It’s a pity Bruce McLaren is no longer with us. He would have enjoyed the 2014 Grand Prix in Melbourne immensely. Not only would he have seen his latest F1 car gain a place on the podium, he would also have enjoyed time with his rival from many years ago, Australia’s legendary Jack Brabham, a keen spectator at the event.
These days ‘black Jack’ Brabham is Sir Jack, a knight of the realm. Sadly Bruce McLaren left us in 1970, at the age of just 32, during the pre-safety era when racing drivers were dying at an alarming rate.
But the New Zealander’s name lives on, primarily on highly-successful McLaren Mercedes Formula One racing cars, and from time to time in road-going supercars.
The latest of the latter is the redhot McLaren 650S. The ‘650’ is simple to explain, it stands for 650 horsepower produced by the mid-mounted 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine. (650 horsepower is 478 kilowatts, if anyone is interested in the metric numbers.)
Drive is taken to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
This is a true supercar, leaping from zero to 100 km/h in just 3.0 seconds, covering the standing 400 metres in a mere 10.5 seconds, on its way to a top speed 333 km/h. Make sure you’re in the Northern Territory before checking this out…
Carbon ceramic brakes sit behind lightweight alloy wheels and are shod with Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres,
Though the New Zealand name lingers on, McLaren has been based in England for many years. The McLaren 650S is built at Woking, in the same facility as the F1 cars.
“Driving excitement is at the absolute heart of the McLaren 650S,” says Mike Flewitt, the CEO of McLaren Automotive. “Of course the performance figures are important, and they help boost excitement. But they’re only part of the story. This is a car that’s about feel as well as measurement.”
Interestingly, the McLaren 650S isn’t a stripped out race-car-for-the road. The cabin is trimmed in Alcantara, with many details in carbon fibre. It has satellite navigation; Bluetooth; wireless tethering; audio streaming and voice control.
McLaren 650S was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in early March this year, and orders are now being taken in Australia from local agent Trivett Bespoke. The McLaren 650S coupe starts at $441,500, with the 650S Spider listed from $486,250.
