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The McLaren 650S recently took the best performance car title at our car of the year awards. And
now it's time to let you enjoy a full track test of this mighty McLaren. The McLaren 650S
Spider costs just shy of £200,000, but it's 3.8 litre twin-turbocharged V8 generates an
amazing 641bhp and it will 62mph in just three seconds before going on to a top speed of
over 200mph. With its P1-inspired exterior styling, carbonfibre chassis and high-tech
aerodynamics, can the 650S Spider deliver around out test track? The current lap record
is held by the sensational Porsche 911 GT3 which set a lap time of one minute, zero-six
point six seconds. We've got the Corsa tyre, the more extreme of the two tyres you can
choose from and I've got all of the settings down here in their raciest setting and the
stability control fully turned off. So, we've done quite a few practice laps, I'm just going
to do one more practice lap to get some heat into the tyres and it does take a while just
to readjust just to how shocking the performance is in this car. So, in second gear there,
acceleration is absolutely astonishing. Plenty of noise from the engine, a little bit reminiscent
of the P1, nearly 130mph as we get on the brakes for this chicane, even on this warming
up lap. Obviously standard setup ceramic brakes in this car so the braking performance is
really really good. And to extract a lap time you really have to maximise and really attack
into the braking zone and make use of that. And once you get into the corner you get the
weight on the nose, get it turned in and you feel the car hopping and skipping as it goes
through the corner and over the bumps. There's a lot of grip in this car and you really have
to drive it pretty much like a racing car with aero grip - really commit to the corners,
carry speed. there's lots of feel through the steering, lovely steering - very positive
turn in. The lap disappears very quickly. We've got some heat in the tyres now, going
to come round and see what sort of lap time this car can do around our test track. Find
out whether it can beat the fastest car we've ever tested. So, out of the last corner, get
a nice clean exit, 650bhp under your right foot, hard across the start/finish line, hard
on the brakes. Stay in third gear, here. The change of direction through here is astonishing,
really good front end, back to the left, loads of grip, little bit of understeer on the exit,
but really hard, hard on the power. Up to fourth gear, dual clutch gearbox, lovely lovely
gearshift, touching 130mph. Really standing on the brakes, down through the gears, into
second into the chicane. Again, traction remarkably good given how much power this car's got - amazing
traction. Fourth gear, hard on the brakes. Now these high speed corners, you've got to
get the car into the corner, nose in, hard on the power, a tiny bit of understeer, into
bunga bunga, this corner is really interesting. First apex let the car run out wide, constantly
loading it up, loading it up, amazing body control. Fourth gear on the exit, through
this high speed change of direction. This is where it feels really good through there.
A little bit of understeer on the exit. Hard on the brakes - air brake coming into play
as well. Last couple of corners, the laps disappear so quick in this car. Up to the
last corner. Trying to get the power down - really good traction in this gear, third
gear and across the line. So, the McLaren 650S is the fastest car to ever lap our test
track. Its race car levels of braking, grip and acceleration are really sensational and
are even more impressive when you consider how easy this car is to drive on the road.
This really is a mighty McLaren. If you want to watch some of the other fastest cars around
our test track, click on the video windows to watch the Porsche GT3 take on the Aston
Martin V12 Vantage, and the Porsche 911 Turbo S take on the Nissan GT-R. Click on the play
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