The track-focussed McLaren 765LT has popped its top, and will be available in limited numbers.
Like the coupe, the 765LT Spider is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 mounted longitudinally behind the passenger cell.
The engine, which features a flat-plane crankshaft and dry sump lubrication, makes 563kW of power at 7500rpm, and 800Nm of torque at 5500rpm. The rear wheels are driven a via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
With a kerb weight of 1388kg, the 765LT Spider is 80kg lighter than the 720S Spider. This is thanks primarily to thinner windows, a lithium-ion battery, titanium exhaust, reduced amenities, and lighter suspension and wheels.
McLaren has also stripped out many amenities. Some, like carpeting, can’t be put back in, but others, such as air conditioning and the sound system, can be optioned back in at no extra cost.
Buyers who want even more lightness can pay extra for the bonnet, outer door skins, and fenders to be constructed out of carbon-fibre.
As there’s no additional body bracing, the 765LT Spider is only 49kg heavier than its closed-roof sibling. McLaren attributes this to developing the monocoque of 765LT Spider alongside the coupe’s.
Despite the extra mass, the 765LT Spider has an identical 0-100km/h time of 2.8 seconds and top speed of 330km/h. Needing 7.2s to hit 200km/h, the Spider is 0.2s slower than the coupe.
The 765LT Spider rides on 19-inch wheels at the front with 245/35 Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo R tyres, and 20-inch rims out the back with 305/30 rubber.
Stopping ability comes courtesy of 392mm carbon ceramic discs up front with six-piston Monobloc calipers. At the rear the discs measure 381mm and have four-pot calipers.
The car’s one-piece carbon-fibre hardtop can be electronically raised or lowered in 11 seconds, and can be operated at speeds up to 50km/h.
Thanks to the LT’s longer roof, the top of the A-pillar is further forward making ingress and egress easier.
An aero package consisting of a new front splitter and bumper, side skirts, and rear bumper are carried over from the coupe to the Spider. The only substantial change is a revised calibration for the active rear wing, which takes into account whether the roof is up or down.
All of this is said to increase downforce by 25 per cent compared to the 720S.
Just 765 of the 765LT Spiders will be made, and the 2021 production run has already been sold out.
