The McLaren 570S Is More Than Meets the Eye
McLaren. The name comes with a long history of motorsports accolades, and more recently, is associated with a lineup of incredibly fast and gorgeous road cars.
In a relatively short amount of time, the British automaker has done what many in the automotive industry only dream of — they’ve become a serious player in the supercar arena.
Their current model line — 650S, 675LT and P1 — has already won the hearts of many performance enthusiasts with a unique blend of power, usability and craftsmanship. And for the 2016 model year, McLaren is making their signature DNA even more attainable with the introduction of the 570S coupe.
Video by @gearaddiction
As the initial offering in the recently launched Sports Series, the McLaren 570S falls into a lower price range compared to other models with a starting MSRP of $184,900. But don’t go calling this entry-level supercar a “baby McLaren” — with 562 horsepower propelling just 3,175 pounds, there’s nothing infantile about this land-rocket.
My first encounter with this rolling work of art was during its Beverly Hills debut in 2015, and I never would have thought that a year later I’d get to spend a weekend with a Ventura Orange 570S. Of course, when it rains, it pours, and my very first drive in a McLaren would be part of a larger celebration of the manufacturer, book-ended with a McLaren Design Night and a special marque day at the popular Southern California car gathering known as Supercar Sunday.
Volunteering an evening from his personal vacation, MSO and production designer Alex Alexiev gave an informative talk at McLaren Newport Beach, providing insights into the company’s relatively secret design department and its overall design philosophy.
Alexiev landed his dream job in 2013 after graduating from Pasadena’s ArtCenter College of Design, and is currently part of a six-person, multi-cultural team in the McLaren Technology Centre located in Woking, England.
Everyone in the department is encouraged to be passionate, creative and brave, making sure the vehicles are born on the track, but break the rules. As is the case with most art, nature is often used as a reference since it already contains many beautiful, efficient and purpose-driven technical forms — think about birds and their aerodynamic builds.
This philosophy translated to a “shrink wrapped” design for the 570S, where any surface that touches the air must direct it effectively. The front fascia, the contouring of the hood, and even something as small as the supports for the door release mechanism all must be aerodynamically sound — it’s largely why the 570S doesn’t need active-aero or large, protruding spoilers.
Of course, the exterior isn’t the only aspect of the car that’s meticulously crafted. The same design team is also responsible for creating a comfortable and accessible interior that’s as inviting as it is beautiful. A floating center console allows for an open, spacious passenger compartment while instrumentation and controls have been designed around the driver for maximum usability.
Alex’s lecture gave me a new appreciation for the finer details of the 570S, and it made my personal introduction to the car that much more rewarding.
Now, the first order of business when you have a hands-on opportunity with a car of this magnitude is photos — lots and lots of photos.
And as much as I tried, I simply couldn’t take a bad picture of the 570S. I even invited concert specialist and low-light-photographer-extraordinaire Jim Donnelly to give it a shot (pun intended), and the results were the same — gorgeous.
In my ignorance of never having driven a McLaren before, I imagined the experience to be quite clinical and subdued. But once the 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 roared to life, I knew I was completely wrong.
Starting up the @mclarenauto #570S. #McLarenLife #POV #exoticcar
A video posted by Andrew Chen (@lagraffiti) on
The goal of McLaren’s Sports Series is to deliver both performance and enhanced driver engagement, and the 570S exceeds all expectations. It’s incredibly fast and unbelievably fun to drive thanks to nimble and precise handling from a newly-designed suspension system featuring independent adaptive dampers and Formula 1-style dual wishbones.
Three adaptive damper settings — Normal, Sport and Track — have been tailored for the specific suspension geometry of the 570S. I found the Sport setting to be my favorite for everyday use, providing precise feedback from all four corners of the car while also absorbing some of the imperfections of public roads.
The recalibrated seven-speed twin-clutch Seamless Shift Gearbox (SSG) also has Normal, Sport and Track modes, and now features for the first time an independent gearbox clutch controller that produces quick shifts and continuous acceleration. Other than the fact that I’m pulling the paddle-shifter and can hear the engine revs drop, my body isn’t able to sense when the gear changes happen — it’s just one uninterrupted sensation of forward thrust, best enjoyed at freeway on-ramps.
During my all-too-brief time with the 570S, it also happened to be McLaren Marque Day at the world-famous Supercar Sunday. There were many different examples of the 570S on hand, and I took the opportunity to poll some people about their affinity to the car.
Much to my surprise, the conversation didn’t go down the path of performance, but focused more on creature comforts and daily usability — there’s a place for things like your cell phone, sunglasses, an overnight bag, etc. And you don’t have to use both hands to throw your legs into the car thanks to the MonoCell II chassis which features a sloping side-sill design. The dual-tone interior and color accents also garnered a lot of compliments.
After a few more conversations, it became clear that McLaren owners really value the lifestyle — and the ease of access to said lifestyle — that their car grants them.
For me, the 570S really enhanced my social life, even when it was just parked. Yes, the dihedral doors attract a lot of attention while they’re open, but they also act as an instant ice-breaker — it’s never been easier to meet people and start conversations than when I was standing next to the car.
With my time in the 570S drawing to a close, I took it for one last cruise along the coast and found some twisties with a view. This is where the car really came alive — the harder I pushed it, the better it performed.
The monstrous V8 behind me seemed to rev forever, producing predictable and linear power that’s easy to control. The sounds, g-forces and feedback from the car made me feel like I was setting a record-run on the Goodwood Hillclimb, but in reality, I was barely scratching the surface of the 570S’s true potential — there’s no doubt it was born to run on the track.
If McLaren’s first entry in their Sports Series is this awesome, I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next!
Special thanks to Joseph Lofaro, assistant service manager at McLaren Newport Beach, for prepping the 570S for its weekend adventure with me.
