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It's one of those offers that you can not refuse: McLaren 720S. But as the details come in, the right eyebrow moves towards the hairline and a tingling sensation in the abdomen spreads. Oha, drive an 720 PS racer in November. In Great Britain. Bad weather, left-hand traffic, brutal power - can that be good? And how! Driving report of the British Champion, who carries his good manners in mark and leg.
A super sports car, one of those vehicles you do not meet every day. The McLaren, not only in our climes, is about as common as the Devil at the Stoup. And devilishly, the McLaren 720 is truly slumbering in its rear a brute biturbo V8 of the very fine sort. But would you do it enough, if you press this cream piece of sports car in the usual scheme of a driving report? Design, interior, driving impressions? One try!
Design - over-sporty, but distinguished
Imagine a super athlete like the McLaren 720S exaggerated. A loud "look at me" screaming paint, overflowing spoilers and already screaming in the state of aggregates, which is a fear and anxiety. The McLaren 720S on the other hand? He does not need that. To him, British understatement is far more important than any macho posturing - especially in the color shade "Glacier White". You can easily go underground with this paint job. A stop at the traffic light behind a Ford Focus? Unnoticed - especially start-stop-calm. Only when the elderly lady in front of one wants to change the side of the road and stands directly in front of the short nose of the super athlete, she notices him at all. Her reaction? A big smile and two outstretched thumbs. The wrist stick dangling dangerously close to the hood of the sinfully expensive Brit is disturbed on the other hand.
Especially in this very - say - cautious color, the Briton stands out little from the traffic. Silvery-gray, like the British sky, so shallow that it disappears behind most cottage walls and, if necessary, cultivated so quietly that the distinguished lady overlooks it. The aerodynamic body is breathtakingly beautiful. Almost like a young British lady in an evening dress at a gala. The McLaren 720S is the Eva Green in Casino Royale. The (LED) eyes heavily made up, a little wicked, with their sporty, emphasized by the evening dress figure but unsurpassed elegant.
But before we move away from the topic: The super athlete is just every detail. The headlights in deep black caves, the side air vents integrated into the wing doors, the rear hip swing sexy and smooth and the rear extremely functional. It is here that spirits separate as far as design is concerned. But the design shows the will to inimitable performance. Here, the McLaren 720 is very rugged and shaped by ventilation grilles. So much so, that you do not even recognize your taillights and they only become recognizable when they are being used. The same applies to the tail: If necessary monstrously standing in the air, it retreats when not in use simply in his room - very elegant. The British manage with the super sports car, like no other manufacturer to conceal the technology in the form of the drive and the ancillaries and show at the same time. So the focus is clear: the performance.
Interior: The McLaren 720S is accessible
You can argue about the interior of the McLaren 720S. Not about the design - quite the opposite - but about the color. Some might say that the noble leather is wrapped in a shade of brown, another thinks it is a raspberry tone and another says clearly "Fuchsia". No matter what color it is now: The color creates a feel-good atmosphere. In addition, the leather is beguilingly beautiful and stands out again with its decorative stitching. Predicate: damn nice!
But what about the approach? Memories of the McLaren 650S - the direct predecessor - are awakened. Here you had to have practiced the momentum over the broad sill of the carbon monocoque a few times before you could gallantly get out in front of the ice cream parlor. In the 720S, this is a little different: in the super sports car, the gullwing doors open far upwards and allow easy access to the interior. A wide sill? Wrong! And so you can even swing in the McLaren, if you do not have just the figure of a wiry Formula 1 pilot.
Even the space fits right away. You do not have to pull in your head or hold your breath to fit in. No, even as 1,90 + man you sit kommod and has enough freedom of movement. And so you have time to inspect the many visual carbon and get involved in the operation. The instrument unit is always executed digitally and allows many settings of the on-board computer. This is operated by the cruise control lever (or was it the lever of the lift function of the landing gear?) - a little awkward. The infotainment can be easily operated for this. But do we really care? Do we value an excessive sound system, the size of the touch screen or the voice of navigation? In a super athlete?
Driving Impressions - Holy Moly!
What counts in a McLaren 720's caliber vehicle is the driving impressions - and they are brutal, if that's how it should be. Nevertheless, the Briton starts at first very quiet and avoided the big show, which we would be the typical understatement. The 4.0 liter V8 mid-engine clears the throat for a start, but then stops barking but passive idling. To start, it is finally to press the button "D" in the center console and gently on the accelerator pedal to go - done. No pretentious Losschießen that pre-programmed a cavalier start. No, the McLaren 720S is very sleek and leaves the bitchy diva at home.
And so you go on the road - in left-hand traffic, mind you. The nervousness of having such a car, the fullest concentration of one required to move in another traffic system, vanishes quickly. It's the lightness of the McLaren 720S that worries you. If you do not let it go, the super sports car drives like an ordinary car with automatic transmission. Nevertheless, you already notice during normal driving how full and wide the Briton is on the road. Bucking or kicking him but are alien: Of course, the suspension is tightly sprung, but this interpretation would - it is according to the author - even a real Daily Driver. There springs some compact raubeiniger ...
But should it really have been that? Probably the best super sports car on the market today, simply dismissed as a vile everyday coach? "Hell no!" After a short familiarization, you also want to feel something of the 720 PS, which have been completely under-challenged by the driver so far. So the right foot lowers to about half throttle and reaps a thrust capable of causing fainting. First, the V8 howls a little more vigorously before the two loaders quietly and cautiously start to whisper. Added to this is the concert of the, together with the turbos, ever louder intake. It goes on and on, the speed keeps getting higher and higher, it gets louder, shrieking, sucking - KLACK, next gear! The scenario is so spectacular that you can barely keep up with your own reactions. A look at the speedometer is often far too late.
To clarify: The speech is so far of half gas. Here one already reaps a tunnel view that distorts the world around. What happens when the accelerator pedal contacts the ground? Indescribable! You feel a bit like being caught in a huge catapult: the rubber band is pre-tensioned and when the right foot is pressed the reality blurs. The only difference: When catapult the propulsion ends at some point, the McLaren invites his passages, however mercilessly. At the same time, the 7-gear double-clutch transmission switches imperceptibly and without interruption of traction - that fits.
In figures, which can only portray the speed orgies inadequately, real fabulous values result. The standard sprint is done in 2,9 seconds and just shaken out of the arm. 200 km / h will be handed out in less than five seconds and the pressure on the stomach turns into a dull grin with eyes wide open. 300 kilometers per hour should lie in only 21,4 seconds, which was not tried, that would be strictly forbidden in the still EU country Great Britain finally. The same applies to the rather cautious maximum speed of 341 km / h. There is certainly more. But there it is again, the British understatement.
Conclusion - riot? Leaves the McLaren 720S to others
Yes, the power flounder is often chosen in bright candy colors. Yes, the character, or rather the DNA of the British, is completely misunderstood. He is not the Italian Screamman who wants to turn everyone's head. No, the McLaren 720 is just the cool sportsman who just burns the best time in the asphalt, then put on the sunglasses and vanish meaningless back from the track.
It is this inimitable lightness that makes him so unique. The rich feeling when (cornering) driving, that gives a security. And most of all, it's the beastly punch of the biturbo V8, which adds a hell of a respect for this car. Nevertheless, he gives himself supple and restrained in everyday life. A true gentleman who somehow fit into the test scheme. Completely unpretentious, like the manners of the McLaren 720S.