2018 McLaren 570S Spider: Everything is better with the top off
It's common knowledge in the automotive world that a car without a roof just isn’t as sharp or as well-mannered on the road than its solid-top sibling. There is a certain amount of chassis rigidity that comes with having a roof over the cabin. However, McLaren is trying to buck that idea with the 2018 McLaren 570S Spider.
With the 2018 570S Spider, McLaren claims no stiffness is lost from the carbon-fiber tub. That is a bold claim. Often, a roofless car weighs more than a car with a roof, because additional structural pieces must be added. While the 570S Spider does weigh more than the regular 570S, it is only 101 pounds heavier.
The added weight and missing roof have no effect on performance, though. The sprint to 60 mph is unchanged at 3.1 seconds. Top speed is the same 204 mph with the top up. Putting the top down means you’ll have to live with a 196-mph top speed.
Other than losing the roof, not much else is changed from the regular 570S to the Spider. The same twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 makes the same 562 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is the same along with the suspension setup. The only new thing added to the Spider is three additional colors: Curaçao Blue, Vega Blue and Sicilian Yellow.
Oh, and that starting price is different, too. The 2018 McLaren 570S Spider gets a $20,200 premium, starting at $211,300.