH "Speedtail".
Just $2,250,000 will get you one.
Oops….make that "Would". They're sold out.
Whichever model you choose, McLaren is today's "Real Deal". Follow AutoNSider on Facebook for review videos and more!
AutoNSider Review | 2019 McLaren 720 S 1
Daryl Killian | Entercom AtlantaAutoNSider Review | 2019 McLaren 720 S 2
Daryl Killian | entercom Atlanta
