Rolling stock comes courtesy of a range of new forged wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Corsas – 225/35-R19 on the front and 285/35-R20 on the rear. To keep the party in check, massive carbon ceramic brakes with monoblock calipers are fitted as standard.

All this fancy technology is ensconced in a cocoon of aerodynamic delight. Rob Melville, Chief Designer for the 650S, says he based the design and style of the 650S off the legendary stealth jet, the SR-71 Blackbird. Most of us born before 1980 grew up with posters of the impossibly swoopy and menacing stealth spy plane. Similar to the SR-71’s design, McLaren says every single line and part on the 570S serves a specific function. The 570S is an evolution of everything McLaren has learned from developing the Super Series and the P1.

The ‘shrinkwrapped’ design highlights the latest evolution of McLaren’s design philosophy. Dave Eden expands on the shrinkwrapped design: “The 570 is everything we’ve learned from the Super Series and the P1, and we’ve put it into a newer and tighter package. Huge performance for a relatively small price.”

To get a feel for Woking’s latest, let’s start from the front. The nose of the car has a very defined point. It’s even more pronounced than the previous cars. It’s designed as a high-pressure point to pierce the air as quickly and cleanly as possible. The air continues to flow over the sculpted hood, which channels air over the front wheel arches and past the signature McLaren dihedral doors into the side intakes and underneath the car.

Flying buttresses at the rear of the teardrop-shaped glasshouse form part of the aero package, directing air over the shoulderline of the 570S and across the rear deck aiding heat evacuation from the exposed engine bay and increasing downforce by up to 8 kg. A flat underside combined with a large diffuser, works with the fixed aero (unlike the Super Series and P1 that both use active systems) and ties the entire aerodynamic package of the 570S together.

Super-formed rear fenders ensure clean air is delivered to the fixed rear spoiler, again maximizing downforce. The rear of the car is clean and uncluttered, with LED light-blade rear lamps that follow the form of the sculpted panels. The rear of the vehicle features an aluminum mesh allowing effective heat evacuation as well as a view into the engine bay. The twin exhausts exit below the rear bumper, on either side of the newly designed and highly intricate rear diffuser.

This purposeful design allows no room for useless aesthetics. Everything has a purpose and the design ensures a car that not only cuts through the air, but uses the same air for creating the perfect amount of downforce while keeping things cool.

The 570S also sets itself apart from the 650/675 and P1 by utilizing a conventional anti-roll bar system – instead of the hydraulic units in the 650/675 and P1 – combined with independent active dampers. Eden says, “We wanted to make a car that was exciting to drive without intimidating the driver. A sportscar suitable for everyday driving while offering supercar levels of performance.”

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