But first lets get the nitty-gritty out of the way. First and foremost, many familiar to the British brand known for its Formula 1 endeavours would already know that the 650S uses a resurrected 90-degree (M838T) flat-plane V8 race engine that was based on Nissan’s VRH-range of engines.
However, McLaren bought the rights to the engine, replaced almost all of its innards, slapped on two turbo chargers, made it produce 592hp and 600Nm of torque and dumped it into the bowels, mid-mounted of course, of the venerable MP4-12C.
Fast forward to today and the engine has undergone a few tweaks and now its been “weaponized” to provide 650PS (hence the nomenclature) at 7,250rpm and 678Nm of torque at 6,000rpm with 95% of it being available from 3,000 to 7,000rpm.
Thanks to McLaren Malaysia, we were invited to have a go in the 650S Spider that’s practically an MP4-12C underneath with only a quarter of it being absolutely brand new.
Regardless, as with all supercars, it’s going to be a head turner, especially when it’s been draped in bright Mantis Green and comes with an absolutely evocative, throaty, exhaust note to boot.
Being wedge-shaped and low-slung, a certain finesse is required when getting in and out, but once inside – and the top down, the dark and heavily Alcantara-clad cabin with carbon-fibre accents bring a certain air of seriousness to it.
Games aside, the interior is minimal yet simplistically refined with only one intention – to go super-fast, and that leads to the next question – can it be managed without having to tame it?
The suspension was somewhat harsh, picking up every little note and nuance the road has to offer while rolling on 19-inch wheels with 235/35 series tyres at the front and fat 305/30 series tyres for the 20-inch wheels at the rear.
Out and about within stop-go traffic, the 1,370kg (kerb) Spider was and would be practically putty in anyone’s hands, which will be a relief to many who’d like to own a supercar.
Furthermore, the engine’s hiss starts to get louder as both turbochargers spool faster while the revs climb blindingly quick towards the 8,500rpm red-line and requiring a quick tug at the paddle shifter to cycle up the through the seven-speed seamless shift dual clutch gearbox - or SSG in McLaren-speak.
The steering wheel has a racecar-like heft to it and will make your comfort-oriented ride’s steering feel rather overly boosted in comparison.
It was unexpected to find the brake pedal requiring a stiff foot to push down on just to get the six-piston front and four-piston rear callipers to really bite down on the cross-drilled carbon ceramic brakes – or perhaps we didn’t really have the opportunity to really “warm” them up just yet?
With the top down, its surprising that a conversation could still be had and if the hair-do is a concern, the rear windscreen can be wound-down just to allow the senses to be submerged in the engine’s intoxicating notes.
And although it’s been awhile after having driven the Spider, which comes priced from RM2.6mil, the hiss and roar from the engine seems to have left a deeply rooted impression with calls to revisit such an experience sometimes heard echoing in the back the mind.
