A weapon from Woking

You got money? Check. Packing a lot of, um, intestinal fortitude, are you? Boffo. Interested in succeeding Mike Tyson as the Baddest Man on the Planet? Step right up, because the boffins at McLaren Cars have something new that’s going to make you very happy indeed. Any number of auto manufacturers brag that they can sell you a race car for the street, but at McLaren, which still proudly flies the colors of its founder, that’s not a throwaway line. McLaren has just announced the impending availability of the 620R, part of the ongoing McLaren Sports Series, to be hand-assembled at its Woking, England, complex for just 350 very demanding buyers who are probably queuing up as these lines are typed. The 620R is a real, honest, roadgoing derivative of a pure racing car, the McLaren 570S GT4. That constitutes a bonus: Since the 620R won’t be contesting any existing racing series, the design wasn’t bound by any regulations or technical restrictions imposed by any sanctioning organization.

That means that this road-legal McLaren will produce 610hp from its twin-turbo, 3.8-liter V-8, which is more than the homologated 570S variant can manage, given the ECU and boost restrictions placed on it by the likes of FIA and ACO. The factory promises performance here that will be incredible: 0-60 in 2.9 seconds, and an honest top end of 200 MPH. Pirelli slicks can replace the shallow-tread Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R rubber that’s standard. Just like at Le Mans, the car uses carbon-ceramic brake rotors all the way around. The adjustable rear wing is identical to the one used on the 570S and it alone can generate up to 408 pounds of downforce, to say nothing of the other aerodynamic body surfaces. An on-track telemetry system with central-mounted screen is standard. This very well could go down as the most infinitely capable roadworthy car ever produced. Feeling strong? Be ready to fork over 250,000 pounds Sterling, which works out to about $500,000 or a little more, for your example. The price includes a Pure McLaren Track Day, which is wise. Make sure you order yours in McLaren Orange.