The Spider version of the gorgeous McLaren MP4-12C has been revealed by the British carmaker, a vehicle which will be capable of hitting a top speed of 196 mph, while the 0-62 mph sprint will be done in only 3.1 seconds, although the car is 40 kg heavier in comparison to its coupe sibling. The vehicle comes with a two-piece retractable hard-top which is stored between the seats when it’s not used.
Thanks to the implementation of this compact design, the engineers from McLaren have managed to keep the glass engine cover seen on the coupe version. The roof needs 17 seconds to go up or down and this can be done at speeds of up to 19 mph by the simple push of a button installed on the center console. We should also mention that there’s a glass screen located between the two buttresses which the drive can operate independently from the car’s roof. As you probably have guessed, with the roof up this will improve ventilation while when the roof is down it doubles as a windbreak. The car will be sold with two soft bags which have been designed in order to fit in the vehicle’s 52-liter storage space available behind the seats while the roof is up.
The McLaren MP4-12C Spider is motivated by the same engine as the coupe so it gets that impressive V8 3.8-liter unit that pumps out no less than 616 hp. The 0-62 mph sprint time is the same one as for the coupe but the Spider is 0.2 seconds slower when accelerating from 0 to 124 mph, needing 9 seconds as opposed to the coupe which can hit this speed in 8.8 seconds. With the roof down the car is capable of reaching a top speed of 196 mph while with the roof up the speedometer can reach 204 mph.
It borrows the carbon fiber lightweight Monocell chassis from the coupe, and the automaker has said that there was no need for additional strengthening. We should also mention that a rollover protection is built into the buttress. A cool feature is that the audio system will automatically adjust the volume as well as the tone depending on whether the roof is down or up. In addition, the updated climate control system will also adjust on its own in order to compensate for the exterior elements.
The car is already available on pre-order and it has a starting price of 195,500 pounds which makes it 19,500 pounds more expensive than the coupe. The first units of the McLaren MP4-12C Spider will be delivered this November.
Source: McLaren via Autocar.co.uk
