McLaren 650S Unveiled in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur, 9 June 2014 – McLaren Kuala Lumpur today introduced its fastest ever supercar, the 650S at its showroom in Mutiara Damansara. The 650S nameplate denotes its power of a staggering 650PS developed by its twin turbo 3.8 litre V8, accompanied by an equally mind-boggling 678Nm of torque. Two variants are available, the Coupe and Spider, at the premium price of RM2.4million and RM2.6 million, taxes included.
Acceleration from zero to 100km/h is done is sub 3.0 seconds, while top speed is 333km/h for the Coupe and 329 km/h for the Spider. The Coupe has a dry weight of only 1,330 kg, while the Spider is a little heavier at 1,370kg.
“Malaysian drivers and McLaren enthusiasts expect nothing but the best. Following the success of the 12C and McLaren P1 here, we’re very excited to be bringing the new pinnacle in high-end luxury supercar offerings to Malaysia,” said Simon Rock, Director at Sime Darby Auto Britannia Sdn Bhd, the local representative of the British brand of high performance sports cars in Malaysia.
Commenting on the launch of the 650S in Kuala Lumpur, George Biggs, McLaren Head of Sales and Operations Asia-Pacific, said: “We are very excited to bring the McLaren 650S to Malaysia. This car really stands out on its own as no other series production sports car on sale today offers such a breadth of capabilities”. Biggs added: “Since launching McLaren in Malaysia last year we have been impressed with the passion and enthusiasm our customers have demonstrated for the brand and our products. We are pleased to continue to showcase the McLaren brand in Malaysia by bringing our latest edition of groundbreaking supercars to the region. There is lots of potential in the market and we look forward to bringing more products to Malaysia.”
The 650S follows the McLaren design ethos of ‘form follows function’, with the front bumper providing a dramatic, yet clean, appearance while the integrated front splitter contributes to increased levels of down force. This offers a greater level of steering feeling and confidence to the driver on turn-in, while also adding to the agility and handling balance. Unique door blades behind the front wheels, on the leading edge of the dihedral doors, direct air from the trailing edges of the front splitter, further benefit front-end grip and vehicle balance.
Exterior styling includes full LED headlamps derived from the McLaren P1. These provide a distinctive illumination of the road ahead, and echo the signature McLaren ‘speed marque’ logo in the design. The bonnet is finished with a new McLaren badge, inspired by the badge fitted to the McLaren F1. The rear of the McLaren 650S has been designed to optimize aerodynamics, with a 12C GT3-
inspired three-piece bumper.
Rock said, “The bottom line with the 650S is performance. Beyond its stunning looks, the 650S is all about amazing performance wrapped up in the very latest in technology to bring about an unbeatable drive and driver experience.”
To produce the required levels of performance and throttle response, new pistons, and cylinder heads have been designed, new exhaust valves have been fitted and the cooling circuits have been optimised. The camshaft timings are unique to the McLaren 650S, to further improve throttle response and help reduce CO2 emissions. A new exhaust system adds to the aural excitement, and reduces weight. Weight has been a mortal enemy for McLaren, as reducing weight off the car has been an inherited obsession, and this remains the same with the 650S. By utilizing a unique single piece constructed carbon fibre tub as the chassis, which is better known as Mono-Cell, the McLaren 650S was able to achieve an incredible low total dry weight.
However the 650S still manages to maintain everyday convenience and luxury features on board; including Meridian high-end performance speakers, parking sensors, rear-view parking camera, electric and heated seats, and dual climate control air conditioning.
The pioneering ProActive Chassis Control (PCC) suspension system, developed by McLaren, has been further enhanced for the McLaren 650S. A feature of the system is the ability to adjust the ride and handling modes – Normal / Sport / Track – in isolation from the drivetrain, which gives complete freedom in terms of ride and handling. These settings, for both powertrain and suspension, have been recalibrated to improve driver engagement. The updates are especially noticeable in Sport mode.
