If you are truly a car guy, you can count on one hand the number of cars in the world that became an instant classic as they left the factory doors.
The McLaren 650 Spider is such a car. Built by hand and one at a time in Surrey, England, it takes approximately 3,000 hours for each car to come off the production line. The cars are extremely rare on Indiana roads, and when one is spotted they typically turn people’s heads and leave them wondering, “What was that?”
Last summer at a Cars & Coffee event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the owner of one just waved me off as the continual bombardment of strangers’ awe and questions about the car can sometimes become overwhelming. So the trustworthy internet helped me get the answers to share this magnificent beast’s story with you.
Every detail of the body lines has been engineered to be as aerodynamic as possible. Having a history of 50 years in Formula 1 racing to draw upon, the 3.8-liter twin turbo V-8 paired with a seven-speed dual clutch rocker paddle shifter can take you from zero to 60 in less than 3 seconds. The car can easily top the 200 mph barrier with its 640 horses. Track times displayed 0-125 in 8.4 seconds.
The Spider even has a computer-controlled air brake for the rear wheels to bring you back under control from such high speeds.
One of the most famous McLaren owners in this country was George Harrison of Beatles fame.
His car was a three-seater with the driver in the center; passengers sat on the left and right sides. That was the famous 1994 F-1, which typically sold for over a million dollars and came with gold-plated tools in the trunk compartment. Jay Leno emotionally struggled with paying that much in 1994, but he finally went for it. In 2016 he had the car appraised and was astounded to learn it’s worth 12 million!
McLaren introduced the Spider at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and was still producing small quantities in 2017.
What is the cost to join such an elite group of car enthusiasts? A new unsold 2015 Spider listed for a cool $349,500 while used ones with about 20,000 miles were listed between $220 grand and $230 grand.
So just keep buying those lottery tickets my friends!
Until next time, happy cruisin’!
The McLaren 650 Spider is such a car. Built by hand and one at a time in Surrey, England, it takes approximately 3,000 hours for each car to come off the production line. The cars are extremely rare on Indiana roads, and when one is spotted they typically turn people’s heads and leave them wondering, “What was that?”
Last summer at a Cars & Coffee event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the owner of one just waved me off as the continual bombardment of strangers’ awe and questions about the car can sometimes become overwhelming. So the trustworthy internet helped me get the answers to share this magnificent beast’s story with you.
Every detail of the body lines has been engineered to be as aerodynamic as possible. Having a history of 50 years in Formula 1 racing to draw upon, the 3.8-liter twin turbo V-8 paired with a seven-speed dual clutch rocker paddle shifter can take you from zero to 60 in less than 3 seconds. The car can easily top the 200 mph barrier with its 640 horses. Track times displayed 0-125 in 8.4 seconds.
The Spider even has a computer-controlled air brake for the rear wheels to bring you back under control from such high speeds.
One of the most famous McLaren owners in this country was George Harrison of Beatles fame.
His car was a three-seater with the driver in the center; passengers sat on the left and right sides. That was the famous 1994 F-1, which typically sold for over a million dollars and came with gold-plated tools in the trunk compartment. Jay Leno emotionally struggled with paying that much in 1994, but he finally went for it. In 2016 he had the car appraised and was astounded to learn it’s worth 12 million!
McLaren introduced the Spider at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and was still producing small quantities in 2017.
What is the cost to join such an elite group of car enthusiasts? A new unsold 2015 Spider listed for a cool $349,500 while used ones with about 20,000 miles were listed between $220 grand and $230 grand.
So just keep buying those lottery tickets my friends!
Until next time, happy cruisin’!
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