DRIVEN + VIDEO: Did McLaren Finally Get It Right With The MP4-12C Spider?

One could argue, quite strongly, that the Ferrari 458 Italia Spyder rules the sports car drop-top market. That was all well and good until McLaren started pumping out cars from the U.K. though.

Now with the all-new MP4-12C on the road, Ferrari has some proper competition. Predictably though, detractors noted that the McLaren lacked that special amount of emotion to really make the vehicle sing. But with a series of tweaks to up the power and attitude, plus the roof being chopped off, perhaps McLaren has done just enough to secure even the critics vote.

Only one way to find out...

The McLaren MP4-12C has been criticised for a shortage of emotion, so can the MP4-12C Spider - which retains the same torsional rigidity as the coupe and gains only 40kg in weight - rectify that? Steve Sutcliffe finds out.