“Our Malaysian customers are very, very focused on performance. With some other markets, what we’ve seen are customers more interested in a lifestyle supercar with more of that daily drivability,” explains Charlotte Dickson, McLaren’s head of Asia-Pacific. “With the Malaysian customer, it’s really about performance and having the best supercar. They love to drive their cars on the track. I think it’s by far the most performance-focused market that we have in Asia. I’m always amazed how confident and capable they are on the track—they drive exceptionally well.”
As such, she expects the new McLaren 750S to be a hit in Malaysia. It has a lot to live up to, as the 750S succeeds the tremendously popular 720S. Released in 2017, the 720S was lauded for its no-compromises cocktail of incredible performance, usability and even a bit of luxury. It could be argued that the 750S is a facelift, and McLaren is quite open about the fact that only about 30 per cent of its components are different from its predecessor. But it is a meaningful 30 per cent.
Already known for its lightweight nature, the standard 750S loses 30kg from the 720S, with carbon fibre-shelled racing seats now fitted as standard, and new 10-spoke forged alloy wheels the lightest-ever fitted in a series-production McLaren. With various additional carbon fibre specifications, the 750S can have a dry weight of as little as 1,277kg. It also features an evolution of the brand’s Proactive Chassis Control linked-hydraulic suspension for even greater agility and feedback, and is combined with a faster steering ratio. Aerodynamic improvements mean more downforce and balance. The engine is a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, as it should be, now pushing out 740bhp. The 750S will make 0-100k/h in 2.8s and 0-200km/h in 7.2s. Although the much-heralded Artura brought a hybrid six-cylinder to the brand’s stable for the first time in 2022, the 750S is still as traditional as it gets for McLaren—rear-mid engine with rear wheel drive.
“When we launched it, the 720S definitely was a very big step forward in the supercar segment,” Dickson says. “It was and still is an unbelievable car. There are a number of differences that just take the amazing 720S and make it that little bit better, which I don’t think anyone really thought we were able to do because the 720S was so good. At McLaren, we call it a relentless pursuit to break the benchmark—and that’s what we’ve done with the 750S.”
The 750S also includes a number of quality-of-life upgrades. Apple CarPlay is now available, and a new ‘MCL’ button (McLaren Control Launcher) enables a one-touch recall of a favourite setting. Reverse and surround cameras have been upgraded, and the vehicle-lift system is much faster, taking only four seconds to engage rather than 10. The most noticeable change is the instrument cluster, which is very much like the one that was first seen on the Artura—it is fixed to the steering column, which means that it moves with the steering wheel when the latter is adjusted. Powertrain and handling switches are now positioned on either side of it, which means that both can be manipulated without taking one’s hands off the wheel. As on the Artura, it is a practical and efficient layout—though it comes at the cost of the 720S’s greatest party trick, which was an instrument display that folds downwards when the car is set in race mode, leaving only the absolute essential readouts visible on a smaller screen. As fun as it was, it appears that this is one aspect where sensibility has won out.
“In general, if you look at a McLaren customer, they are very technology-focused. That’s how McLaren was set up originally—it was a technology-based company. Driving technology is always a key focus, whether you want to use the car every day or on the track,” Dickson says. “I think that our customers are extremely passionate. If you look back at our heritage, Bruce McLaren, his history and how he set up the company, he had a huge passion for driving and cars. And I think that reflects through the company now—we’re an extremely passionate group of people around the brand. Passionate, technology-focused, bold people that want to push the boundaries of the car that they’re driving.”
