750S is 'new supercar benchmark

McLaren says it's more powerful, lighter. more usable and greater fun than the 720S

- FELIX PAGE

The new McLaren 750S is the thoroughly updated and enhanced replacement for the 720S, the Woking firm's best-seller.

Said to be 30% new under its subtly restyled skin, the 750S has been designed to provide "a new benchmark" in the supercar segment, boosting not just usability over its predecessor but also ramping up the fun factor.

As the name suggests, it brings a power bump over the 720S to 750PS (740bhp). In conjunction with a 30kg saving to cut its dry weight to 1277kg, that gives the car a "segment-leading" power-to-weight ratio of 579bhp per tonne. Its closest rival, the Ferrari 296 GTB plug-in hybrid, has a claimed 552bhp per tonne.

The 750S is the lightest series-production McLaren road car yet, tipping the scales at just 79kg more than the track-honed Senna hypercar, without fluids. Weight-saving measures extend to new carbon fiber-shelled alloy wheels, cutting 13.8kg, 17.5kglighter carbon-shelled race seats and even a slimmed-down instrument cluster, which contributes a 1.6kg saving.

As a result of the weight loss, power boost and a shorter final drive ratio, McLaren claims the car is 10% faster accelerating than the 720S across the board. The 750S screams from 0-62mph in just 2.8sec and needs only another 4.4sec to clock 124mph. Top speed, though, is down very slightly, at 206mph.