Chris Harris Gets Drifty in the McLaren 650S

By Zack Klapman - April 18, 2014

The McLaren MP4-12C has had a turbulent life. It was McLaren’s first road car in over a decade. It wasn’t expected to fill the shoes of the F1, but it had to do it justice.

In that area, it delivered. The 12C’s performance ability was—and is—immense. Almost no other RWD car could accelerate with such ceaseless ferocity. The open differential was magic in the corners, as were the hydraulic anti-roll bars. On the track it was a katana, but on the road it was a lap dog; the ride was comfortable, the forward visibility that of a cliff edge.

But there were problems. The name, for one, “MP4-12C” read like an airplane call sign, and has since been simplified to “12C”. People (me included) didn’t like the touch-sensitive door latches. Then the Spyder came out, with more power. Rightfully, McLaren gave coupe owners the same power bump (for free of course). And then there was the looks. Subjective of course, but man people found the front to lack excitement or originality. Especially when you had just come from the 458 dealership.

The 650S aims to fix those issues, while adding some power, faster shifts, and a new face.Who better to review it than one of the fastest scribes in the business: Chris Harris.