BIG MAC WITH THE LOT

Our long-term fleet gains the doors of a billionaire … and 530kW

SAY HELLO TO the most thrilling long-termer in MOTOR history - the McLaren 720S. Woking's Super Series darling has joined our fleet of cars, but don't think we'll be giving the supercar kiddie-glove treatment. We intend to treat the 530kW/770Nm, half-million-dollar beast like we would any other longtermer. Big drives, daily use, spirited excursions, it's all part of the remit.

The 720S sits in an interesting place in McLaren's line-up. It is, and will remain for the time being, the most powerful series-production car you can buy from the British brand. Limited-run specials like the Longtails, Senna and Speedtail will sit above it, while the electrified V6 Artura will sit ever so slightly below when it finally arrives. Other than the grand touring GT, that's it for McLaren's rationalised line-up. First revealed in 2017 the supercar game has moved on significantly since the 720S first peeked its sunken eye sockets beyond the curtain at the Geneva Motor Show. Can it stack up against its more modern supercar rivals in 2022?

It certainly fills the brief in terms of monetary exclusivity. McLaren are more than happy to tell us exactly what options are fitted to our test car - but remain strangely coy about the exact price of fitting them to the car. Our best guide is that the dealer box-ticking would come in around $200,000. That's on top of the $489,900 sticker and on-roads. Though, if you must ask what the cost of the options are, it's fair to say they don't fall within your budget.

For the curious, 'our' McLaren comes fitted with the Performance Plus Pack, nine separate exterior carbon-fibre items (which will set you back roughly $100,000 alone), sports exhaust, soft close doors, diamond cut wheels, carbon-ceramic brakes, tyre pressure monitoring system, 360-degree parking camera, front nose lift, and a printed owner's manual.