What's the news?
We've got our fifth McLaren to wear the evocative 'Longtail' badging and it's time for the 600LT Coupe to open up into the 600LT Spider. You'd better have deep pockets if you want one, mind, as it's likely to cost in the region of €365,000 here in Ireland...
Exterior
Following the lead of the 675LT Coupe, which morphed into the 675LT Spider, now the 600LT Coupe has become a convertible with an arachnid name. It's a retractable hard-top, as with other McLaren Spiders, with the British supercar firm claiming the 600LT Spider is 100kg lighter than the 570S Spider with which it shares a lot of mechanicals.
Furthermore, McLaren says the carbon MonoCell II tub makes the 600LT Spider as structurally rigid as its coupe sibling, so there's no need for additional strengthening lower down in the bodywork. All told, the Spider's 50kg weight gain over the 600LT Coupe is directly attributable to the roof's mechanisms alone and makes the Macca's dry weight of 1,297kg look all the more incredible. The three-piece, electrically powered hard-top can be raised or lowered on the move at speeds of up to 40km/h, while there's also a glazed wind deflector which can be operated independently of the roof.
Interior
With the car open to the elements, the roof is stowed in a neat recess behind the seats; with the roof up, there are 52 litres of storage on offer in said recess. Elsewhere, it's pretty much as per the 600LT Coupe, only sunnier (weather permitting). Lightweight carbon-fibre racing seats from the McLaren P1 are clad in Alcantara and, if you somehow don't think those chairs are special enough, then opt for the ones from the mighty McLaren Senna instead. If you're intent on maximising the LT's lightweight ethos, then both the audio and climate control systems can be deleted, if you so wish.
Mechanicals
It's the 600hp/620Nm iteration of the 3.8-litre biturbo petrol V8 for the 600LT Spider, resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of 463hp-per-tonne. Driving the rear wheels through a seven-speed 'Seamless Shift Gearbox' (SSG), with an Ignition Cut in Sport mode to make the top-exit exhausts of the LT crackle and bang, performance is (perhaps unsurprisingly) blistering. The 600LT Spider will power from 0-100km/h in 2.9 seconds, it can do the 0-200km/h run in 8.4 seconds - just two-tenths down on the Coupe - and it'll do 315km/h flat out. Not enough for you? Fine, just close the roof, because then the 600LT Spider will be capable of hitting 324km/h. Elsewhere, the Spider retains the carbon-fibre bodywork, fixed rear wing (capable of generating 100kg of downforce at 250km/h), Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo R track-focused tyres and suspension/brake systems of the 600LT Coupe.
Anything else?
Production of the 600LT Spider will be limited, although not to a designated number. Instead, build slots for the newest McLaren will be scheduled in and around other Sports and Super Series models, with all Spiders being hand-assembled in Woking, Surrey.
Mike Flewitt, the CEO of McLaren Automotive, said: "The McLaren 600LT Spider adds a new dimension of excitement to the most extreme model in the Sports Series family, while losing none of the Longtail focus. Taking full advantage of the strength of the carbon fibre MonoCell II chassis has ensured that the new Spider has dynamic abilities and performance on par with the 600LT Coupe, for a weight premium of just 50kg and with no additional structural strengthening required. In addition to our weight advantage over competitors, we have also retained the top-exit exhausts that debuted on the Coupe - and I'm pleased to report that they sound and look even better with the roof or rear window of the Spider lowered!"