McLaren’s Artura Spider – ORANGE. JUICED.

McLaren’s Artura Spider

ORANGE. JUICED.

McLaren’s Artura Spider sits on our drive, in a comfortably middle-class neighborhood, looking like an automotive alien from another planet. The Spider’s nose sits impossibly low, the cockpit puts your feet almost between the front wheels, while immediately behind you is a 3.0 liter twin turbo V6 supplemented by 71 kW of what the window sticker describes as an E-Motor. It was shipped from McLaren’s factory in Woking, England to the port of Baltimore, and then – eventually – to me. And I don’t want to give it back.

Among the supercars, exotics and super-exotic supercars (think Bugatti and other low-volume, boutique specials), McLaren is the quiet one. That’s fully appropriate to Bruce McLaren, the company’s founder and namesake. Having dropped out of college to pursue racing, he was of that rare breed, racing and winning behind the wheel of his own cars. In Formula 1 he never secured a championship but was often competitive, frequently on the podium. 

If you’ve seen Ford v. Ferrari, which focused on the relationship between Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby, it was Bruce McLaren and co-driver Chris Amon taking that Le Mans win in ’66. It was also McLaren, teammate Denis Hulme and the McLaren team dominating the Can-Am Series in the second half of the ‘60s. And it was while testing a Can-Am prototype in 1970 that Bruce McLaren’s life came to a far-too-early end.

Today, McLaren continues to win in Formula 1, while the company’s road cars continue to score points (and, not incidentally, big bucks) in the minds and hearts of car enthusiasts. The Artura Spider is my second McLaren test; the first, a McLaren GT, took place in 2020. Having managed both Ferrari and Lotus showrooms in the mid-and-late ‘80s, the semi-exotic Sports/GT isn’t new to me, but the evolution of the segment in my 30+ years away from the category is the difference between Olivia Newton-John and Lady Gaga.

So, then…a look at the Lady. Draped in its metallic Ventura Orange with a black roof and rear deck, there’s more than a touch of Halloween in both its color (colour?) and trick-or-treat demeanor. The design, while futuristic, is fairly conservative relative to more overt exercises coming from Chevy’s Corvette team or Lamborghini. 

And the Artura’s priorities are just right: In front you have 6 cubic feet of luggage space (1/2 of which is taken by the charging cord), while behind the seats is 690 combined horsepower. A twin-turbo V6, with cylinder banks angled at 120 degrees (which lowers the center of gravity), while the 94 horsepower in the electric motor (encased within the transmission housing) bumps the horsepower and torque without a significant increase in curb weight – roughly 3,100 pounds in the Coupe and 200 pounds more in the Spider. 

Not only does the hybrid system ‘juice’ the performance, but you can get out of the neighborhood – using its battery/electric power – quietly at 6:30 a.m., something my Miata (with its aftermarket exhaust) cannot do. 

Inside, the sport seats – clothed in Alcantara – can handle most body shapes and/or wallet sizes. For the driver, the power seat controls are located far forward and against the door, making it difficult to adjust the fore/aft positioning. Immediately ahead of the driver is the instrument panel, which adjusts with the wheel; you’ll never lose sight of the important information, even while frequently (obsessively!) checking your rearview mirrors. And despite its midengined configuration, visibility is reasonably good; you can see out, and in its Ventura Orange they will see you!

With scissor doors tight parking spaces are more easily navigated, but then, in a $300K McLaren why are you parking close? Or give it to a valet? I made a grocery run, in large part just to see how it worked while picking up brats and the deli’s potato salad. And with the brats and beer located in the passenger’s footwell (between, you know, the front wheels) the Arturo Spider works credibly as a grocery getter – and you’re home before the beer’s warm. 

Beyond the looks is, of course, its performance. And if that combined 690 horsepower (596 from the engine and 94 from its motor) doesn’t do it for you…well, consult your cardiologist. Obviously, with almost 700 horsepower you’ll want to stop and turn; the Artura’s big-ass brakes, well connected steering and capable suspension – with Proactive damping – allow you to do just that. 

With revised exhaust tuning for 2025, the mid-mounted engine goes from baritone to tenor to soprano as the revs rise and your road speed increases. ‘Racing improves the breed’ is a time-worn phrase often used to describe well-worn platforms, but in McLaren’s Artura Spider the proof is in its hasty pudding.

Although the Artura Spider becomes an open-top cruiser in just a few seconds – with nothing but the touch of a button – the purest driving exercise is behind the wheel of the Artura coupe, as that platform is both lighter and (we’re guessing) stiffer. But whether buying a McLaren Artura is a lifelong goal or just one stop in a succession of performance purchases, get one while you can – if you can. As you’d guess, this type of performance envelope is time dated, even when coming in a stunning wrapper.

If McLaren allows me to keep it, it will eventually go to my library.