Compared to other supercar manufacturers, McLaren Automotive has a short heritage. It only launched its first production supercar – the 12C – in 2011. Yet, within these six years, the British marque has made up a lot of ground and we dare say the new McLaren 720S ranks up there with some of the best in the field.
After making its global debut at the 2017 Geneva International Motor Show, McLaren chose Singapore as the second stop in its world tour, cementing the importance of this little red dot to the company.
The McLaren 720S is unveiled in Marina Bay Sands
The 720S is the first supercar to roll out from the second-generation Super Series family and McLaren has big plans. It is investing a billion pounds in the next five years for R&D, with the aim of producing 15 new automobiles by the end of 2022. That’s quite the ambition.
There’s honestly a lot to like about the 720S. Good looks aside, the 720S has impressive performance statistics. It completes the century sprint in 2.9 seconds, which is nothing to shout about in the supercar realm. However, it can go from 0 to 200kph in 7.8 seconds – incredible numbers. Competitors in its class tend to reach that mark in more than eight seconds.
The McLaren engineers also redesigned and invented a ton of new technology for the 720S, including a full carbon fibre chassis that enabled McLaren to reduce the weight of the car as well as a new twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine. What I found fascinating though were the headlights. These aren’t just any ole’ headlights. They were created to maximise airflow and aerodynamism and were cut out from a single piece of material.
The 720S will start rolling into Singapore in the second half of the year. If you have a million to spare, you might want to consider this supercar. We certainly are. We just don’t have a million.