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McLaren 720 S: God Among Supercars
MCLAREN 720 S
GOD AMONG SUPERCARS
Words by Alessandro Marrone
Photos by Jay Tomei
McLaren is a name that every self-respecting enthusiast knows, but few of them know that the beginning of one of the youngest road legal supercars maker has a well-rooted legacy in the motorsport world. It was 1963 and Bruce McLaren founded the Bruce McLaren Motor Racing, the company with which the following year he managed to produce his very first race car: the M1A. The model that picked up the baton was called M1B and took part in the Can-Am championship, winning 43 races. In the wake of this impressive series of successes, in 1965 came the first Formula 1, the McLaren M2B, which debuted at the Monaco Grand Prix of the same year. Unfortunately, just five years later and more precisely on June 2, 1970, founder and pilot Bruce McLaren lost his life during some tests at Goodwood, but despite this tragic episode the team continued his path obtaining 8 titles for the constructors’ championship and 12 driver titles, with a total of 182 races won, welcoming some of the best drivers in the history of Formula 1. But back to the road cars, after the stratospheric F1, daughter of the incredible mind of Gordon Murray, we had to wait for 2010 in order to witness the McLaren Automotive brand among the producers of super sports cars regularly approved for home to work use, with the presentation of the MP4-12C, a coupe with clean lines and high performance. After 7 years and the consequent update of the range with the 650 S and the track-focused 675 LT, as well as the Sport Series models (540 C, 570 S and 570 GT) and the P1 and Senna hypercars, it is time to raise the bar of performance once again, going to all effects to give life to a hypercar with the usability and price of a supercar: I’m talking about the 720 S.
Initially pointed by several colleagues – who now seem to have removed their negative comments – for a risky design, the 720 S is once again the purest demonstration that McLaren puts in first place what can turn the driving experience into something visceral. Daughter of aerodynamics, with cutting-edge stylistic and technological solutions, the 720 S is a coupe with two seats, rear-wheel drive and mid rear-mounted engine, a wide and very advanced driver’s seating position and an impressively fast dual-clutch gearbox with 7 speeds and combined with a twin-turbo V8 cylinder bigger than before. Now we are dealing with a 4-liter that is able to deliver the monstrous power of its 720 horsepower and 770 Nm of torque, for hallucinatory performance on the road and on track, but all ensuring that it does not want to kill you at the first corner. Of course at least theoretically I could not have chosen anything more exotic for a similar trip, but my decision was not the result of a simple analysis of the various technical data sheets. In reality, what I was looking for was a car that was able to arouse a deep emotion even just looking at it on the side of the road, but at the same time I did not want to risk to cross one of them during the journey. I would have loved to entertain myself with curious people who did not know what car it was, talk to them and hear their opinions about it. I also wanted to bring a car capable of annihilating Flash Gordon where you usually find family cars or GT in the classic sense of the term. With its cockpit so close to the ground, the extremely rigid frame and the desire to unleash the apocalypse every time the road allows, it would have been a challenge in the challenge. And then the McLaren press office is one of the most efficient and forward-looking in the world, so as soon as I showed them my project, they realized that we would create something unique and so I flew to Paris to grab the key.
I will never forget any of the road trips I had the fortune and the honor to accomplish with Auto Class Magazine, let alone the fantastic challenge undertaken with “The Great Escape”, but waking up at 1.15am (after having gone to bed at 10pm) is not as simple as it may seem. With my backpack ready from the day before, we headed to Nice to take what was probably the first flight of the day – 6.15 am, destination Paris. Arrived in the French capital with the first lights of day, we did nothing but take the first taxi and reach the meeting point for the delivery of the 720 S. Once arrived on the spot and went into the garage, it was there, probably still asleep after the days spent with the French colleagues. Dusty and almost abandoned in a corner of a huge multi-store parking it looked like a warrior who had just finished one of his many battles, it came out victorious and ready to lick the wounds and leave once again. Not even the time to abandon the confused center of Paris that we had already attracted the looks of young and old people and then down home, 9 abundant hours of driving in which we reviewed the last details before the great start. Everything was now taking shape and I was realizing an ambitious project that has had a long gestation for the sole reason that we have not been satisfied with a traditional action plan, but we have studied any possible scenario, opting for the most beautiful roads you can go at the wheel of a car, or why not a motorbike and if you have a better physical shape than ours (and it takes very little) even riding a bike.
After a nice wash, the Memphis Red proves to be one of the best colors for the shapes of the 720 S, able to accentuate the curves of the body and create a perfect contrast with the exposed carbon fiber and the numerous air intakes that have the task of facilitating the cooling of the engine, radiators and the generous braking system. This McLaren is completely new compared to any other car you have ever seen and the recalls with previous models or those of the Sport Series are minimal. First, we have front light clusters that thanks to their special design allow the entry to a large amount of air that will go straight into the radiators. The same will also collect a fair number of leaves, but you handle that everytime you stop. The driver’s seat, as mentioned a little while ago, is very pushed ahead, you notice that especially observing its side where you can admire the fluidity of the lines that seem to be kissed by the air that runs back to the tail, equipped with a spoiler that acts as aero brake and that in Sport mode (and Race) raises and makes the car look even more aggressive, enhancing the back where the two centered-tailpipes really stand out.
