Think ‘hybrid’ and you’ll probably picture a Toyota Prius. Beloved of Uber drivers and virtue-signalling Hollywood celebrities, this unassuming hatchback is the familiar face of the species. While most hybrids, Prius included, focus on fuel-efficiency, McLaren Automotive does things differently.
Back in 2013, the trailblazing P1 used batteries and an electric motor to eliminate lag from its twin-turbo V8 – and increase output to a stonking 916hp. Alongside the LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder, it was one of a ‘Holy Trinity’ of hybrid hypercars that raised the bar for power and performance.
Today, McLaren’s ‘starter’ supercar, the Artura, follows a similar recipe, combining a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 with a 7.4kWh battery and a compact axial flux e-motor. Now there is a new, open-air Spider version, and I’ve been invited to Monaco to drive it. Don’t mind if I do.
McLaren to Monaco
Monaco has been the backdrop for many of the high-points in McLaren history. The F1 team has won the Grand Prix here 15 times – more than any other constructor – including five victories with the late Ayrton Senna. A couple of weeks before I arrive, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were racing through this labyrinth of steep, narrow streets, now teeming with buzzing mopeds and bumper-to-bumper supercars – my Artura Spider among them. Apart from one weekend every year, driving in Monaco is a slow process.
Thankfully, the McLaren’s sat nav is primed with a route that carves northwards into the French Alps, taking in sections of the famous Route Napoleon. Before we head for the hills, however, let’s run through a few technical details of the Artura Spider – starting with its acrobatic new roof…
The folding hard-top is powered by eight electric motors, and slides beneath the rear deck in 11 seconds at speeds up to 31mph. Made from unpainted carbon fibre composite, its optional electrochromic glass panel can switch from transparent to opaque at the push of a button. The Spider’s vertical rear window also drops down independently, so you can enjoy the 8,500rpm crescendo even on a wet day in Woking.
Making a quick getaway
The space occupied by the folded roof means the Artura’s powertrain chimney, which vents air from the ‘hot vee’ engine, has moved backwards by 200mm, framed by new rear buttresses in motorsport-style clear polycarbonate. In certain paint colours, the £221,500 Spider looks quite subtle by supercar standards. McLaren Orange – pictured here – isn’t one of them.
An ultra-stong ‘MCLA’ carbon tub chassis, made in Sheffield, means no extra bracing is required to compensate for the opening top, which keeps added mass to a minimum. A kerb weight of 1,560kg is just 62kg more than the Artura coupe, while the Spider is also lighter than convertible rivals such as the Maserati MC20 Cielo, Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder and Ferrari 296 GTS.
Software tweaks have liberated an extra 20hp from the wide-angle V6, which serves up a frenzied 700hp, combined with 531lb ft of battery-boosted torque from 2,250rpm. A dual-clutch gearbox – now with a ‘pre-fill’ feature for 25 percent quicker shifts – drives the rear wheels via an electronic differential. Activate launch control and you can blast to 62mph in 3.0 seconds. Alternatively, a new ‘Spinning Wheel Pull Away’ function allows you to exit in billowing clouds of tyre smoke. “Not outside the hotel” I’m told politely.
Artura on the autoroute
Further changes under the Artura’s hot-formed aluminium skin include stiffer engine mounts and retuned, faster-reacting adaptive dampers, along with new ducts to cool the carbon-ceramic brakes. Inside, its pared-back, driver-focused cockpit now offers wired Apple CarPlay as standard, while the engine start button has changed from red to McLaren’s trademark Papaya orange. As the yachts and high-rise apartments of Monaco fade in the rear-view mirror, it’s a small reminder of the marque’s racing heritage.
I start off in Electric mode, which now offers an extended 21 miles of silent, potentially zero-emissions EV range. There are also Comfort, Sport and Track settings for both the powertrain and chassis, activated by rocker switches on either side of the instrument binnacle. The hard-shell Clubsport seats, which adjust through an elliptical arc, offer a perfect driving position, while visibility – always a McLaren forte – is impressive for a mid-engined machine. You swiftly feel at ease, helping to build your confidence in the car.
On the autoroute towards Nice, with the roof up and the engine pulling lazily in eighth gear, the Artura Spider is a calm companion, marred only by a boomy resonance at around 2,000rpm that might be specific to the optional sports exhaust. Like a Porsche 911 Turbo S, it can play the comfortable, relaxed GT car, then tighten its sinews when the time is right.
McLaren Artura Spider: Verdict
I won’t have to wait long. Taking the exit for Grasse, the landscape spears upwards, batting the road back and forth as it climbs into wispy, low-hanging clouds. I drop the top and switch into Sport mode – and suddenly the Artura Spider is a very different animal. Its electrified torque punches hard out of hairpins, gear changes are brutally sharp and the snarling V6 piles on revs with joyous abandon.
More than its sheer speed, though, how the McLaren changes direction is what truly stands out. Light and rigid, it seems almost impervious to inertia, following the tarmac with unwavering focus and zen-like body control. Its hydraulic steering also fizzes with feedback that even the best electric systems struggle to emulate. I’d welcome more initial bite from the brakes, but the Artura Spider delivers a near-flawless dynamic performance.
The perfect supercar, then? Not necessarily. Some people think such cars should bend you to their will and occasionally give you a scare. I’d spent several days with the V8-engined McLaren 750S prior to travelling to Monaco and it was noisier, more dramatic and ultimately more exciting to drive. Yet which is the better all-rounder, and the one I’d add to my (sadly theoretical) supercar stable? The Artura, no question. Choosing the Spider only makes it a more complete package.
• Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research
McLaren Artura Spider
PRICE: £221,500
POWER: 700hp
0-62MPH: 3.0sec
TOP SPEED: 205mph
FUEL ECONOMY: 58.9mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS: 108g/km