Yahoo Autos The 2019 McLaren 600LT Spider Loses Its Top, Incurs Little Performance Penalty
The idea of an ultra-lightweight, track-focused roadster might seem odd, given that most drivers like the reassurance of a fixed roof on the track. But it is a niche area that supercar makers have become adept at mining, with cars like the Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta, Lamborghini Huracán Performante Spyder, and, of course, the McLaren 675LT Spider.
The last of which, indirectly, brings us here; the company's success at selling out its limited run of 500 examples back in 2015 made it almost certain that McLaren would also produce a roadster version of the new 600LT. And here it is; these are the first official pictures of the new droptop ahead of sales beginning later this year. While it is predictably heavier than the featherweight 600LT coupe, it will still be the lightest car in its class by a considerable margin.
McLaren Automotive's use of a hugely strong carbon-fiber tub gives it an inbuilt advantage when it comes to engineering its open-top models. All of the car's structural strength comes from the “bathtub” itself; the loss of a fixed roof has no effect on the car's torsional rigidity. The only weight penalty is the extra mass brought by the folding hard top, which is shared with the existing 570S, and the fact that this heavier mechanism sits higher up in the structure versus in the fixed-roof 600LT.
Going by McLaren's numbers, the 600LT Spider weighs just 110 pounds more than the coupe and 220 less than the 570S Spider, with a dry weight quoted at 2859 pounds in the car's lightest possible configuration. Getting to that point would mean ordering the car with the extra-cost MSO Clubsport Pack. For a sizable $22,090 upcharge, that package features the ultralight carbon-fiber race seats from the McLaren Senna, as well as various carbon trim and titanium wheel bolts. As with the coupe, it would also mean passing on the optional zero-cost climate control and infotainment systems, a sacrifice that only a small number of buyers are likely to make.
Despite the increase in mass, performance of both 600LTs is close to identical. McLaren quotes the same 2.8-second zero-to-62-mph time as the coupe, and the time it quotes for the Spider, 8.4-seconds from zero to 124 mph, is just two-tenths slower. Top speed is claimed to be 201 mph with the roof up and what sounds like a very exciting 196 mph with it lowered-something only the most tonsorially secure are likely to want to attempt. As in the 570S Spider, the folding hard top can be operated with the car on the move at speeds of up to 25 mph.
The Spider also gets to keep the same top-exit exhaust system as the one fitted to the coupe, which McLaren has demonstrated is able to exhale impressive amounts of fire under hard use. The lack of a roof should definitely give occupants a heightened appreciation of the LT's snarling soundtrack. The outlets also mean the Spider has to use the same fixed-position rear wing as the coupe, which incorporates a ceramic coating to help it withstand the serious temperatures the pipes are capable of generating. The twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V-8 and seven-speed twin-clutch transmission are unchanged from the hardtop model, and the engine is rated at the same 592 horsepower and 457-lb-ft of torque.
We are promised that the Spider's dynamic performance will be equally close to that of the closed-cockpit version, with similarly focused chassis settings and the same track-biased Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires as standard fitment. It will be interesting to see how close the two cars are able to stay on a racetrack. We suspect that, for a majority of potential buyers, the Spider's fractional reduction in agility will be of limited concern when set against the enhanced thrills offered by its access to the open atmosphere.
Although production will be limited, McLaren isn't willing to put an exact figure on the LT Spider's rarity. As with the hardtop, it will only be built for one year. If enough buyers choose to forgo the cheaper charms of the 570S Spider, it's likely this new model will become the more popular choice during its time-restricted run. That's despite pricing starting at $256,500, a roughly $45,000 premium over the 570S, if a relatively modest $14K supplement over the 600LT coupe.
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