If You Want a Hyper-Fast Convertible This Summer, We've Got Good News
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If you're in the market for an open-top hypercar, then today just might be your lucky day. In a pair of launches, McLaren has taken the roof off of their 570 hp 570S to make the 570S Spider, and Audi has given the R8 Spyder V10 their 610 hp Plus treatment.
McLaren is debuting the 570S Spider at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this month. It has a retractable hard top that uses a design similar to the 650S and 675LT. The roof takes just 15 seconds to open or close, and it can be operated at speeds up to 40 km/h.
The open-top 570S uses the same 3.8L twin-turbo V8 as the coupe, making 570 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. The addition of the powered roof only adds 46 kg to the curb weight, and McLaren says that stiffness is unchanged. The extendable spoiler now extends 12mm further than the coupe's to compensate for the change in shape.
With the roof up, the car hits the same 328 km/h top speed as the coupe, and it can reach 315 km/h with the roof down. But McLaren also wants you to know that the engine has start-stop to help reduce fuel consumption and lower emissions.
The 570S Spider is available to order now, with deliveries starting in the fall. Canadian MSRP is $247,500.
The Audi R8 Spider V10 Plus adds more power to the already potent R8 V10 Spider. It bumps power from the 5.2L V10 from 540 to 610 hp and has 413 lb-ft of torque. The Plus uses a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with shorter gearing than the regular car to help acceleration. The Plus gets a fixed rear spoiler in carbon fibre to differentiate from the base car, and carbon-ceramic brakes are standard.
It's the company's fastest open-top car, capable of 0-100 km/h in just 3.3 seconds. That's 0.3 seconds faster than the non-plus. The Plus weighs less too, losing 25 kg to tip the scales at 1,587 kg. That bright green colour is exclusive to the open-top Plus as well.
Deliveries for the R8 Spyder V10 Plus start later this summer.
