New McLaren Artura Spider Debuts Several Upgrades for the Artura Coupe

First and foremost, we're dealing with a one-piece hardtop that retracts electrically in 11 seconds at up to 31 miles per hour. If you prefer metric units, make that 50 kilometers per hour. Two motors are tasked with folding the roof, another two with raising and lowering the rear tonneau cover, and two more control the aero covers on the buttresses.

Six thus far, but McLaren has added two more for the rear window and the latching mechanism. That's eight motors in total, which explains the Artura Spider's additional 136 pounds (62 kilograms) over the Artura Coupe. According to McLaren, the DIN curb weight of the Artura Spider is 3,439 pounds or 1,560 kilograms for the lightest spec available.

The British automaker also claims that its first hybrid convertible is lighter by as much as 183 pounds (83 kilograms) compared to rivals. Emphasis on rivals, which is a bit weird considering that only the 296 GTS competes with the Artura Spider. We should also remember that Ferrari uses aluminum rather than lightweight carbon fiber for the chassis.

The so-called Retractable Hard Top is – by default – a carbon fiber and composite panel. An electrochromic glass panel is available, but alas, McLaren didn't offer any pricing information. The fancy panel can block 99 percent of the sunlight at the touch of a button thanks to Suspended Particle Device (SPD) technology, which stands for rod-like particles suspended in a matrix coated between two sheets of PET that are coated with ITO. The film is then laminated between two pieces of glass.

The Suspended Particle Device technology also reduces heat transfer into the cabin by blocking 96 percent of the solar energy. While on the subject of cooling, the Artura Spider also differs from the Artura Coupe by means of an aerothermal cooling system for the powertrain. It comprises four ducting systems, including two inlets located on the outer sections of the upper rear bodywork. The polycarbonate buttresses are designed to channel air into the tonneau cover's ducts for extra cooling.

Both the Artura Spider and Artura Coupe benefit from a recalibrated anti-lock braking system, new brake cooling ducts, carbon-ceramic brake rotors with aluminum calipers, new powertrain mounts, the so-called Spinning Wheel Pull-Away feature for the launch control system, revised suspension, and a recalibrated transmission with a pre-fill feature that increases shift speeds by 25 percent. How come? By automatically pressurizing hydraulic fluid to the threshold required to perform a shift.

The 120-degree V6 of the Artura belts out 605 ps and 585 Nm (596 horsepower and 431 pound-feet), whereas the electric motor develops up to 95 ps and 225 Nm (94 horsepower and 166 pound-feet). All told, the 2025 model year Artura develops 700 ps and 720 Nm (690 horsepower and 531 pound-feet). Not as powerful and nor as torquey as the Italian competitor, the Macca needs 3.0 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) and 10.8 seconds to cover the quarter mile. Top speed? That would be an electronically limited 205 miles per hour (330 kilometers per hour), whereas electric range is estimated at 21 miles (33 kilometers) in the WLTP or 11 miles (18 kilometers) in the EPA's test cycle.

Deliveries for the 2025 McLaren Artura will start mid-2024 for both versions. The Artura Spider carries a starting price of $273,800 in the United States of America. Prospective customers are presented with three optional interior themes: Performance, TechLux, and Vision. Each adds $9,400 to the final price, meaning that a well-equipped Artura Spider costs well over $300,000.