McLaren 570S

McLaren 570S at a glance

The 570S sits in the McLaren family between the first modern McLaren road car, the MP4-12C, and the Super Series 720S. The background of the company - from Bruce McLaren's racing team to the road-car business - is told in our McLaren history.

Design and chassis

The design team led by Rob Melville gave the 570S its own look while keeping the McLaren family features: a low nose, large side intakes that feed the radiators and dihedral doors that open upwards and outwards. The rear styling borrows from the McLaren P1, with a narrow light signature and an open grille over the engine.

Under the skin is the MonoCell II, a carbon fibre monocoque developed from the tub of the 12C. Its lower sills make getting in and out easier than in the earlier car. The body is 4,529 mm long, 1,915 mm wide and 1,201 mm high, on a 2,670 mm wheelbase. The dry weight is 1,356 kg; ready to drive with fluids, the car weighs 1,452 kg.

Engine and gearbox

The 570S uses a version of McLaren's 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8, coded M838TE, with about 30 per cent of its parts redesigned compared with the earlier versions of the engine. It produces 419 kW (570 PS) and 600 Nm and drives the rear wheels through a seven-speed Graziano SSG dual-clutch transmission.

McLaren gave these figures for the coupé:

These numbers placed the 570S in the territory of much more expensive supercars of the time, while its daily usability - a usable front luggage compartment, good visibility and a ride softer than in the Super Series cars - was part of its appeal.

Sports, Super and Ultimate Series

When the 570S arrived, McLaren divided its road cars into three tiers. The Ultimate Series held the limited hypercars such as the P1 and the track-only P1 GTR. The Super Series held the 650S and the 675LT, later the 720S and the 765LT. The new Sports Series, opened by the 570S and the 540C, was the entry point to the brand.

The aim of the Sports Series was not to make a cheaper copy of the bigger cars. Every model kept the carbon fibre tub, the mid-mounted twin-turbo V8 and the dihedral doors, so even the least expensive McLaren used the same basic engineering as the brand's flagships. The differences were in the details: a simpler suspension without the hydraulically linked system of the Super Series, a less powerful version of the V8 and a cabin designed with longer journeys in mind. This structure explains why the 570S could be offered as a coupé, a Spider, a GT and two track-focused Longtail-style models without losing its identity.

The 570 family: 540C, 570GT and 570S Spider

The Sports Series grew quickly around the 570S:

The 570GT was the most comfortable member of the family. It has a glazed hatch over a luggage shelf behind the seats, softer suspension and more sound insulation. From early 2018 it came with carbon-ceramic brakes as standard.

The 570S Spider uses a two-piece aluminium roof that folds behind the seats. Because the carbon tub needs no extra stiffening, the Spider weighs only 46 kg more than the coupé and has the same drivetrain and performance with the roof up. Deliveries began in late 2017.

Track-focused versions: 600LT and 620R

The 600LT, revealed in June 2018, was the fifth McLaren "Longtail". It has 441 kW (600 PS) and 620 Nm, a body extended by 73.7 mm, top-exit titanium exhausts and a dry weight of 1,247 kg - 96 kg less than the 570S. About 23 per cent of its parts are new. A 600LT Spider followed in January 2019.

The 620R, presented in December 2019, is a road-legal version of the 570S GT4 race car. It has 456 kW (620 PS) and 620 Nm, carbon-ceramic brakes, an adjustable rear wing that produces 185 kg of downforce at 250 km/h, 0–100 km/h in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 322 km/h. McLaren planned 350 cars, but only 225 were built. Read more in our McLaren 620R article.

Legacy

The 570S showed that a carbon-chassis McLaren could work as an everyday supercar, and the Sports Series became an important part of the company's sales. Production ended in 2021, and the role of McLaren's entry supercar passed to the Artura, a V6 plug-in hybrid with a new carbon architecture. To compare the 570S with its bigger brothers, see the McLaren 675LT and McLaren 720S, or browse all supercars on 1CARS.

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