McLaren 765LT Spider drops the roof on the 755-horsepower supercar

The McLaren 765LT Spider is here, and just like the coupe, it’s a total monster. In fact, it’s a near carbon copy of the 765LT coupe in every way that it could be.

We’ll start with what’s new and different about the Spider. The power retractable roof is a single slab of carbon fiber. McLaren says it completes the opening or closing procedure in just 11 seconds at speeds up to 31 mph. The roof mechanism is also far more refined than McLaren Spiders of the past, as McLaren promises the mechanism produces half as much noise as the 675LT Spider’s roof does.

McLaren LT cars are known for shedding pounds, and this 765LT Spider is no different. It weighs 176 pounds less than the 720S Spider it’s based on. This weight savings is accomplished through a variety of means. The LT’s forged wheels drop 49 pounds. The carbon fiber seats shed another 40 pounds. A lightweight battery drops 6.6 pounds. All the new carbon bodywork offers 11 pounds of weight savings. Deleting the floor carpet loses another 5.3 pounds. The titanium exhaust weighs 40% less than the standard stainless steel system. And lastly, McLaren deletes the air conditioning and radio as standard, dropping another 22 pounds and 3.3 pounds respectively. You can option both A/C and the radio back on as no-cost options, which is something we’d recommend you do.

Of course, making a removable roof version of the coupe means adding weight back. McLaren says the Spider is 108 pounds heavier than the coupe, a relatively light penalty for losing the roof. McLaren says the inherent stiffness of its carbon monocoque is enough that it didn’t need to add in a bunch of additional stiffening to keep the car rigid. Acceleration times are hardly diminished with the added weight. It has an identical 0-60 time as the coupe at 2.7 seconds. Unfortunately, the 0-124 time is reduced by 0.2 second to an agonizingly long 7.2 seconds (/sarcasm). Top speed is a coupe-matching 205 miles per hour.

Those bonkers acceleration capabilities come courtesy of the same mega powerful engine used in the coupe. The 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 makes 755 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. You can listen to the exhaust via the powered rear window that brings you closer to the noise even if the top is up.

Just like the coupe, the Spider gets bespoke wheels, tires and brakes to add performance. All the aero enhancements for increased downforce are impossible to miss on the car’s heavily modified exterior — it makes 25% more downforce than the 720S Spider. Plus, the suspension is enhanced with more bespoke LT parts for the springs and dampers. It also gets a wider front track, lower ride height and unique suspension tuning above and beyond the 720S Spider. 

Getting your hands on a 765LT Spider coupe prove difficult due to the low production run McLaren is setting. Only 765 will be sold around the world, and McLaren says one-third of the production will come to the U.S. The starting price is $382,500. That’s $24,500 more than the coupe for those who are keeping track.

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