Why the 570S Spider is leading McLaren’s charge to the top
With its 570S Spider, the British racing brand has an offering that combines performance, looks, and comfort — aimed straight at Porsche drivers hoping to make the leap to the next level of sports car
On the rarefied shores of Monterey Bay during Pebble Beach car week, it takes a lot to get noticed. Leave your modern-day Mercedes and BMW at home, smooth as they may be.
One thing that will get attention is the latest car from McLaren, the 570S Spider. I know because when I drove it on a certain curve along Monterey’s Laureles Grade last week, a group of fanboys gathered to shoot it as I passed by—and when I got out to photograph the car myself, they swarmed it like bees to honey.
No surprise. The US$208,800 hardtop convertible is sculpted like a marble Venus and can hit 60 miles per hour (97km per hour) in 3.1 seconds. It’s fresh, fierce meat on the auto market. And it’s going to be the British racing brand’s biggest seller in 2018.
The star leading the charge
Next year is going to be huge for McLaren. Six years after it opened a dealership in Newport Beach, Calif., awareness stateside has reached an all-time high: Global sales doubled after the debut of the US$200,000 570S last year, with North American sales surpassing 1,000 cars for the first time, an increase of 106 per cent since 2015. The brand announced its fourth consecutive year of profitability for 2016 and growth across all regions worldwide; total sales hit 3,286 cars last year, up from 1,654 in 2015.
According to registration data from IHS Markit, the biggest group of buyers is just the right set: Porsche owners. Dealers report that waitlists for new models have reached as long as six months.
There are two reasons why it’s great for the Woking, England-based marque that many Porsche enthusiasts are hoping to add a McLaren to their stable. First, Porsche drivers are extremely discerning and devoted when it comes to pure driving performance. They don’t settle for empty, flashy looks with an imposing price tag. Second, those buyers who own top-tier Porsches are also likely able to afford a McLaren. The 570S starts at a price point just about where most of the higher-tuned 911s leave off — and that’s no accident.
