The Geneva Motor Show went bananas overnight, and perhaps this is the most notable four-wheeled marvel to be released; the McLaren 720S.
It's the replacement to the much loved 650S, and is scheduled to be released next year.
This without question is a highly advanced technological marvel of a car, but the first thing to touch on is just how good it looks. It's retained most of its predecessor's silhouette, but the range of contours and vents are quite a change from the 650S.
In hindsight the 650S actually had a pretty simple looking design. Gaping side vents, and two large front vents parted bodywork that was largely clean in profile. Different story for the 720S, which creases its skin at every opportunity to try and gain an aerodynamic advantage.
The myriad of holes and passages are designed to channel air through the car to create more downforce, in the absence of adding big gaudy spoilers and cannards — allowing McLaren to retain the subtle styling constant throughout their range.
Unsurprisingly all of this is backed up by some mouth-watering numbers and tech underneath. It's powered by an all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, that will travel from 0–100 in about three seconds. It also revs all the way up to an ear-melting 8,500rpm.
It's built around McLaren's new MonoCage II chassis; a new carbon fibre cell that helps keep rigidity up and weight very much down. In fact, the 720s weighs just 1,283kg — some 200kg less than its daddy.
The MonoCage II also allowed McLaren engineers to bring back big, imposing gull-wing doors, which of course was one of the many elements that made the original McLaren F1 road car so special in the '90s.
The hydraulic suspension also receives a shake up, similar to what you would find on the P1 hypercar. But it's been tweaked to feed the car even more data about the road surface thanks to new sensors that monitor the dampers as you hurtle along.
Pricing on the 720S for the New Zealand market starts at $456,000, which includes standard options including nose-lift technology and a 360-degree camera.
We can't wait to drive it.
