The McLaren 650S is a British sports car designed and manufactured by British automobile manufacturer McLaren Automotive. It was announced in February 2014 as a new model, but based on the existing MP4-12C with 25% new parts, and was formally unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show.
The 650S shares the MP4-12C's carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer chassis, and is powered by the same 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged McLaren M838T V8 engine, but is now rated at 650 PS (478 kW; 641 hp) and 500 lb⋅ft (678 N⋅m) of torque. Power is transmitted to the wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
The 650S is an evolution of the preceding 12C and uses the findings gained from the P1 in order to make the car more responsive and focused. It was initially designed to be offered alongside the 12C but the declining sales of the 12C prompted McLaren to market the 650S as its replacement. The 650 in the car's name refers to the engine's power output in Pferdest rke, the European standard for horsepower while the S stands for Sport. Most of the components are carried over from the 12C which includes the carbon-fibre monocoque chassis which has aluminium subframes front and aft. The monocoque weighs 75 kg (165 lb) and is manufactured by Carbo Tech, an aerospace contractor based in Austria. With an aim of building 4,000 cars per year, McLaren deemed the traditional pre-impregnation method used to mould parts too labour intensive and instead used an alternative method which involves a resin transfer moulding process.
The process involves a mould whose tooling involves internal, removable mandrels for the hollow sections which allows the tub to be built in one piece. The pre-cut sheets of carbon fibre are placed in the tooling of the mould and aluminium components are also positioned to be bolted onto the monocoque later. To avoid the galvanic corrosion between aluminium and carbon, the aluminium components of the chassis are primed before assembly. The wide and deep hollow box sections on each side of the carbon fibre tub are designed for easy entry and exit from the car.
The powertrain of the 650S is largely carried over from the 12C but involves new pistons, better-flowing cylinder heads, new exhaust valves, and recalibrated camshaft timing. A new exhaust system also reduces weight while being more responsive. The red-line of the engine was increased to 8,500 rpm.
The engine is mated to the same 7-speed dual clutch transmission as in the 12C but it has been recalibrated for faster shift times. The 650S comes with new aluminium forged wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres having wider contact patch than the previous versions for improved grip. In order to improve ride quality, McLaren used ProActive Chassis Control (PCC) which is a derivative of McLaren's F1 active suspension system. The system consists of dampers on either sides of the car which are hydraulically linked which allows the car to resist roll. The dampers have been divided into sections for rebound and compression. The front damper's compression is linked to the rear damper's rebound. The pressure is gathered in an accumulator which is controlled using gas pressure, by adjusting the pressure in each accumulator, the stiffness of the suspension is adjusted for different driving conditions.
A new front splitter and redesigned wing blades increase downforce by 24% over the 12C while the new tyres contribute to improved handling. The new rear diffuser is based on the bumper/diffuser concept and is carried over from the 12C GT3 race car. The air brake which is carried over from the 12C is now controlled by an onboard computer which uses the data gathered from accelerometers in the car in order to counteract lift. The 650S also makes use of a Drag Reduction System (DRS) for reducing drag and to improve the car's aerodynamics. Like the 12C, the 650S comes standard with a carbon ceramic braking system manufactured by Akebono but the problems related to braking response in the 12C were addressed and improvements were made.
The 650S featured a revised front end, resembling the flagship P1 in order to update the styling of the car and to give it a more aggressive appearance than its predecessor. The design language defined the design ethos of future McLaren sports cars.
The interior includes alcantara as the standard upholstery material and the infotainment system is based on the same unit used in the P1. Optional carbon fibre sports seats reduce the weight of the car by 15 kg. The interior focus on a symmetrical design language which McLaren claims reduces the shift time required by the owner to learn about the car's functions. The portrait infotainment screen is improved over the 12C and the sat nav system is now easily accessible.
The 650S has a claimed top speed of 333 km/h (207 mph), and can accelerate from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 3.0 seconds and from 0–200 km/h (0–124 mph) in 8.4 seconds.
First announced in February 2014, the 650S Spider is a convertible version of the 650S. It weighs 40 kg (88 lb) more than the coupe, but it offers nearly identical performance. The Spider has the same structural stiffness as the coupé primarily because the carbon monocell chassis was designed without a roof. the Spider features a three-piece retractable hard-top carbon fibre roof which takes 17 seconds for operation.
It can accelerate from 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph) in 3 seconds and has a top speed of 328 km/h (204 mph). Up to 25 percent of the parts are new compared to the 12C Spider.
An MSO (McLaren Special Operations) version of the 650S is offered in a limited production run of 50 vehicles. Introduced in 2014, the car was offered in three matte carbon, exclusive MSO colours, Papaya Spark, Agrigan Black and Sarigan Quartz. It features unique and lightweight alloy wheels. These are 4 kg (9 lb) lighter than the standard alloys, helped by the fact that titanium wheel bolts are used. The interior is upholstered in alcantara and contains a specialised plaque which has the car's designer Frank Stephenson's branded sketch and an MSO branded leather holdall.
In September 2014, McLaren launched an additional model to the range, the 625C, available in both coupé and roadster bodystyles and aimed at specific markets in the South Asia Pacific region. As with the 650S, the 625 in the model's name refers to the engine's power output in PS while the C refers to Club which hints at the less extreme nature of the car.
Powered by the same 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, but with a reduced power output of 625 PS (460 kW; 616 hp). The 625C is fitted with new dampers and a revised suspension setup, including softer spring rates. Braking is by cast-iron discs instead of the carbon fibre-ceramic units fitted to the 650S. Top speed remains the same as the 650S but acceleration from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) is slightly slower at 3.1 seconds (when equipped with optional Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres).
A McLaren 650S Le Mans was revealed in early 2015 to commemorate McLaren’s inaugural win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995. This edition marks McLaren’s 20th anniversary since this important win - it was also their first entry ever at Le Mans where five McLaren F1 GTRs finished 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th.
Developed by McLaren Special Operations, the McLaren 650S Le Mans is limited to 50 units all in coupe variants. It is inspired by the No.59 McLaren F1 GTR that won the 1995 Le Mans. Hence the 650S Le Mans is finished in a metallic Sarthe Grey exterior colour and fitted with ‘Le Mans Edition’ lightweight wheels. Other distinct features from the entry 650S model include a functional roof-mounted engine induction ‘snorkel’ and subtle louvres on the front wings.
The Can-Am is a limited edition of the 650S Spider developed by McLaren Special Operations and features cosmetic upgrades over the standard model. It was introduced as a celebration of the 50 years of the first Can-Am race. Differences from the standard 650S Spider include a carbon-fibre hood, roof, airbrake, door blades and front splitter. The car comes with forged alloy wheels with titanium wheel nuts in the style of the Can-Am race cars of the 1960s wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres. The car featured a slightly designed rear end featuring quad exhaust tips while the front has additional brake cooling gills on the front fenders. The launch car was finished in Mars Red harking back to Bruce McLaren's M1B race car. Other colours included racing orange and onyx black and were available in customisable race liveries. Production was limited to 50 units only.
The McLaren 675LT is a lightweight, track-focused evolution of the McLaren 650S. It was announced in February 2015 and introduced at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.
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