December 5, 2017. Copyright 2017, Graphic News. All rights reserved

McLaren 720S; It’s a Beauty and a Beast
By Neil Winton

LONDON, December 5, Graphic News: It’s not easy being super-rich.

Imagine you have up to $300,000 to spend and you want to buy the fastest, most beautiful two-seater car in the world. That’s much more difficult than it sounds. You could go for a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, an Aston Martin or a Honda NSX. Spend a little less and maybe the Porsche 911 Turbo, Audi R8, BMW i8 hybrid or Mercedes AMG c63 might do the job. Can you imagine walking up and down a line-up of these fabulous machines and having to make a choice? It would be more difficult than picking the most deserving puppy at the Battersea Dogs Home.

But you can apply some criteria to your supercar choice. Some of these out-of-this-world machines claim to be the most beautiful, others the fastest around the track, and that’s where the new McLaren 720S comes in. McLaren says not only is this a thing of beauty, but it will also win the lucky owner first prize as they storm around a race track.

When you first meet the new McLaren 720S, its looks will hit you right between the eyes. Behind the wheel, it will have your pulse racing to danger levels when you put your foot down.

This is the second generation of the McLaren’s Super Series, and it claims performance qualities which should be just a little better than the competition, for the time being at least. It will blast to 60mph from rest in 2.8 seconds, reach a quarter mile in 10.3 seconds and on to a maximum of 212mph, thanks to its 4.0 litre, twin-turbo 710hp V8 mid-mounted engine driving the rear wheels. It is amazingly light thanks to its carbon fibre chassis and its dry weight comes in at 2,828-lbs.

The 720S is flexible enough to amble along over local roads but floor the accelerator and it screams into life in a very impressive way. It sounds and feels scarier than, say, the more worldly Honda NSX, and the ride was much harsher.

There is a little bit of boot space with a rear section capable of taking two airline sized carry-on luggage bags. Inside it is all fine leather and aluminium switches. The 720S looks sleeker and more business-like than its 650S predecessor, and loses the side air intakes. Air is now channelled to the mid-engine and radiators by a channel next to the rear windows. Clambering in and out is easier with the lower sills and wider-opening doors. McLaren is especially proud of driver visibility.

And if all that isn’t enough to be a stand-out, the gull-wing doors will surely put the icing on the cake.

McLaren sold 3,286 cars worldwide in 2016, up from 1,654 the previous year, an increase of 93 percent. It has a medium term target of between 4,000 and 5,000.

Meanwhile the McLaren 720s, 720S Performance and 720S Luxury are now on the market. Prices start at $292,299 before taxes.

So the next time a supercar blasts by you on the motorway, don’t be envious. Just sympathise with the heartache involved agonising over buying it. 
/ENDS


McLaren 720S Performance
Engine – 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8
Power – 710hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque – 770 Nm 568-lbs/ft @ 5,500
Drive – rear-wheels
Gearbox – 7 speed automatic
Acceleration – 0.60mph – 2.8 seconds, standing quarter-mile 10.3 seconds    
Top Speed – 212mph (341km/h)
Fuel consumption – claimed combined 26.4mpg
C02 – 249g/km 
Suspension – dual wishbones
Length – 4,543mm
Width – 2,059mm
Height – 1,196mm
Wheel-base – 2,670mm
Weight – 1,283kg/2,828-lbs
Boot capacity – 210 litres
Competition – Ferrari 488GTB, Lamborghini Aventador, Aston Martin DB11, Noble M600, Porsche 911 Turbo, Audi R8, Mercedes AMG C63, Jaguar F-type R, BMWi8, Honda/Acura NSX  
Price - £218,020-$292,299-€246,907