McLaren Artura Spider
Take the Artura Spider up to speed and the air wraps around the body like a leaded blanket and presses it deep into the pavement. Just like with a race car, increased velocity only makes the Artura more secure and stable. The mid-engine balance, the supple yet razor-sharp ride and the impossibly low center of gravity make every drive a circuit lap. Sure, it’s fetchingly beautiful with its sleek lines, flaring vents and butterfly doors, but those looks are the product of cold engineering, not a stylist’s dream. Each cutout, intake and curve are calculated for the ideal mix of downforce, cooling and drag.
Precision is what separates a purpose-built supercar like the Artura Spider from an upgraded sports car. McLaren’s singular mission means no baser trims to appease a large customer pool. For $274,000, the Artura Spider invites you not to sit but to merge your body’s movements and sensations with its own. Point the steering wheel a quarter inch to the left and you immediately feel the shift. Turn harder and your torso leans while the car remains dead flat. The Artura Spider’s carbon fiber chassis is an evolution of the single-piece, incredibly rigid and lightweight structure the company pioneered on its 1980s Grand Prix racers.
McLaren’s vaunted focus extends to its Surrey, England, factory. The meticulously clean steel-and-glass factory, where the cars are hand-assembled, integrates esthetics, efficiency and attention to details.
That efficiency extends to the plug-in hybrid powertrain. A twin-turbo V-6, supplemented by a small battery and single motor, belts out 690 horsepower and (if you go easy) 19 mpg fuel efficiency. The response and sonic fury are better than McLaren’s V-8 in the 750S. Instead of a reverse gear, the electric motor inside the eight-speed transmission spins backward. It starts silently, so you can leave and come home without a trace. Such stealth may not be for everyone. McLaren is without the mystique and uninterrupted heritage of its two closest rivals, Ferrari and Lamborghini. But for those who seek a perfect drive, McLaren is the proper measure.