The McLaren 720 S is as beautiful as it is lethal in the sense that it allows you to reach heart attack-assured speed for your passenger, even in short spaces. There is no delay of delivery and once you become familiar with the racing setting of the brake pedal and the paddles behind the steering wheel, through which I emphasize to be possible to upshift and downshift depending on the movement you will perform on each of them, you can try to keep the throttle down. It would be simplistic to say that 720 horses weighing 1,322kg translates into a lightning acceleration, but what really amazes is the progression, as well as the constant thrust that continues until you realize being on a road regularly open to traffic. In this case, some motorway sections help you understand what you have in your hands and behave accordingly by operating a pinch of common sense and not trying to be a hero at all costs. Starting from standstill, you reach 100 per hour in just 2.9 seconds, in 7.5 you get to 200 kph and then you would be able to reach up to 341 kph, if only you were on a race track. The 720 S is also equipped with an updated version of the PCC (Proactive Chassis Control), which, thanks to the new “Monocage II” carbon tub, contributes for its weight reduction and optimal cornering behavior.
But these are sterile technical arguments, because for having an idea of the potential of this McLaren there is nothing better than to crunch a few kilometers of winding roads, like those that separate home from the office and that allow me to really outline how really a car is able to perform thanks to the fact that I know that road like my pockets. In this context I am often found to appreciate sports cars between 350/400 horses, because they proved to be able to exploit almost their full potential, while cars from 450hp suffered sharp turns and sudden direction changes. This time it was different, with the 720S it was a whole completely different music and I was the first to get out stunned. The perfect marriage between a superfine chassis, maximum aerodynamic devotion and tireless carbon-ceramic brakes allow you to enter corners at crazy speeds, keeping the gas down and feel like the huge tires do their dirty work holding the 720 S exactly where you would have wanted it. At the front there are 245/35 tires that fit 19-inch wheels and do not even have a clue what the word understeer means, while at the rear the 305/30 bloated on 20-inch wheels are raped at every turn, especially when you elude traction control and you have fun setting the value of the tail opening range.
A car so damn performing could afford to have a cockpit made from old plywood panels covered with mold, but McLaren is synonymous with maniacal care for every detail and then, once the doors open up, also equipped with a new mechanism that incorporates a portion of the roof to facilitate jumping on board, you will be greeted by a minimalist, ergonomic and extremely refined ambient. The seats are comfortable and even on long distances have never forced us to extra stops, while what you need for your driving experience is always at hand: on the central tunnel there are the buttons to engage the forward gear or reverse, as well as the power button, while in the middle of the dashboard there is an 8-inch touch display, always arranged in a vertical position and through which to control some parameters of the car and manage the sat-nav, the latter resumed with the main items also in the left portion of the new display behind the steering wheel. One of the most important new features of the new Super Series is the fully digital display in front of the driver, which is part of a dashboard that can also leave visible a thin bar with tachometer, gear and speed, because when things become serious you will not need distractions other than basic information.
In short it is a toy for grown-up children, a dream car, a show stopper that makes heads turn wherever you go, even without asking the V8 to intervene, and in this regard trust me that it does not sound bad at all. A supercar light years away from any kind of compromise, yet able to be the ideal car for the ultimate road trip. But what kind of black magic does McLaren use to succeed in such an absurd task? That moment when you enter the bend and feel that below you there is still room to push more, to touch that taboo limit as dangerous as bewitching. So try and listen to that monkey that jumps on your shoulder, you would almost close your eyes and once gone through that corner, a completely new world will open. In front of me a road considered among the most beautiful in Europe, the Route Napoleon. A symbol, a note on the agenda I’ve skipped for so long, far too long. Maybe because I knew that the first time here would have been behind the wheel of something special and not just any car. That day has arrived, I’m about to set foot on one of the most praised soils for every driving fanatic, those who like me work like crazy and then spend everything in petrol, having lunch on the side of the road with Red Bull and Pringles resting on the spoiler of a € 250,000 supercar. Here we are. Napoleon, I’m here for you.
“The Great Escape” has been my ultimate road trip, a project I never thought I could do. If you are passionate about driving and believe that in order to give voice to your passion and that innate desire for freedom, you need a road and a car, jump on board and do not miss the book, where you will find many other photos and the full story of this epic journey.
MCLAREN 720 S
Layout – mid-rear engine, rear wheel drive
Engine – V8 cylinder 3.994cc – twin-turbo
Transmission – 7-speed automatic gearbox
Power – 720 hp @ 7.500 rpm
770 Nm @ 5.500 rpm
Weight – 1.322 kg
Acceleration – 2,9 sec.
Top Speed – 341 kph
Price – from € 259.500
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