A big round of applause please for Britain’s McLaren Racing.
If you follow the cut and thrust of Formula 1, you’ll know the team took home the coveted Constructor’s Championship at the end of last season. The last time this happened was 26 years ago. It was a big deal.
Right now I’m seeing a wave of orange mist – orange is to McLaren what red is to Ferrari – wafting over me as I settle-in behind the wheel of this newly-minted 2025 Artura Spider hybrid supercar, painted in a retina-searing shade, aptly-named McLaren Orange.
While this Artura Spider is the first-rung on the McLaren road-car ladder – not that something costing $278,800, or $344,700 very nicely loaded could be classed as entry-level – it feels every bit the road-going Formula 1 car it is.
No, it’s not the fastest or most-potent McLaren you can buy. That honor goes to the rolling insanity that’s the brand new W1, with its 1,258 horsepower, 217 mph top speed, and $2.1 million price tag.
But to us mere mortals, who don’t drive with a full-face helmet and a Nomex racing romper suit, it’s how we imagine a F1 car to be.
It certainly has the power. Mid-mounted behind the cockpit is a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 nuclear reactor juiced, in hybrid fashion, by a torque-rich electric motor.
Combined they deliver a mighty 690 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque. SpaceX rockets make do with less.
It has the performance too, boasting standstill to 60 mph sprints in 2.8 seconds, standstill to 124 mph in 8.4 and a top speed of 205 mph. And with the car’s 7.4 kWh battery fully charged, it’ll go for 11 miles on zero emission electric power. Perfect for not annoying the neighbors when you sneak out in the wee hours.
But there’s another 11 that’s just as impressive. That’s the 11 seconds it takes for the Spider’s one-piece glass roof to glide rearwards and tuck beneath a rear-hinged carbon fiber cover.
Splash an extra $9,400 and you get the must-have electrochromic glass that, at the touch of a button, goes from clear to opaque in an instant. Perfect to temper the Florida midday sun.
Like McLaren F1 superstar Lando Norris’ weekend driver, the Artura’s cockpit is all-business, no nonsense. It’s acres of coal-black Alcantara suede and black carbon fiber. Only slender ribbons of bright orange piping break-up the Darth Vader look.
Seated behind that pool-noodle-thick wheel, held tight by seats that embrace you like a John Cena body-lock, and you’re ready to roll. Press the big Tropicana-orange ‘start’ button, hit D-for-drive, and ease away.
Instantly you’re aware of the car’s incredible lightness; at around 3,200 pounds, it’s supermodel-skinny, weighing just 136 pounds more than the coupe. Put that down to the Artura’s I-beam-stiff carbon fiber monocoque that incorporates much of the black art that goes into Lando’s F1 racer.
Now floor the gas, feel the tumultuous forward thrust and try not to scream too many expletives. Yes, the off-the-line acceleration is mind-altering, but arguably it’s the mid-range thrust that thrills the most. Lunging out of a freeway on-ramp, or blasting past slower traffic on a back-country two-lane? Insane.
And oh the noise. Admittedly it’s not as soulful as McLaren’s V8-powered rocketships. But as the V6 spins towards its 8,200 rpm redline, there’s a deep, urgent, intense howl made even more thrilling by having that top down and windows lowered.
Find yourself a tight curve or two and you’ll discover the sheer brilliance of the McLaren’s steering. It’s old-school hydraulic-assist rather than modern-day electric. But the astonishing level of feedback, the perfect weighting, the laser-sharp precision is, undoubtedly, this car’s greatest attribute.
Yet the genius of this new Spider is just how easy it is to drive. Hit the comfort setting, and it can glide around town, usually in electric mode, with a ride that’s as smooth as a Lexus. And for a hip-high supercar, all-round visibility is impressive.
While this new Spider costs $24,700 more than the fixed-roof Artura Coupe, it’s worth every penny. It may just be my favorite McLaren. I’d take mine in orange please.
