MCLAREN MP4-12C Spider Review

It’s hard to think of another change that would’ve helped the MP4-12C more in terms of visual appeal than the Spider-ization. The Coupe could offer a more striking design and the new styling cues allow the car to do just that. As you approach the vehicle, there’s something that catches your eye. And it’s not all about the new shapes tickling your curiosity - the Spider genuinely looks sexier, exactly what you want from a car that’s supposed to be... super.

However, this should’ve been called the “McLaren MP4-12C Targa”, since the designation suits the car much better than “Spider”. That’s because, like the Ferrari 458 Spider it targets, this McLaren is more of a Coupe with a missing roof panel. Of course, McLaren didn’t find such a fancy name for it’s all-serious supercar

You are now protected from the elements by a two-piece Retractable Hard Top that can go up or down in under 17 seconds and lets you play with it on the move, up to 19 mph (30 km/h). And McLaren’s manner of stowing the roof under the tonneau behind it reminded us of a mother’s magical way of folding a t-shirt - everything looks extremely easy and the job is done swiftly.

Both the roof and the tonneau are made of the same composite material as the body, so we’re dealing with fiberglass. However, those attractive rear buttresses include individual steel structures that are ready to take the force of the blow, should you ever achieve the feat of landing an MP4-12C Spider on its roof.

The Spider was part of the MP4-12C project from the very beginning, so the carbon fibre MonoCell didn’t need any reinforcements that would compensate for the lack of rigidity brought by chopping the roof off. If you’re a car geek, that will sound amazing, but there’s more. McLaren tells us that the suspension didn’t require any modifications either!

Put a McLaren MP4-12C Spider on a scale and you’ll notice that it’s only 88 LBS (40 KG) beefier than a Coupe, weighing 3,250 LBS (1,474 KG), Most of the extra weight comes from the new haircut, but the company brags that there’s also a tiny bit that’s not connected to the roof, such as an exhaust system that’s 4.5 LBS (2 KG) heavier.

Just like in the case of its Coupe brother, the McLaren MP4-12C Spider hides many subtle styling tricks, such as small concave & convex areas, that seem to be invisible in the pictures. When compared with its rivals, the MP4-12C Spider still doesn’t get the Olympic Gold for making you weak in the knees after a simple glance. Nevertheless, the car comes considerably closer to this than the Coupe.