McLaren 750S Spider joins the 200mph club

McLaren’s new 750S Spider joined the coveted “200mph club” at its North American debut at the Sun Valley Tour de Force event last weekend.

Former McLaren Formula 1 driver Stefan Johansson piloted the brand’s latest supercar to an independently verified top speed in excess of 200mph (322km/h) on a 5km stretch of closed highway in Sun Valley, Idaho.

As part of McLaren’s 60th anniversary celebrations, the 750S predecessors, the 720S and track focused 765LT, were at the event. Johansson was among a bevy of McLaren customers who topped 200mph.

Stepping out of the 750S after its initial run Johansson, who achieved five podium positions with McLaren in the 1987 season, was full of praise for the supercar.

“Driving the 750S is a truly inspiring experience. It is comfortable, predictable and yet amazingly fast. You feel secure and confident behind the wheel, while still unleashing outstanding levels of performance.

“It’s a supercar that builds on the legacy of its benchmark predecessor the 720S in all respects.”

The 750S is the lightest and most powerful series-production McLaren. Available as a coupe or open-top Spider, the mid-engine supercar is a heavily evolved version of the best-selling 720S. 

It is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0l V8 petrol engine with outputs of 552kW of power, 22kW more than the 720S. The mid-mounted V8 can be put on display under an optional glass cover.

It also has 800Nm of torque and the grunt is fed to the rear wheels via a seven-speed sequential shift transmission. Combined with a class-leading weight of 1,389kg due to its lightweight carbon fibre materials, the 750S is capable of scorching the 0-100km/h sprint in just 2.8 seconds, said McLaren.

Top speed is officially rated at 332km/h, though McLaren doesn’t say whether Johansson achieved this during his Sun Valley run on the weekend.

South African importer Daytona said the first local deliveries will start in the third quarter of 2023 at an estimated price of R7.76m apiece.