McLaren 750S Spider 2024 Review | First Drive

The McLaren 750S has already confirmed itself as one of the greatest supercars of its generation. The final McLaren supercar to make use of that non-hybrid twin-turbo V8, with more power, more character and bucketfuls of wow-factor on levels we haven’t experienced from a McLaren Automotive car before, and now it’s available in convertible 750S Spider form.

Much like its coupé companion, the 750S Spider is an evolution of the preceding 720S, bringing an additional 30PS (22kW) and 30Nm (22lb ft) of torque to a car that is 30kg lighter. But aside from the headline figures, there’s plenty of new engineering going on with the steering and the suspension which have all already been proven on the hardtop to bring about some pretty substantial improvements to the way this car performs.

But how does all of that convert into a convertible? Well, it certainly hasn’t lost any of its potency…

We’ve all heard the discourse around the looks of the 750S, and indeed McLarens in general. Sure, they do all look rather familiar, and to look at the 750S Spider alongside its predecessor you would wonder how on Earth anyone at McLaren could have the gall to call this ‘all-new’.

The lines are all as they were, but with some minor changes to the front ‘grille’ area and the cutouts ahead of the rear wheels. The rear end has been rethought, there is now just a single exhaust accommodated by a small cutout on the rear spoiler, but in terms of styling, if you liked the 720S, you’ll get on just fine with the 750S.

Once you’re inside the 750S Spider the relevance of what it looks like pales in comparison to the thrill you get from driving it. Good grief. If you’ve ever had the chance to drive a McLaren, and perhaps found it a little safe, beige even, then you need to come back and give this a try because any negativity you could have directed at previous supercars is simply no longer applicable.

We’ll start with the power delivery, which is simply relentless. Such seemingly incremental increases of power and torque have amounted to quite the result when you apply some pressure to the throttle pedal. It unleashes 750PS (552kW) and 800Nm (590lb ft) of torque from that mid-mounted 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8, but does it so smoothly that it is utterly addictive. The acceleration is astonishing, 0-62mph takes just 2.8 seconds, and watching the revs rise at the merest hint of throttle pressure makes restraint incredibly difficult to exercise.

Then there’s the noise from that V8, which although turbocharged sounds phenomenal, particularly when you get the roof down and soak up its unstifled roar directly into your ears. You get a wonderful kick in the back as you flick up through the gears, too, the snappy changes make driving the 750S Spider a sensory experience that hits you, quite literally, again and again.

The overwhelming take away is just how playful this car is. Which is a massive departure from what we’re used to from McLaren. The 750S is such a stark contrast to the Artura, which is so well sorted and, if anything, a little bit too good at sticking to the road. While much of that remarkable engineering is still in place here, McLaren has at least loosened the shackles, and the results are spectacular.

Lighting up the rear end is almost too tempting in this car. The feel you get through the carbon tub, which helps above all else keep the structure of the convertible Spider solid, allows for near telepathic control of the car’s behaviour, whether that be in a straight line or otherwise. The 750S Spider is far livelier, but it’s entirely predictable, never truly breaking away once your committed to a corner. The double wishbone suspension complete with adaptive dampers only adds to the level of feel you get from behind the wheel, each input you make is met with a wonderfully tactile response from the car.

That’s not to say the experience is perfect. The steering is a little damp and lacks the precise communication you get with say a Porsche 911, but the cornering capability is a step up from every McLaren that’s come before it. Even in convertible form, the 750S delivers on a whole new level.

If you’re a fan of Alcantara, you’ll be happy here, because everything inside the 750S Spider has been covered in the stuff. The dashboard, the steering wheel, the seats, the doors and the centre console have all been swathed in black Alcantara with red stitching. It’s trimmed with carbon fibre surrounds for the digital instrument display and air vent, while the centre console is topped with plastic for the switches and central infotainment.

The vertical 7.0-inch display houses your climate controls and Apple CarPlay (Android Auto is not offered here), while there are jet-fighter style switches for your drive, neutral and reverse. This again is largely recognisable to the 720S, but in the newer model the gradual decline in physical buttons continues as we’ve now lost the shortcut buttons that used to sit alongside the screen. The screen itself is pretty well laid out however, and the usability is acceptable enough not to have to bemoan the lack of buttons.

For a two-seater supercar the 750S is spacious enough for a comfortable ride, and the carbon fibre racing seats themselves offer good levels of comfort with plenty of lateral support without squeezing too tightly. Much like the Artura, this Spider feels like a car that you can realistically drive on daily basis if you wanted to.

Of all the new things on the McLaren 750S, it’s the new digital display and ‘Active Dynamic’ adjustment rocker switches that are perhaps the most prominent. They’re your primary controls for the powertrain and suspension behaviour, and you can quickly switch between comfort, sport and track settings. You get a real sense with all three of these settings that the car’s behaviour is fundamentally changed at the flick of a switch. Comfort mode will all but do away with the traits that force you to concentrate, the throttle softens up to leave you with a far more docile experience. The display itself is mounted onto the steering column and can be customised to show the data you want.

There’s active aero, too, the rear spoiler which has grown larger still on the 750S deploys in less than half a second under braking for some additional rear end stability. The vehicle lift system is also still in operation on the 750S Spider but can now raise the front end in just four seconds.

As for the list of options, the 12-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system offers a great depth of sound as a quality addition for day-to-day road use, while you can also specify super-lightweight carbon-fibre race seats for a more focused track experience.

The 750S is without doubt the best supercar McLaren has delivered so far and that fact remains when you take the roof off the 750S Spider. Suckers for the convertible experience will prefer it hands down, and there are generally few reasons not to thanks to the rigidity of the carbon chassis. Experiencing a car like this with the roof down is as close to the pinnacle of driving as it’s possible to get.

Then there’s that V8 engine which is at this point a work of art. The M840 T has been tweaked and improved incrementally since its introduction in 2017, and is now presented for a final hurrah in the 750S in perhaps its ultimate form. That 8,500rpm redline makes for a stunning soundtrack, made all the more dramatic thanks to the foldable roof.

But above all else, the 750S Spider is reason to rejoice for anyone who’s sought something more from McLaren. The brand has been too safe for too long, and now finally this car has broken out of the shackles. It’s still a monumental work of engineering, but with a rebellious side that will exhilarate and inspire in equal measure.