First Drive: The 2024 McLaren 750S Is a Balanced Speed Monster and Serious Power Trip
Sinewy mountain roads on the outskirts of Estoril, Portugal, are an ideal test locale for driving the new 2024 McLaren 750S. Unadulterated asphalt, nominal traffic, decent sight lines, and exemplary views abound. Unless it’s raining. Combine custom-hewn Pirelli P-Zeros, a soupçon of wetness, and a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, churning out 740 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, and you’re left with wheel spin through fourth gear in the McLaren 750S—Alcantara-shrouded instrument panel aglow with warnings.
Nerve-wracking? A bit. This $307,438 coupe’s comely gray hue, dubbed Saros, won’t look great wrinkled. Until spritzing clouds dissipate, light throttle is best.
McLaren spent hours improving the mid-mounted M840T engine (used in its 720) to increase oomph for the new McLaren 750S—increasing turbocharger pressure, improving the fuel pumps, and revamping the head gasket—and the sum of those efforts is felt when putting the hammer down. It’s been a minute since I drove the 720S, but my brain is forever seared with that overwhelming sensation of speed.
Quicker and More Visceral
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Some theater comes from a shorter final drive, inspired by the 765LT’s gearbox, along with recalibrated shift mapping, imbuing greater urgency when accelerating. A new, 5-pound lighter exhaust, tweaked for optimal snarling and barking, and upgraded engine mounts, reward you with a satisfying thump in the back during gear changes—and a crescendoing roar when ripping through the rev range. New ignition cuts on downshifts result in cracks so loud, it makes some Esotril locals jump. (Thumbs up and smiles followed.)
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McLaren enhances livability too. Apple CarPlay is standard. Lifting the nose takes four seconds, shaving six seconds off the 720S's time. You’re no longer stuck at a speed hump, nervously monitoring your rearview as you wait. The biggest upgrade is mounting the instrument display on the steering column. It moves with the wheel, handling, and powertrain controls relocated to the sides of the display. Clicking through the rocker switches for various drive configurations is as easy as reaching your fingertips forward. It’s nice and helpful, though I miss the 720’s folding display.
Taking to the Track
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The rain backs off, allowing for track stints on Estoril’s circuit. Here, the updates to the chassis, aero kit, and suspension are evident. The 750’s front track widens by 6mm, and the springs are softer in the front, stiffer in the rear. McLaren rejiggers custom dual-valve dampers, too. A honking rear wing enlarges the surface area by 20 percent over the 720. Combined with a longer front splitter, there’s more downforce. And, since the rear wing doubles as an air brake, stopping distances are shorter.
The 750 feels glued to the track, still a bit greasy from the morning shower. And the 750 gulps up laps with aplomb, ready to spring out of any corner. Learning a tight uphill exchange on the backside of the track, I correct the steering mid-corner, to get on the right line. A faster steering ratio helps the coupe nimbly comply. It’s lighter steering than the 720, but gives greater feedback.
“We tried to increase the feeling of agility,” says Sandy Holford, the 750’s chief engineer, during a break. “You don’t want it super light, but you don’t want such a high-turning effort, in terms of feedback, that you won’t be able to turn in straight away.” Nailed it.
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The 750 inspires confidence, even for track neophytes. Credit, in part, a new brake booster and vacuum pump for that. Barrel down Estoril’s front straight, cresting 170 mph, and it’s surprising how deep into the braking zone you can go before drilling the stoppers for the upcoming right-hander. It’s consistent, in terms of pedal travel before brake bite, and modulates well as you trail off. The 720S likes to tail wiggle under hard stopping, but the 750S sloughs speed without niggling shaking. (There’s an optional track brake upgrade, which uprates the discs and adds cooling to the monoblock front caliper, but unless you’re Lando Norris, you won’t need that.)
Seasoned hot shoes will find the 750S equally splendid. The rain resumes, turning Estoril’s racing line into a slick and sketchy mess. Still, when riding shotgun with a McLaren driving coach, the 750 has no problem hooking up for tight corners and chicanes, all while off-line and on cooling tires. More steering input is needed to keep us hammering forward, but it always maintains balance and finds traction.
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Final Thoughts: This Machine Is Unrelenting
Most indelible for those lucky enough to wheel a 750 is the otherworldly speed. It's intoxicating—and unrelenting. Benchmarked against Ferrari’s 296 GTB, the 750S is 440 pounds lighter (at 3,241 pounds) meaning it has class-leading power-to-weight. You feel every ounce of that power.
Given the option, go for the 750S Spider. The weight penalty from the drop-top is 108 pounds, but you won’t notice. Instead, tap the button, watch the roof recede, and smile as that prodigious engine howls inches behind your head.
2024 McLaren 750S Specs
ENGINE: 4 liter, twin-turbocharged V8, 740 horsepower, 590 lb-ft torque
TRANSMISSION: 7-speed twin-clutch automatic
0 to 60: 2.7 seconds
TOP SPEED: 206 mph
PRICE: From $331,470
