If you prefer from time to time to enjoy an open view of the sky, McLaren has you covered with the 650S Spider that is joining the coupe edition of the new model at its Geneva Motor Show stand.

Like the 12C Spider upon which it is based, the 650S Spider employs the use of a two-piece retractable hard top that can be raised or lowered in less than 17 seconds, which is not a structural part of the carbon fibre MonoCell chassis and as such, does not require any additional strengthening or reinforcing in open-top guise.

According to McLaren, while there’s a 40kg (88 pounds) weight penalty over the 650S coupe, the Spider offers “identical handling and ride, and virtually identical straight-line performance figures”, with a 0-100km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 3.0 seconds (same as the coupe), and 0-200 km/h (124 mph) in 8.6 seconds (0.2 seconds slower).

The 641hp (650PS) 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 allows the Spider to reach a maximum speed of 329 km/h mph (204 mph), just 4km/h (2.5mph) less than the coupe. Fuel consumption and emission figures remain the same at 24.2 mpg UK (11.7 l/100km) on the EU combined cycle and 275 g/km.

If you live in Britain, the new 650S Spider will cost you £215,250, or £20,000 more than the fixed-roof model.

By John Halas

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