Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia - We’re closing in on 260km/h as we blast ferociously down the front straight of the Sepang International Circuit in the McLaren 750S Coupe, confident that the stupendous standard-fit carbon-ceramic brakes will rein-in our speed as we set the car up for Turns 2 to 4.
Fast as it is on the straights, the corners are where the 750S really starts to shine.
It’s hard to resist the call of a McLaren with its engine at full flight, because the Woking-based sportscar brand creates some of the most evocative sporting machines around.
The 750S is an update to the 720S, and sits snugly under the lightweight and very hardcore, range-topping 765LT (LT is short for Longtail, a moniker reserved for McLaren’s harder-edged derivatives).
The numbers correspond to the model’s output, with the 750S’s turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 rated at 750hp (and 800Nm). These represent a modest 30hp and 30Nm over the 720S it replaces. More crucially though, the 750S is 30kg lighter, which translates to even keener reflexes when you’re dicing with corners.
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Instead of merely upping engine output, McLaren has always regarded holistic weight loss as a means of improving its sportcars’ agility, balance and performance. This imparts a nimbleness to the lithe machines that will stir the soul of any petrolhead when the going gets winding.
Rear wing is bigger but lighter; 750S now gets single-exit exhaust
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With regards to top speed, the 750S’s 332km/h may be less than the 720S’s 341km/h, but it has been tweaked to deliver more visceral responses when you’re carving up corners on both the circuit and the winding roads.
McLaren has sprinkled its LT magic dust on the 750S, but it isn’t intended to narrow the gap with the 765LT. Instead, these tweaks improve the 720S’s already impressive depth of abilities for both the road and the track.
TL;DR, the 750S delivers the performance goodness of the 765LT, albeit without the latter’s harder-edged dynamic qualities, not least because the 765LT’s chassis is engineered for uncompromising track-work.
Coupled to closer gear ratios for blistering, in-gear acceleration, the 750S also boasts more downforce (its carbonfibre rear-wing is larger, but 1.6kg lighter than the 720S’s).
More importantly, the 750S rides on the latest generation ProActive Chassis Control (or PCC) III – the brand’s supremely adaptable hydraulic damping system. PCC III features lighter spring/damper units and has been tuned to deliver entertaining and engaging dynamics, yet retains a level of comfort to rival your average luxury sedan.
Those who recall the MP4-12C from 2011 will appreciate that McLaren has evolved through the model iterations. Early models were engineered to deliver consistent and fast laps, but some regarded them as overly clinical.
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From the 650S onwards to the 720S and now the 750S, the genus has evolved to serve up seriously salacious thrills alongside its renowned precision, so progress can be as fun or as fast as you desire.
Gorgeous dihedral-opening doors a long-time McLaren trademark
The 750S still boasts the familiar dihedral-opening doors of the brand’s cars, but minor nips and tucks to its styling (yes, even around the distinctive “eye-socket” headlights) have created an evolution to the 720S, as opposed to a revolution.
McLaren has updated the 750S’s cabin to improve driver interface. Like the Elva and Artura, rocker controls to toggle between its ‘Powertrain’ and ‘Handling’ functions are positioned on either corner of the instrument binnacle, as opposed to the Active Panel that featured in the MP4-12C right up to the 720S. This means the driver won’t have to look away from the road when switching between dynamic settings.
A few welcome additions include a dedicated button for the car’s lifter function. It’s one-touch and takes 4 secs to actuate, a little slower than the 2.8 secs the 750S takes to blast from 0-100km/h. It can now be operated even when the steering wheel isn’t pointed straight.
There’s also a button with a stylised Kiwi’s beak on it (a symbolic nod to founder Bruce McLaren’s homeland, New Zealand) nicknamed “Speedy Kiwi”. One’s favourite dynamic settings can now be recalled instantly, so the driver no longer has to fiddle around trying to engage maximum attack mode when the red mist descends.
The carbon tub that underpins all McLarens ensures the proceedings remain flex-free and satisfyingly stiff when you’re pulling serious lateral gs, and you can place the car with pinpoint accuracy.
'Pothole' in the rear parcel shelf affords the occupants a view of the 4.0-litre V8
There’s a wonderful balance and composure to the 750S that let you ebb and flow with the peaks and troughs of the Sepang Circuit. The drive experience is wonderfully analogue, with proper feel and weighting from all the controls as you attack one apex after another, all to the accompaniment of that glorious V8 soundtrack.
Such rorty and rambunctious full-bodied ICE-powered (or Internal Combustion Engine) sportscars are becoming increasingly thin on the ground. However, the 750S is a fabulous testament to everything great about McLaren’s “Wok" culture, so if you’re itching to cancel one thing, let it be boring cars.
PHOTOS BY McLaren Singapore & McLaren Automotive
The author with the (from left to right) McLaren GT, 750S Coupe and Artura Coupe
McLaren 750S Coupe
Engine 3994cc, V8, turbocharged
Power 750hp at 7500rpm
Torque 800Nm at 5500rpm
Transmission 7spd SSG dual-clutch
0-100km/h 2.8 secs
Top Speed 332km/h
