What's the news?
McLaren has added a third model to the 570S line-up and predictably, but still brilliantly, it's the convertible 'Spider' variant. It'll make its world debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England at the end of June.
Exterior
Alongside the Coupe and GT models, the Spider looks very similar to its brethren, only with the option of folding away a retractable hard-top in just 15 seconds to enjoy the sunshine. This process of lowering or raising the lid can be done on the hoof at speeds of up to 40km/h and the best news is that the structural rigidity of the Spider is exactly the same as the other 570S cars; that's thanks to the carbon fibre MonoCell II tub of the McLaren.
Taking learnings from the 650S and 675LT Spiders, the roof is a two-piece affair made of composite panels and thus the overall weight gain of the convertible 570S is a mere 46kg. Additional 570S Spider specifics include a glazed wind deflector/rear screen aft of the cabin that can be raised and lowered independent of the roof, and an extended rear spoiler that also sits 12mm higher than on the Coupe, to compensate for the altered body shape.
Three new body colours are introduced with the 570S Spider - Curacao Blue, Vega Blue and Sicilian Yellow - while it gets its own design of 10-spoke lightweight forged alloy wheels, which are 19 inches in diameter on the front axle and 20s at the rear.
Interior
Pretty much the same as the Coupe and GT 570S models inside, with the addition of a switch for the roof mechanism. Expect the 10-inch TFT main instrument cluster, a seven-inch IRIS infotainment touchscreen in the dash and luxurious Nappa leather as standard, then. Options include Alcantara trim and super-light carbon fibre-shelled bucket seats like the chairs fitted to the P1 hypercar.
Mechanicals
The familiar M838TE 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 motor is mounted amidships in the McLaren 570S Spider, hooked up to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox with Launch Control technology and driving the car's rear wheels. Power is the eponymous 570hp at 7,500rpm, ably backed up by a mammoth 600Nm of torque from 5,000- to 6,500rpm. McLaren claims absolutely no difference in on-paper performance stats compared to the identically-powered Coupe model, despite the 46kg weight gain, so that means 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds and 0-200km/h in a searing 9.6 seconds. Flat chat, the Spider will also run on to the Coupe's 328km/h top speed, but you need to have the roof in place to achieve that - roof down, you're looking at 'just' 315km/h instead. Well, isn't that a liberty?!
With a power-to-weight ratio of 419hp-per-tonne, the McLaren 570S Spider is a light supercar and so fuel economy is surprisingly robust for a machine capable of this sort of speed. The company quotes 10.7 litres/100km (26.6mpg), with CO2 emissions rated at 249g/km. Everything else fitted to the underpinnings of the car - its double-wishbone suspension all round with adaptive dampers, its carbon ceramic brakes, its Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres, the electro-hydraulically assisted power steering and so on - is as per the Coupe/GT twins, so McLaren says the Spider is just as good to drive as its fixed-roof siblings.
Anything else?
The first 400 570S Spiders to be hand-built at McLaren's factory in the UK will be launch edition models, following the success of the similar 720S launch edition. It should cost in excess of the €315,000 you'd need to stump up to import a 570S Coupe to Ireland. The first cars should be delivered to customers in August this year.
Mike Flewitt, CEO of McLaren Automotive, said: "The McLaren 570S Spider is the most attainable McLaren Spider to date and adds yet another dimension to the McLaren Sports Series family. This is a convertible without compromise; its mid-engined layout and carbon fibre MonoCell II chassis guarantee the same thrilling dynamic performance and exceptional driver involvement enjoyed in a 570S Coupe, but with the added attraction of a retractable hard-top that delivers the extra exhilaration of roof-down motoring."