What’s it Like Driving a McLaren 600LT Spider? Watch and Find Out

 

The McLaren 600LT bridges the gap between the British marque’s Sports series and Super series cars, and as such it offers the best of both worlds. The automaker claims the 2019 600LT Spider will do 0–60 mph in 2.8 seconds. MotorTrend road test editor Chris Walton notes that we’ve already done this in a 570S with less grippy tires—and the 570S coupe took our Best Driver’s Car title in 2016, so it has serious chops.

After driving the 600LT at the Arizona Motorsports Park, Walton is convinced this convertible with added power will be even faster when he gets his testing hands on it.

This papaya-orange two-seater has a mid-mounted 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-plane-crank V-8 engine that makes 592 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 457 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 rpm. That is 30 more horses than the 570S and 14 additional lb-ft. It has a seven-speed twin-clutch automated manual and standard launch control, which Walton thinks will make it take off like a rocket, even without all-wheel drive.

Watch the video to see why Walton thinks the 600LT will do 0–60 mph in 2.5 seconds.

The 600LT Spider is based on the 570S Spider but weighs 222 pounds less. The three-piece hardtop goes up or down in 15 seconds.

This is the fifth McLaren to get the LT treatment, dating back to the 1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail FIA GT race car. There have been coupe and convertible versions of the 675LT, followed by the 600LT coupe and now the convertible.

Adding LT is more than extending the tail. It also refers to reducing weight, improving the aerodynamics, adding power, tuning the chassis for track use, enhancing the overall driver engagement, and limiting the production. In this case, only 500 will be made.

If its performance leaves you confused as to whether it should be a Sport or Super series, McLaren might solve that problem for you. CEO Mike Flewitt is considering combining Sport and Super into a single series while keeping Ultimate and adding a new Grand Touring series.

The 600LT Spider is hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Center in Woking, Surrey, and goes for about $256,000.

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