McLaren 720S

McLaren 720S technical data

The step up from the 650S

The 720S was the second all-new car of McLaren's Super Series, the range between the cheaper Sports Series and the limited Ultimate Series. Its predecessor, the 650S, had grown out of the McLaren MP4-12C of 2011. McLaren described the 720S as 91 % new, and the old version of this page gave its internal code as P14. Orders opened on the day of the Geneva reveal, all 400 Launch Edition cars were sold quickly, and customer deliveries began in May 2017.

The shape was new too. The headlights sit in deep "eye sockets" that also channel air to the radiators, so the car needs no conventional side intakes. Aerodynamics produce half as much downforce again as the 650S, and an active rear wing changes angle with speed and works as an air brake. The company's background is in our history of McLaren.

Engine and gearbox

The M840T is a 3,994 cc twin-turbo V8 developed from the 3.8-litre M838T of the 650S. The old version of this page said 41 % of its parts were new. Peak power arrives at 7,500 rpm and peak torque at 5,500 rpm. A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which McLaren calls SSG, drives the rear wheels. By our calculation, that is about 133 kW per litre, a very high figure for a road engine meant to run for many years.

Fuel use is moderate for the performance: the official combined figure is 10.7 litres per 100 km, with 249 g/km of CO₂. Real-world use on fast roads is of course much higher.

Carbon tub, chassis and weight

At the heart of the car is the MonoCage II, a carbon fibre tub with an integrated roof structure. It is 18 kg lighter than the tub of the 650S. The Proactive Chassis Control II suspension, which links the dampers hydraulically instead of using anti-roll bars, is another 16 kg lighter. McLaren quotes a dry weight of 1,283 kg, while the kerb weight with fluids is 1,419 kg.

The dihedral doors use a double-skin construction and lift up and forward. Inside, a Folding Driver Display lies flat in track mode and shows only the essential information on a thin screen. Variable Drift Control lets the driver adjust how much the stability control allows the rear to slide. Our power-to-weight calculator compares these ratios with other cars.

Performance: claims and test results

McLaren's figures were conservative. Independent tests of standard cars beat several of them:

These results put the 720S among the fastest-accelerating rear-wheel-drive cars of its time, in some tests close to hypercars that cost several times more. Carbon-ceramic brake discs are standard, and the old version of this page quoted 4.6 seconds to stop from 200 km/h.

The 720S Spider

McLaren revealed the 720S Spider in December 2018. Its retractable hard top opens or closes in 11 seconds at speeds up to 50 km/h. The Spider weighs about 45 kg more than the coupé, but McLaren still quoted 0–97 km/h in 2.9 seconds and 0–193 km/h in 7.9 seconds. Top speed is 341 km/h with the roof closed and about 16 km/h lower with it open.

Special editions, racing cars and the 765LT

Several special versions were built on the 720S:

• 720S GT3 (revealed August 2018): a customer racing car for GT3 series, priced at 564,000 US dollars (about €480,000 at the time) and updated in 2023.
• 720S GT3X (March 2021): a track-only version freed from GT3 rules; it won the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed hill climb in 45.01 seconds.
• Apex Collection (2019): 15 cars in five designs at 288,813 pounds each in the UK.
• 720S Le Mans (2020): on sale from 17 June 2020, celebrating McLaren's 1995 Le Mans victory.
• 765LT (2020): the lighter Longtail version with 563 kW, described on our McLaren 765LT page.

Price, production and the 750S

At launch in April 2017, the 720S coupé cost 208,600 pounds in the UK, about €238,000 at the average exchange rate of that year. By our calculation, that is roughly 394 pounds per kW. Regular production exceeded 5,000 cars by one Australian estimate, which makes the 720S a relatively common supercar on the used market.

In 2023 the McLaren 750S replaced it. The 750S keeps the same basic structure but has 552 kW and less weight. The 720S therefore remains the purest version of the design as first conceived.

Living with a 720S

For a car this fast, the 720S is practical. There is a luggage space of about 150 litres under the nose and a shelf of about 210 litres behind the seats, enough for two soft bags. The dihedral doors need less side room than conventional doors, but the wide carbon sills make getting in an acquired skill. The infotainment screen is small and simple, and the 720S lacks the larger touchscreen and phone mirroring that arrived with the 750S. Servicing must be done by McLaren dealers or specialists, and tyres wear quickly on a car with 770 Nm driving the rear axle.