McLaren 650S undercuts Ferrari
Third new supercar from McLaren arrives Down Under, priced from under $450KMcLaren’s third new-generation super car, the 650S has arrived in Australia directly from its world debut at last week's Geneva motor show, priced at $441,500 and $486,250 for coupe and hard-top convertible respectively, plus on-road costs.
That makes the 650S Coupe, which is now on display at the Australian F1 GP in Melbourne, more than $100,000 cheaper than the $550,000 Ferrari 458 Speciale, almost $84,000 less than the 458 Italia ($525,417).
It's also nearly $18,000 cheaper than the Ferrari’s entry-level California ($459,295), but $13,500 more than Lamborghini’s new Huracan coupe ($428,000).
First customer deliveries of the McLaren 650S will arrive here in coming months, the car slotting into the McLaren range between the MP4-12C ($398,000) and the P1 (which is not offered in Australia).
The 650S is powered by a reworked version of the entry-level MP4-12C's 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, codenamed M838T.
It now pumps out 478kW at 7250rpm and 678Nm at 6000rpm, giving it a claimed best-in-class power-to-weight ratio of 368kW per tonne (500hp/tonne).
Acceleration is astonishing, taking just three seconds to race to 100km/h and 8.4 seconds to dash to 200km/h, or 8.6 seconds for the Spider. The quarter-mile takes 10.5 seconds, which is 0.6 seconds faster than the legendary McLaren F1 from the 1990s.
And for potential buyers who also own airfields, the 1330kg mid-engined supercar accelerates to 300km/h in 25.4 seconds.
When the car's incredible performance is not being tested, McLaren claims the 650S's average fuel usage is 11.7L/100km -- about the same as a V8-powered Holden Commodore SS.
Top speed is 333km/h for the 650S Coupe and 329km/h for the Spider, thanks to active aerodynamics, and the brakes are up to the task of slowing the rear-wheel drive super car, fitted as standard with carbon-ceramic brakes, 394mm and 380mm diameters front and rear.
The new Mac covers just 30.5 metres while braking to a standstill from 100km/h.
Specially developed lightweight alloy wheels, 19-inch front and 20-inch rear, are shod with high-performance Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres with 235/35 R19 front and 305/30 R20 rear aspect ratios.
Unlike the stripped-out Ferrari 458 Speciale whose stereo is optional, McLaren touts the car's impressive levels of luxury, with things like satellite-navigation, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, a rear parking camera and electric steering wheel adjustment.
"Driving excitement is at the absolute heart of the McLaren 650S," says Mike Flewitt, CEO of McLaren Automotive.
"Of course the performance figures are important, and they help boost excitement. But they're only part of the story. This is a car that's about feel as well as measurement," he said.
"Everything we’ve learnt from the 12C and the McLaren P1 has gone into this car, creating a car with the widest breadth of capabilities of any production supercar."
McLaren 650S pricing (plus on-road costs):
McLaren 650S Coupe – $441,500
McLaren 650S Spider – $486,250
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