McLaren 720S
The McLaren 720S represents the perfect balance of everyday usability and track-focused performance. Its 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 produces 720 PS (710 hp), propelling this carbon fiber masterpiece to 100 km/h in just 2.9 seconds. It is the product of everything McLaren learned from the P1 hypercar and the 650S before it, distilled into a car that manages to be simultaneously a comfortable road car and a genuine track weapon.
The Genesis: Second Generation Super Series
When McLaren launched the 720S in 2017, it replaced the 650S — itself a highly regarded car — and needed to represent a step forward significant enough to justify the new model. The engineers at McLaren’s Technical Centre in Woking delivered not a modest evolution but a complete redesign, with a new engine, a new chassis architecture, a new aerodynamic philosophy, and a substantially revised suspension system.
The result was a car that was faster in every measurable dimension, lighter despite adding capability, and dramatically more sophisticated aerodynamically — while remaining a car that an owner could choose to drive to work on a Monday morning without suffering for it. This combination of performance and usability remains the 720S’s most remarkable achievement.
The Engine: M840T V8
The 720S uses the M840T engine — a development of the M838T V8 that powered the 650S, but substantially revised. The fundamental architecture is the same: a 3.994-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with a dry-sump lubrication system and a flat-plane crankshaft. But within that architecture, almost everything has been changed.
Turbos: The twin turbochargers are larger than those used in the M838T, with revised compressor and turbine wheel profiles that improve both low-end response and ultimate power. The turbo housings are cast iron for heat management.
Cooling: A unique twin-circuit cooling system uses one circuit for the engine and a separate circuit for the charge air — the air compressed by the turbochargers. Cooling the compressed air before it enters the engine allows more air (and therefore more fuel) to be burned without pre-detonation, increasing power output.
Power delivery: 720 PS (710 hp) at 7,500 rpm, and 770 Nm of torque from 5,500 rpm. But the torque is available much earlier — the twin-turbo setup provides meaningful thrust from below 2,000 rpm, making the engine tractable in urban traffic despite its ultimate performance.
Sound: The M840T is not a naturally aspirated engine and does not make the same theatrical sounds as a Ferrari V8 or a Lamborghini V10. But it is far from characterless. The twin turbos create a distinctive whoosh and whistle on overrun, and at full throttle the engine note builds from a low growl to a hard-edged scream that communicates the urgency of the acceleration.
Aerodynamic Excellence: Invisible Aerodynamics
McLaren’s philosophy with the 720S was to generate maximum aerodynamic effect with minimum visual disruption — what they call “invisible aerodynamics.” Where competitors bolt wings, vents, and scoops to the exterior, the 720S’s aerodynamic surfaces are integrated into the body to such a degree that casual observation reveals very little of what is happening aerodynamically.
The Dihedral Doors: The most visually striking feature of the 720S is the dihedral doors — hinged at the front and swinging up and inward as they open. These are not merely theatrical. The door structure itself forms part of the aerodynamic management of the car: the gap between the door and the body when open allows air to reach the rear-mounted radiators. When closed, the door surface creates a carefully shaped channel that manages airflow along the bodyside.
Hidden Intake Channels: Air enters the rear-mounted radiators through channels incorporated into the roofline just behind the door apertures — an arrangement visible only on close inspection. This allows the flanks of the car to be clean and smooth, contributing to the low drag coefficient.
Active Rear Spoiler: The 720S features an active rear aerodynamic element that operates in three positions depending on speed and driving mode. In its raised position, it provides significant downforce for track driving. In its stalled position (at maximum speed on a straight), it reduces drag to allow the highest possible top speed. In its brake position, it rises to near-vertical, acting as an airbrake to supplement the physical brakes during deceleration.
Overall Figures: The 720S generates meaningful downforce without any of the large fixed wings or obvious aerodynamic elements that characterize some competitors. The integrated approach is more elegant and, in McLaren’s view, more effective.
Carbon Fiber Monocoque: MonoCage II
The 720S’s chassis is the MonoCage II — an evolution of the MonoCell carbon fiber monocoque that underpinned the 650S, but with significant developments. The MonoCage II extends the carbon fiber structure higher, incorporating the windscreen surround and A-pillars into the monocoque rather than bolting a separate steel structure to a lower carbon tub.
This approach provides several advantages:
Weight: The 720S has a dry weight of 1,283 kg — extraordinary for a car of this performance level. The entire car, including the engine, transmission, wheels, and all interior equipment, weighs less than a compact family sedan. This weight advantage translates directly into acceleration, braking, and handling performance.
Rigidity: The extended monocoque structure provides excellent torsional rigidity — resistance to the twisting forces generated by the suspension during hard cornering. A stiffer chassis allows the suspension to be tuned more precisely, because the chassis is not flexing and interfering with the suspension geometry.
Safety: The carbon fiber structure that surrounds the occupants is extraordinarily strong in impacts. The 720S’s crash performance in NCAP and manufacturer testing demonstrates that the MonoCage II provides a very high level of occupant protection despite its low weight.
Proactive Chassis Control II: The Suspension
The 720S uses McLaren’s Proactive Chassis Control II (PCC II) — a hydraulically interconnected suspension system that links the dampers of all four wheels through a shared hydraulic circuit.
In a conventional suspension system, each wheel’s damper operates independently. Under hard cornering, the outer wheels compress and the inner wheels extend, creating body roll. In hard braking, the front compresses and the rear extends, creating dive. These responses can be managed with stiffer springs and dampers, but stiffer suspension compromises ride quality on normal roads.
PCC II manages this differently. By linking the dampers hydraulically, the system can resist roll and dive without requiring stiff springs — the hydraulic circuit provides the anti-roll stiffness that would otherwise require mechanical anti-roll bars. The result is a car that can be set up with relatively soft springs (for ride comfort) while still resisting body roll in corners (through the hydraulic interconnection).
Variable Drift Control: The 720S includes Variable Drift Control — a system that allows the driver to dial in a precise amount of wheelspin and oversteer on track. Rather than simply turning off traction control, VDC provides a graduated response that keeps the driver in control at extreme slip angles. It is the kind of system that separates a capable sports car from a genuinely exploitable track tool.
Daily Usability: The 720S as a Practical Proposition
Unlike many supercars — particularly those from Italy — the 720S is genuinely usable as a daily driver. This is not just marketing language; it reflects deliberate engineering choices.
Suspension comfort: In its softest mode (Comfort), the PCC II provides a ride quality that is genuinely comfortable on typical roads. The suspension absorbs bumps and undulations without transmitting harsh impacts to the occupants. This level of ride comfort in a car with 720 hp is remarkable.
Visibility: The large glass areas of the 720S provide good forward visibility. The rear three-quarter visibility — notoriously poor in many supercars — is aided by a rear camera. Parking is manageable.
Luggage space: There are two luggage areas — a small front compartment behind the front axle line, and a relatively generous space behind the seats. Neither is cavernous, but both are usable for a weekend’s luggage.
Reliability: McLaren has invested heavily in improving the reliability of its road cars since the recurring issues that affected early P1 and 12C owners. The 720S’s M840T engine is a proven unit, and the car’s systems architecture has been refined through the 650S and 570S programs. Modern McLarens are significantly more reliable than the company’s reputation from the early 2010s might suggest.