McLaren gives Aussie customers a peek at 570S

POTENTIAL buyers for McLaren’s answer to the Porsche 911 Turbo and Audi R8, the McLaren 570S, were given an invitation-only preview of the lightweight coupe in Sydney this week, about six months ahead of the model’s formal showroom debut in early 2016.

The company imported a single example of the 328km/h mid-engined sportscar – powered by a 419kW/600Nm version of McLaren’s twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 – for the show-and-tell sessions where it confirmed a $408,000 driveaway price that places it at the affordable end of the McLaren range and right among its rivals.

An even more affordable version, the $350,000 540C, is also headed to Australia a few months later, in mid-2016. This less hardcore version of the 570S – packing a mere 390kW of power and with more supple suspension – is said to be designed for everyday driving.

Both cars are part of McLaren’s entry level Sports Series aimed squarely at mainly German rivals that, apart from the blown 911 and V12 Audi R8, include the Mercedes-AMG GT.

British upper-luxury sportscar manufacturer Aston Martin and its V12 Vantage are also in its sights.

The Sports Series is expected to become McLaren’s top selling range, potentially doubling its global sales by 2017.

The 570S, which made its debut at the New York motor show in April, is also expected to be shown to Victorian customers at the McLaren Melbourne dealership in Southbank in the next few weeks.

In Australia, the 570S and 540C will bring the race-based British company’s range to five, following in the smoking rubber wheel tracks of the original 12C ($398,000), mid-range 650S ($459,250) and flagship 675LT ($616,250),McLaren Asia Pacific head of sales and operations George Biggs said every aspect of the Sports Series had been crafted with the intention of going faster and pushing harder, thus “elevating the sportscar driving experience to new heights and redefining what is possible in the segment”.

“We are pleased to provide our Australian customers and enthusiasts with a first glimpse of this powerful and revolutionary driver-focused car,” he said.

The 570S gets the latest version of McLaren’s carbon-fibre tub that tips the scales at just 80kg. As well, aluminium is widely used in body panels and other components.

McLaren claims a class-leading power-to-weight ratio of 319kW per tonne, delivering the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.2 seconds – line ball with the Porsche 911 Turbo.

Apart from impressive acceleration, the light 1.3-tonne weight also contributes to handy 9.2 litres per 100 kilometres fuel economy on the European combined test cycle. For the first time on a McLaren, idle-stop has been fitted to the quad-cam V8.

About 30 per cent of the 570S’s engine components are said to be new, with others drawn from existing McLaren vehicles.

Power is put to the rear wheels via a seven-speed “seamless shift” gearbox with a cylinder-cut function taken from the 650S but improved for 10-times faster operation.

Peak power is achieved at a heady 7400rpm, while torque tops out between 5000rpm and 6500rpm.

The cabin is said to have been designed with occupant comfort in mind, with more room and lower door sills than previous models.

A-pillars have been moved further forward and the B-pillars are narrower to improve vision.

Leather sports seats get six-way adjustment, and are said to be more comfortable than before. Eight-way seats can be optioned, as can race-style carbon-fibre buckets.

McLaren Sports Series driveaway pricing

540C	$350,000
570S	$408,000