McLaren 720S Spider – McLaren delivers the open-top 720S in time for Christmas

Almost two years on from the arrival of the McLaren 720S – a replacement for the 650S – McLaren unveils the 720S Spider, Woking’s open-top 720S.

It’s getting on for two years since the McLaren 720S arrived to usurp the 650S, and McLaren has finally got round to revealing its open-top sibling – the McLaren 720S Spider.

A fortnight before Christmas might not seem the best time to reveal a convertible supercar, but perhaps, for those in a position to do it, it’s the perfect stocking-filler – an order for a new McLaren 720S inside a Christmas card?

As you’d expect, much of what’s on offer is straight from the 720S Coupe, but the Spider does get an evolution of the Monocage II carbon fibre underpinnings which gets a redesign on the upper rear structure to accommodate the new folding roof.

The new roof slips under a folding tonneau sitting atop the 720S’s 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8, either side of which are two buttresses, split in to two with a carbon fibre one to house the Spider’s rollover protection and the second a glass one to maintain the Coupe’s looks.

The roof comes as a carbon fibre job, but you can opt for an electrochromic glass version which allows you to switch between clear and opaque at the touch of a button. And whichever roof you choose it will go up and down in 11 seconds, at speeds up to 31 mph, and do it in a whisper.

The roof and gubbins adds under 50kg to the 720S’s weight, so 0-62mph is the same 2.9 seconds as the Coupe (although it’s a tenth slower to 124mph), and it’ll hit 212mph with the roof up and 202mph with it down.

The new McLaren 720S is now on sale with prices starting from £237,000, with first customer cars due in March 2019.