Early June on the French Riviera, or Cote d’Azur as it is more glamorously known: the temperature hovers between 18 and 24°C, and it’s dry and sunny, with a breeze and a touch of cloud cover. In other words, archetypically perfect weather. Is it cheating to showcase a convertible in these conditions? Either way, everyone does it. This year, it is McLaren’s turn, the global showcase of its latest handcrafted, made-in-Woking machine taking place here—within sight of the superyachts lapping lazily away in cerulean Mediterranean waters, and where roads snake around bright cliffs, dramatic gorges, and the rustic dwellings perched between them.
Not that the McLaren Artura Spider needs much help. It is the follow-up to 2022’s Artura coupe, which packed a V6 for the first time in the marque’s history. It is also McLaren’s first plug-in hybrid, aside from the limited production (and somewhat insane) P1 from the early 2010s. Taking off the roof, then, should be no problem for McLaren—we’ve seen them do it quite a few times before.
But this is no simple chop job. Evidently not one to rest on its laurels, McLaren has taken the chance to make quite a few improvements and live up to their ongoing reputation as the boffins they are. The power’s gone up, by 20bhp from the combustion engine alone, to 690bhp total; torque remains a mighty 720Nm. The power curve has been tweaked to play more addictively at the upper revs. It has new powertrain mounts, better securing the engine within the chassis, which makes for a more stable-feeling car during turns. The eight-speed gearbox, which hardly needed improvement, now shifts 25 per cent faster. The electrical architecture that controls the dampers have been upgraded for up to 90 per cent better response times. It has a new launch control system, with a ‘burnout’ mode—or, more correctly and much less succinctly: the ‘Spinning Wheel Pull-Away’ feature—for when life just isn’t dramatic enough. And the engine start/stop button is no longer red; it’s now papaya orange.
Then there’s the roof, of course. It has a carbon fibre and composite panel—though one can opt for electrochromic glass that darkens or goes transparent at the touch of a button—and it retracts in near-silence, thanks to eight electric motors. It does this in just 11 seconds and at speeds of up to 50km/h. The price of this speed and sophistication? A mere 62kg of added weight, compared with the coupe. Lightness is a McLaren hallmark, and the Artura Spider has a dry weight of just 1,457kg—and, lest we forget, this includes 88kg for the battery pack and 15kg for the electric motor.
On the rear deck, the flying buttresses have incorporated a transparent segment that improves visibility but also adds an openness to the aesthetic—particularly pronounced with the roof down. There’s been some engineering wizardry in this section as well; one of the peculiarities of the Artura is the ‘chimney’ that vents hot air upwards and away from the rear-mid mounted engine. This had to be moved backwards to accommodate the roof. There’s also been some additional ductwork and inlets of the sort needed to make the whole thing work, which is why this area of the car looks busier—and a little more aggressive—than the coupe.
The nice thing about driving in France is that they aren’t Italian-level chaotic, but not so uptight that you worry about a single mistake earning you an enemy for life, or being chased down by the cops if you (accidentally, of course) break the speed limit for a microsecond. Once off the surprisingly busy highways that run past Monte Carlo, Nice and Cannes, it’s pleasantly twisty roads with only the occasional lorry. It’s prime third- and fourth-gear territory, where the benefits of McLaren’s vaunted carbon fibre monocoque chassis can really be felt—stiffness, stability, poise. Hybrids may be the way of the supercar future, but the brand is stubbornly holding on to hydraulic steering—it has reassuring heft, tone of feedback, and feels so directly connected to the front axle, and is just a rare pleasure.
The main draw of open-top driving is the connection with the environments that are so often just passing blurs; in this case, at this time of the year, it’s wildflowers, dramatic vistas, cyclists and paragliders, and the occasional anti-Macron graffiti. It’s also a chance to experience the Artura’s own acoustics—the exhaust system has been revised for a cleaner, more enveloping sound. The optional sports exhaust system includes a ‘symposer’ mechanism that pipes even more sound into the cabin. With the roof down, all this is still easily accessible, thanks to the retractable rear window. And if you get tired of it all, there’s the optional 12-speaker Bowers and Wilkins sound system.
Roof aside, the Artura Spider carries with it all the benefits that the coupe brought. It handles beautifully and it’s quick—0-100km/h in 3.0 seconds, 0-200km/h in 8.4 seconds, and a top speed of 330km/h. It has the new user interface, including the effortless powertrain and suspension selector levers that you can keep your hands on the wheel to use, and practical and functional infotainment system that includes Apple CarPlay—and wireless charging now, as well. The hybrid powertrain provides an initial thrust that compensates for any turbo lag that the 3.0-litre V6 may have, and can run on electric-only for up to 33km of silently creeping through sleepy neighbourhoods.
The McLaren Artura Spider is a considerably improved iteration of the Artura coupe, but, fortunately, the latter is receiving many of the same upgrades going forwards. But it also looks like the Spider may be the de facto option for prospective Artura buyers. After all, the compromise for the retractable roof is so minimal, even if it’s only used three times a year—that’s still three times more than you’d get from a coupe.
