Here’s How To “Hot Start” The McLaren 720S

As fate would have it, the Woking-based automaker rectified this lil’ issue with the 650S, three years after the first production-spec 12C rolled off the assembly line. With the 720S, I think we can all agree that “intense” is the best word to describe this model’s aural quality.

The source of this rowdiness is the M840T engine. A development of the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 in the 650S, the 4.0-liter mill boasts a lengthened stroke and more than 40 percent all-new components. In this application, the eight-cylinder bruiser develops 720 PS (710 horsepower) and a heady 770 Nm (568 pound-feet) at 5,500 rpm.

It sounds magnificent even at start up, when the force-fed engine burbles gently into life, subsequently settles down at idle, purring like a kitty. But here’s the thing: Did you know there’s a “hot start” mode the Macca boys have been keeping hush-hush all this time?

In short, the 720S’ “hot start” procedure is all about igniting unburnt fuel in the exhaust system. To engage it, first you need to find a car that’s already up to operating temperature. After pushing the start/stop button with the foot off the brake, the driver then needs to put the powertrain of the newest Super Series model in “Track Mode.”

So far so good, but then what? The final step is as simple as they come: Put your right foot on the brake pedal, press the start/stop button, and brace yourself for an extremely sonorous brap joined by a popping sound. That’s basically it, and it sure looks like fun.

On a slight tangent, McLaren’s head honcho confirmed that the 720S is just the start of the second-generation Super Series kin. Sometime later in 2018, the 720S will get a Longtail derivate with more power, more downforce, and an even louder exhaust system.