I’m sitting in a McLaren 720S in Gulf blue with the same oil company’s trademark orange used for stitching inside the cabin. It is the best-looking McLaren I’ve ever seen.
This is how I see McLaren’s cars: the thinking man’s saloon is a Saab, his luxury car a Bristol and his supercar a McLaren. It is a wonderfully bull-free brand and that’s reflected in the car itself. No knobs and buttons on the steering wheel – the component is simply there to guide the car through probably the best steering system in any sports car made today. And McLaren calls the people who buy its cars customers, not clients.
I collected the car from the Autocar road testers’ secret bunker in Feltham. I drove the new McLaren GT a few weeks ago at its launch in St Tropez and it was much the same as the 720S: a comfortable ride, fantastic steering and a lot of power. Though not of course as much as the 720S. It’s always exciting to step into cars like these.
Ten minutes later, I’m on the M3 and that initial excitement has been replaced by frustration and the same thought that I have these days when I’m behind the wheel of any outrageously fast car. They are completely pointless, utterly out of touch with modern driving conditions and enforcement of the rules of the road. Cars like the 720S are, of course, still excellent for posing, but that’s no good to me because I love driving, not thrashing up and down outside Harrods in first gear.
But more than that, I love the feeling that I am using a machine to the outer edges of its abilities. Using as much of its power, grip and dynamic prowess as possible. You may remember that I built an aeroplane in my garden shed. It’s been flying for six years and much of the joy has been using it right to the edge of its performance envelope whenever I want to. It will fly at 200mph and, if I’m willing to pay for the large amount of fuel it uses while doing so, then that’s what I can do. It’s legal. And so is doing a loop or a roll. In other words, I’m getting 100% value from my efforts in building it and the cost of owning and running it.
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Surely the MX5 will be rusty
Surely the MX5 will be rusty and worth peanuts in 20 years, but the McLaren worth at least what it cost new. Then it becomes the bargain buy surely.
I get this article completely
I had years and years with 1000cc superbikes (90+mph in first gear....) Then one day I thought this is crazy, I've never legally redlined my bike in first gear! Let alone 2,3,4,5,6!
So I got a 700cc twin naked bike. Way more fun on the roads. Yes, I miss some of the suspension excellence and engineering of the superbikes but willing to trade that for a bigger grin as I redline it in 3rd at legal(ish) speeds.
So, by this metric, a 2CV is
So, by this metric, a 2CV is more entertaining than an MX-5. I take issue with the MX-5 being the "most usable" sportscar, unless you mean the most usable throttle pedal. It helps if you are sub 6 foot but the passenger side is even more cramped, there's a very small boot, no door bins, no glove box, no center console storage, just a small hole between the seats and loose cupholders that foul your gear change elbow. Great for a sunday morning blast but not for touring or practical things like shopping. Love driving it (briefly) but very impractical.
I have to agree..
This is a quite extraordinary article. To directly equate fun with the percentage of throttle used just defies all logic and common sense. It would be bad enough from a rag of a Sunday paper, but from an Autocar journalist!! I'm just stunned to be honest, talk about missing the point of driving enjoyment.