New and Pre-owned McLaren 12C Spider for Sale

The key to the hardtop convertible is in the design. Manufacturers try to bake one in after the fact, and the results are normally horrendous. In the end, the whole reason for forgoing the soft-top convertible, the desire to have no compromises, has you making just that—compromises.

Then, there are cars such as the McLaren 12C Spider for sale, dropping the MP4 designation, as well as its roof, to create a convertible model designed from the get-go to offer a hardtop mechanism. No reinforcing the chassis at the cost of weight. No softening the dampers a little to make up for the extra heft. It’s just an unbridled transformation from performance coupé to roofless wonder for a scant 88-pound increase. It even retains the glass rear window, which is normally the first thing lost when trying to figure out where the tonneau cover will break away from the rear hood. The two-piece top is fully automatic, raising or lowering in 17 seconds at speeds of up to19 mph. It stores under a pair of buttresses that will remind San Francisco residents of either the twin peaks or the Golden Gate’s large spans; however, underneath is a steel structure that will hold up in a rollover.

Rest assured that the coupé’s increase in power also comes standard on this supercar. Newfangled engine mapping increases output by 25 and modifications to the seven-speed dual–clutch transmission results in a crisper throttle response and faster and smoother shifts. Compromises went out with the roof.

While loyalists who grew up with F1 posters plastering their walls will shudder at the idea, McLaren badly needed a competitor to battle the likes of the Lamborghini Gallardo and Ferrari 458 drop-top variants. Enter the topless supercar.

Touted as the fact that due to the 12C’s already stiff structure, no additional bracing measures were needed. Nevertheless, the addition of the power roof mechanicals has added 88 pounds to the supercars curb weight. This will be of little concern as the roadster still accelerates to 62 mph in the same 3.1 seconds as the coupe. 100 mph arrives just a tenth of a second after the coupe, at 6.1 seconds, and top speed is down 3 mph to 204 mph.

The performance differences are largely academic. More discernible differences include the wind in your hair, the sound of the twin-turbocharged V-8 filling your ears, and the sunburn on your neck. These are the main reasons people buy high-performance convertibles, and for those buyers, the convertible is sure to please.

McLaren Models For Sale

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McLaren For Sale By Owner

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