It is also quieter in operation and, when in place, keeps enough hush in the cabin to make the new Spider quieter overall than its predecessor was as a coupe. As with the 650S Spider, the rear screen opens independently to reduce buffeting (and allow the V8 bark to fill the cabin, if so desired).
With the roof in place the silhouette is virtually the same as the coupe’s; with it down it works with the new frameless doors and glazed rear buttresses to present an appealing open cabin that impinges on neither the coupe’s all-round visibility or the body’s aerodynamic prowess. To keep airflow balanced, an active rear spoiler automatically alters its angle of attack depending on whether the roof is open or closed.
Did we mention that you can have this clever roof as a glazed electrochromic panel that turns translucent at the press of a button? You can, but it’s an option. Everything considered, McLaren is so chuffed with its new Spider’s roof that it has taken out global patents on it.
Central to all this is the 720S’s Monocage II carbon-fibre central structure that was designed from the outset to suit both coupe and Spider applications. As such it does not need any additional strengthening when missing its roof section, with even the A-pillars, already relatively slim in order to aid visibility from the driver’s seat, needing no extra reinforcement. The new ROPS (rollover protection system) is integrated into this structure and is all carbon-fibre now rather than the steel of the 650S Spider system, saving 6.8kg of mass.