Elite Traveler Summer 2020

McLaren 2020 600LT Spider Ponder the misnomer of ‘adding lightness.’ McLaren’s latest offering embodies that philosophy while managing to redefine the status quo of a high-performance convertible. The fifth car to carry the Longtail name, the 600LT Spider features a 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 capable of 592 hp. Generally, when automakers retool a coupe to a convertible, the scales tip in the most dreadful ways. Weight increases while headroom and driving comfort decrease. Rigidity is inevitably compromised. Not so with the 600LT Spider. Committed to a carbon-fiber diet, McLaren inserted its racing seats from the P1 and equipped the supercar with a forged aluminum suspension and minimalistic instrumentation in the cockpit. Engineers reduced the length of the exhaust pipes, rerouting them to exit atop the mid-mounted engine. Hitting the scale at 2,859 lbs, the 600LT Spider delivers an astounding power/ weight ratio of 4.82 lbs/hp. (The traditional sports car standard is 10 pounds for every horsepower; the new McLaren doubles that.) Occasionally, driving a supercar feels more like a battle than a pleasure; not so with the McLaren. Falling into the LT lineup, its electrohydraulic steering provides concentrated but not overwhelming or unwieldy sensitivity. This machine fancies track-focused driving but is equally at ease playing nice in the neighborhood. From $256,500, mclaren.com

A limited-volume vehicle, each 600LT Spider is hand-assembled in Woking, England