The McLaren Artura Spider: A New Hybrid Breed of British Supercar
McLaren’s creations are unmistakable. From the low, wind-defying profile to the jutting, driving front end to the massive cooling scoops, they remain one of the makes that look like they’re moving while impatiently sitting still. Not that they’re known for sitting still. In the late 1990s, when the Woking, U.K.-based automaker was at its most ambitious, it built the then-fastest production car in the world, the McLaren F1, which checked in north of 230 mph. Since then, makes such as the P1, the 720S and the Senna have reinforced McLaren’s reputation for building some of the proudest and most aggressive supercars on the market.
The $274,000 McLaren Artura Spider convertible takes the automaker’s identity in a new direction. Not only is it a hybrid, but it turns away from the hyper-powered nature of its race-inspired ancestors in favor of a 3.0-liter V6 and e-motor powertrain. While that may not make the car “ecologically fuel efficient” compared to pure EVs or consumer hybrids, it is a shift in McLaren philosophy: quick but not record-setting fast; lighter and not over-muscled.
By no means should McLaren fans fret that this convertible version of the Artura is somehow underpowered or guilty of disappointing performance. It just gets to familiar speeds via different technology. Rather than employ a 4-liter, twin-turbocharged, fully fossil-fueled V8, the Spider enlists a mid-mounted V6 hybrid that puts out about 690 horsepower. By way of comparison, the previously mentioned McLaren 720S (available through 2023) used a traditional V8 and produced 710 hp. In the Artura Spider, the automaker added an electric motor and removed a couple of cylinders, and only 20 horses escaped the barn. Some of those AWOL ungulates slipped away due to the added weight required by a convertible.
The machinery needed to retract the roof adds chunkiness, as does the addition of low body weight balance, because removing the roof can otherwise promote destabilization. To counter that necessary extra poundage and a little more heft to compensate for the addition of batteries, McLaren turned to its in-house Carbon Fibre Lightweight Architecture to produce a supercar with a factory weight of only 3,212 lbs.
With carbon fiber and balancing mass, McLaren reports the Artura Spider boasts a 0-62 mph time of 3.0 seconds (converted from E.U. metric tests). Compare that to the 720S, which did 0-62 in 2.9. The Spider deploys a transmission calibration unique to the model to ensure power is delivered to the pavement efficiently. A redesigned automatic transmission with sport paddle shifters guarantees immediate gearshifts without recognizable turbo lag.
One point of contention is precisely why McLaren would shift away from the V8 with the Artura Spider. The car was big enough to contain a bigger engine, yet the designers and engineers embraced the 21st-century hybrid concept, with the obvious motivation for greener motivating being fuel efficiency. The 720S is beautiful and thrilling but as traditionally thirsty as any supercar at 18 mpg. While the Artura Spider’s gas-powered engine wouldn’t surpass its older cousin by much, at a mere 19 mpg, but switch into hybrid mode, and it gets 45 mpg-e (miles-per-gallon equivalent). In other words, savvy drivers can enter the world of supercar performance without living at the premium pump all day long.
As with its engine, the exterior styling of the Artura Spider is recognized for what’s missing—namely, a roof. Sports car fans know that a convertible is on the scene whenever that arachnid designation lands on a make and model. This Spider’s retractable hard top can retract into a compartment behind the driver’s head in about 11 seconds, even while moving up to 31 mph.
While describing the sensations of opening up a car with a McLaren’s breeding with the top down would require epic poetry of greater length than a mere automotive review can manage, the Artura Spider at full puff delivers a supreme driving adventure and a rare sensory privilege. Still, you shouldn’t expect too much wind whipping through your hair, as the Spider’s engineers gave the aerodynamics test chamber a good workout and created a profile that sweeps air over the length of the car with minimal turbulence. Adding to the Artura’s low, aggressive stance, wide door scoops grab enough of that passing air to provide both cooling and ample downforce. New brake-cooling ducts closer to the grille let the Brembo-designed braking system grip tighter at higher speeds.
As with every modern McLaren, the driving experience is defined heavily by its immediacy and precision. Building on the automaker’s successful racing pedigree and pure rear-wheel drive, a surge of endlessly satisfying power pushes the car with refined acceleration on demand. An electro-hydraulic power-assisted steering system puts the nose where you want it, when you want it, with urgency honed on the world’s F1 tracks. In the end, the only recognizable element lost in the Artura Spider when compared to its recent ancestors is noise. Remove a couple of cylinders in favor of a hybrid motor, and you miss some of that throaty, predatory howl you might long to hear from a supercar. Still, the adrenaline and satisfaction provided by this wonderful arachnid more than make up for any such aural quibble.