McLaren · 2014–2017

McLaren 650S

The McLaren 650S is a British sports car designed and manufactured by British automobile manufacturer McLaren Automotive. It was announced in February 2014 as a new model, but based on the existing MP4-12C with 25% new parts, and was formally unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. The 650S shares the MP4-12C's carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer chassis, and is powered by the same 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged McLaren M838T V8 engine, but is now rated at 650 PS (478 kW; 641 hp) and 500 lb⋅ft (678 N⋅m) of torque. Power is transmitted to the wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch Seamless-Shift gearbox (SSG) provided by Graziano Trasmissioni.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: McLaren MP4-12C

All McLaren 650S data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Specifications and performance

The 650S is an evolution of the preceding 12C and uses the findings gained from the P1 in order to make the car more responsive and focused. It was initially designed to be offered alongside the 12C but the declining sales of the 12C prompted McLaren to market the 650S as its replacement. The 650 in the car's name refers to the engine's power output in Pferdestärke, the European standard for horsepower while the S stands for Sport. Most of the components are carried over from the 12C which includes the carbon-fibre monocoque chassis which has aluminium subframes front and aft. The monocoque weighs 75 kg (165 lb) and is manufactured by Carbo Tech, an aerospace contractor based in Austria. With an aim of building 4,000 cars per year, McLaren deemed the traditional pre-impregnation method used to mould parts too labour-intensive and instead used an alternative method which involves a resin transfer moulding process. The process involves a mould whose tooling involves internal, removable mandrels for the hollow sections which allows the tub to be built in one piece. The pre-cut sheets of carbon fibre are placed in the tooling of the mould and aluminium components are also positioned to be bolted onto the monocoque later. To avoid the galvanic corrosion between aluminium and carbon, the aluminium components of the chassis are primed before assembly. The wide and deep hollow box sections on each side of the carbon fibre tub are designed for easy entry and exit from the car. The powertrain of the 650S is largely carried over from the 12C but involves new pistons, better-flowing cylinder heads, new exhaust valves, and recalibrated camshaft timing. A new exhaust system also reduces weight while being more responsive. The red-line of the engine was increased to 8,500 rpm. The eng

Variants

=== 650S Spider (2014–2016) === First announced in February 2014, the 650S Spider is a convertible version of the 650S. It weighs 40 kg (88 lb) more than the coupe, but it offers nearly identical performance. The Spider has the same structural stiffness as the coupé primarily because the carbon monocell chassis was designed without a roof. the Spider features a three-piece retractable hard-top carbon fibre roof which takes 17 seconds for operation. It can accelerate from 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph) in 3 seconds and has a top speed of 328 km/h (204 mph). Up to 25 per cent of the parts are new compared to the 12C Spider. MSO 650S (2014–2017). An MSO (McLaren Special Operations) version of the 650S is offered in a limited production run of 50 vehicles. Introduced in 2014, the car was offered in three matte carbon, exclusive MSO colours, Papaya Spark, Agrigan Black and Sarigan Quartz. It features unique and lightweight alloy wheels. These are 4 kg (9 lb) lighter than the standard alloys, helped by the fact that titanium wheel bolts are used. The interior is upholstered in Alcantara and contains a specialised plaque which has the car's designer Frank Stephenson's branded sketch and an MSO branded leather holdall. 625C (2015–2016). In September 2014, McLaren launched an additional model to the range, the 625C, available in both coupé and roadster bodystyles and aimed at specific markets in the South Asia Pacific region. As with the 650S, the 625 in the model's name refers to the engine's power output in PS while the C refers to Club which hints at the less extreme nature of the car. Powered by the same 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, but with a reduced power output of 625 PS (460 kW; 616 hp). The 625C is fitted with new dampers and a revised suspension setup, including soft

675LT

The McLaren 675LT is a lightweight, track-focused evolution of the McLaren 650S. It was announced in February 2015 and introduced at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. McLaren made 500 units of the 675LT Coupe (without counting the special editions such as the MSO HS). Chassis. As with the 650S, the 675LT uses a single-piece carbon fibre monocell weighing 75 kg (165 lb), and carbon fibre use in the vehicle is increased in order to further minimise weight and increase rigidity. The 675LT is fitted with new carbon ceramic brake discs to increase braking performance over the 650S. Disc sizes are 394 mm at the front and 380 mm at the rear. Six-piston calipers grip the front discs with four-piston caliper used for the rears. Braking performance is also aided by the air brake ability of the new rear wing. The 675LT makes use of a new 10-spoke wheel design, each weighing 800 g less than the alloy wheels on the McLaren P1, supplied in a 19-inch front and 20-inch rear fitment. The new wheels are fitted with Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo R track-focused, street-legal tyres which increase grip by up to 6% over the P-Zero Corsa sold with the 650S. Body and cabin. The length of the 675LT is 33 mm (1.3 in) more than the 650S. The 675LT utilises a new rear wing/air brake assembly 50% larger than that used in the 650S, along with a new carbon fibre diffuser and an 80% larger front splitter with sizeable endplates that together increase total downforce by 40%. New carbon fibre pieces include both the front and rear bumpers as well as front undertray, rear fenders, side intakes and decklid that contribute to the significant weight savings over the 650S. Alcantara is used throughout the interior where carpeting is removed and removal of the air conditioning unit and new carbon fibre race seats together

Motorsports

=== GT3 === In June 2014, McLaren announced that they would produce a GT3 version of the 650S, either as a new car or as an upgrade for the existing 12C GT3 – which will contest GT3 championships from 2015 onwards. Changes to the car from the road car includes a new 6-speed sequential motorsport gearbox; 380 mm ventilated brake discs with six-piston calipers at the front and four-piston units at the rear; a 52 mm wider track; revised suspension geometry and upgraded components. It is distinguished from the road car by larger air intakes and front splitter, and carbon fibre air intakes and a new rear wing. The 3.8-litre McLaren twin-turbocharged V8 engine, also used in the 12C-GT3, produces 500 PS (368 kW; 493 hp), and includes a new ECU to improve turbo boost and gearshifts. The power output is lower than the road going 650S's due to homologation. Andrew Kirkaldy, whose CRS Racing team developed the GT3 version of the MP4-12C, said that they were aiming to develop a version that conforms to the LM GTE regulations at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the plan never worked and didn't appear at the endurance race event. The 650S achieved its biggest success when it won the 2016 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour race in Australia at the hands of Álvaro Parente, Shane van Gisbergen and Jonathon Webb. Van Gisbergen set a new outright lap record with a time of 2:01.567 on 7 February 2016.

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