At the recent 2014 Geneva Motor Show, McLaren Automotive gave supercar fans yet another piece of eye candy to drool over.
The McLaren 650S is a striking new model from the company that brought us the F1, MP4-12C, and P1. In the above video, McLaren product manager Jamie Corstorphine takes some time from fielding journalists' questions at the company's Geneva stand to talk about how awesome the 650S is. As if he needed to.
Available in both coupe and convertible Spider form, the 650S is essentially a rework of the highly-capable 12C that promises better performance to match its more extroverted looks.
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Those looks are obviously meant to invoke the P1 hybrid hypercar, but an integrated front splitter and other aerodynamic enhancements should give it an aerodynamic edge as well. The 650S produces 24 percent more downforce than the 12C at 150 mph, according to McLaren, with no extra drag.
The 650S also features the same 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 as the 12C, but it;s been turned to produce an extra 25 horsepower, for a total of 641 (the "650" in the car's name refers to its metric output).
Unique to the 650S are a set of lightweight five-spoke alloy wheels, which come wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires and surround carbon-ceramic brakes. McLaren also adjusted the ProActive Chassis Control System to give the car a distinct feel.
On the inside, the 650S shares a lot with the 12C, including tech toys like SIRIUS satellite radio, Bluetooth, and IRIS satellite navigation.
With so many improvement and no apparent drawbacks, it's not surprising that McLaren has paused 12C production to concentrate on the 650S, which it expects to make up the bulk of its sales for the time being.
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