McLaren 720S MSO Apex Collection celebrates high-speed grip

McLaren continues to toy with the 720S while we wait for the supercar's next major revision. A little too late for Fashion Week but just in time for the fall/winter season, the MSO division has released the Apex Collection for the coupe. The collection name refers to apexes at five famous European grand prix circuits, the same tracks McLaren has used to test and reaffirm its brand values for more than 50 years. A crowning touch is that each car is identified with the high speed that a McLaren performance driver achieved through a particular apex.

The speeds, corners, and tracks are: 103 miles per hour through Eau Rouge at Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps, 85 mph through Mobil 1 Kurve at Germany's Hockenheim, 110 mph through Abbey at Great Britain's Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit, 104 mph through Signes at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, and 90 mph jinking through the Ascari Chicane at Monza in Italy.

The Apex Collection builds on the 720S Track Pack, which sheds about 50 pounds and adds carbon fiber exterior trim, a sports exhaust, and the McLaren Telemetry System. Further customization involves MSO extended side sills, extended shift paddles behind an MSO steering wheel marked at the 12 o'clock position with a dual-color Alcantara, and an MSO throttle pedal and key shell. Visual identifiers outside are limited to MSO Apex logos on the rear fenders.

McLaren will make three of each theme, for 15 cars total, six of them in right-hand drive, all reserved for the European market. They'll each command £288,813 in the U.K. ($355,641 U.S.) to take home, before options. That's a £36,000 ($44,200 or so) premium over the standard 720S Track Pack, but MSO throws in a few extras beyond the exclusivity. Every buyer gets a Formula 1 Paddock Pass to a grand prix, and a shotgun ride in a 720S for a Pirelli Hot Lap during the weekend. 

And as a sly way to goose participation in the Pure McLaren track driving events, the English carmaker invites Apex Collection buyers to learn how to increase their skill at apex speeds at one of the courses held across Europe. Of course, a Paddock Pass and Pure McLaren combined cost a whole heap less than £36,000, but exclusive clubs cost exclusive money.