Thanks to the McLaren 750S, we now know the word ‘orbital scoop’

McLaren is switching completely to hybrid drive. The last model without electric assistance is this new McLaren 750S, which further revives the well-known 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 of the 720S.

At McLaren, they’ll be glad they didn’t have to deal with electrical engineering for a while. Because the introduction of the Artura, a hybrid with a biturbo six-cylinder, had been an absolute disaster. The model was delayed by about a year.

McLaren 750S with 30 hp and 30 Nm more

This McLaren 750S is the latest new conventionally powered model from Woking. Only the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 from the 720S, but no longer with 720 hp and 770 Nm. Due to updates, the block now produces 750 hp and 800 Nm.

How does this affect the performance of the 720S/750S? Few. The 0-100 km/h time goes from 2.9 to 2.8 seconds and the top speed is still well over 300 km/h.

Larger wing for more downforce

According to McLaren, 30 percent of the parts have been modified. The styling has been subtly changed, with a central exhaust (previously one on the left, one on the right), a smoother nose and smaller ‘orbital scoops’, as McLaren calls the holes around the headlights.

For more downforce, the engineers also enlarged the active rear wing by 20 percent. Nevertheless, the colossus has become 1.6 kilos lighter. There is a DRS mode to minimize the 750S’s drag all at once.

With a much faster lift system

Funny detail. The McLaren 750S has a lift system – otherwise it won’t get over thresholds unscathed – that lifts the nose into the air much faster than before. On the 720S it took 10 seconds. Now only 4 seconds.

McLaren 750 Spider as fast as a coupe

Any other changes? Certainly the already light 720S has become even lighter through improvements to the carbon fiber chassis: 1227 kilos. That gives a horsepower-to-weight ratio of 587 horsepower per ton.

The 750S’s power is sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The model is now also available as a 750S Spider. It’s as fast as the coupe. It only drops by 0.1 seconds when sprinting to 200 km/h.

No more folding instrument panels

Remarkable: The instrument panel of the 750S no longer folds away like on the 720S, but is fixed. What is new is that there are two “toggle switches” on the left and right, with which the driving modes can be set, as with the Artura.

The infotainment screen has been improved and of course there are better materials in the cabin. An interesting addition is the McLaren Control Launcher, which is really just a fancy name for the ability to save your driving mode settings.