The two-dimensional logo for Estoril, a great former Formula 1 track, doesn’t do it credit. The layout shown is not like a bent paperclip; it’s a complicated and difficult ribbon of asphalt that has been skillfully stretched over Portugal’s coastal mountain terrain. The 2024 McLaren 750S is a powerful rear-drive supercar with 740 horsepower. It should be scary to drive around an old-school F1 track, but the 750S is so well-kept that I, who had never been there before, felt like I could push like hell without worrying about crashing into the barriers.
It’s true that the 750S is an improvement over the 720S, but that’s just the beginning. About 30% of its parts are new or updated, so the changes are more than just adding the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 engine to make it more powerful (it now has 30 horsepower and 22 pound-feet of torque). McLaren says that the changes have led to a weight loss of 66 pounds and the best power-to-weight ratio in its class. Other changes, like a shorter final gearing that makes the car feel even more quick coming out of slower turns, support this even more. The 60-mph and quarter-mile times should get faster, but that doesn’t show how much more alive it feels. With the new gears, the top speed drops from 212 mph to “only” 206 mph, but we’ll let that slide.
With a new center-exiting stainless steel exhaust system, the car’s bark is much more dangerous. This is especially fun for people in the Spider because its headrest flying buttresses and retractable back window make the sound travel better to the cockpit, even when the top is up. This new exhaust route is more important, though, because it’s part of a bigger aerodynamic redesign that better controls airflow over a 20 percent bigger back wing. Around Estoril, the active wing can be used as a drag-reduction device on long straights or as an air brake when the optional carbon-ceramic rotors are smashed. At the turn-in point, it turns back into a normal wing that works with the updated nose and front rake to press the available Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires firmly into the pavement. As speed increases, this creates perfect aerodynamic balance. You can get P Zero Corsa PZC4s or stick with the regular P Zero PZ4s if you don’t need the best track grip.
It takes less lock to change directions because the steering ratio is faster. This makes the car more sensitive on the track without going too far and becoming darty on the street. When driving easily on normal roads, effort buildup isn’t always clear, but the electro-hydraulic system is very precise, and feedback gets a lot better as cornering forces build. McLaren’s third version of its brilliant hydraulically crosslinked Proactive Chassis Control suspension (PCC III) has been updated with new tuning for the springs, dampers, and accumulators. It now has the flexibility needed to dance over FIA curbs without making the car less stable.
This setup also gives the 750S perfect smoothness on worn-out pavement on the open road, which gives this supercar a bit of Clark Kent dignity. Crosslinked dampers, which are used instead of traditional anti-roll bars, are one reason for this. But the real hero is a “Z-bar” rear heave spring, which handles the heavy rear aerodynamic loads that come from going fast on a racetrack without needing stiff springs at the back corners, which would stop the rear suspension from moving over normal bumps and lumps.
The simple cabin of the McLaren has been made even easier to get into. The 720’s silly instrument pod is no longer there. It could turn 90 degrees to switch between a decent gauge panel in street mode and a ridiculous KITT-style slot display in Track mode. On the 750S, instead, there is a digital instrument panel that is easy to read, with rocker switches built into the shade hood’s edges. These switches make it easy to change the drive mode and chassis stiffness because they are always close at hand because the whole system tilts and telescopes with the Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel. In sharp contrast to Ferrari’s design, the wheel itself doesn’t have any buttons or switches. Instead, it has big shift paddles that stick out from behind the spokes. There was probably also a horn, but no one was mad at us.
There is a triple stack of buttons close to the driver on the center stack, which is also clean and simple. The Kiwi-bird button lets you save your best drive, suspension, and aero setup, and the Aero button turns on the active aerodynamics. It also works just like a radio preset: Place everything where you want it, then hold down the Kiwi to save. After that, a short press starts your unique setup, which you can change at any time. Next to that is the button that controls the launch. To the right of these is the classic McLaren-spec touchscreen that is set up in portrait mode. Below it is a large volume knob. This is where you choose music, navigation, the phone, and the HVAC. This is already pretty easy to use, but McLaren has made it even easier by adding support for Apple CarPlay. You can connect it via USB-C or USB-A, and Android Auto isn’t there, but it’s still a good step forward.
There is more to the Spider than you might think. This is because the carbon-fiber monocoque that makes up the 750S doesn’t need to be strengthened. Since the coupe’s roof isn’t very strong, the Spider’s small 108-pound weight gain is all due to the power-retractable hardtop mechanism and the retractable vertical back window, which lets the beautiful new exhaust note fill the cabin when the top is up.
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