McLaren farewells its V8 supercar with final special edition
What started as the McLaren 720S nearly a decade ago is concluding as the limited-run 788HS, leaving a question mark over the future of the V8 for the brand.
It’s hard to believe that the McLaren 720S debuted in 2017, almost 10 years ago, and it can still be traced through the 750S currently in showrooms.
But time is running out for the flagship mainstream supercar platform from the British marque, which today revealed the McLaren 788HS as its send-off to the long-running recipe.
Standing for ‘High Sport’, it’s just the third HS-branded McLaren in the brand’s history, having previously been affixed to the MP4-12C HS and the MSO HS, now on the 788HS for its 200-example production run.
Coming to Australia with prices starting from $1,078,800 before on-road costs, it’s one of the most expensive cars on sale locally, thanks to its myriad upgrades from the McLaren Special Operations team.
That includes a new HS-specific aerodynamic package, which consists of a larger ‘multi-zone’ front splitter, a Formula 1-style rear diffuser (claimed to generate 10 per cent more downforce than the 765LT), and a new S-duct bonnet which helps to feed more air to the active rear spoiler.
MSO has also gone heavy on the lightweight application to the interior, with a lighter carbon fibre centre console helping to bring the car down 1265kg dry.
Sitting 5mm lower at the front than the 750S, the 788HS also features McLaren Senna-derived Carbon ceramic brake discs, which are clamped by six-piston forged aluminum monoblock front calipers.
These big brakes are fitted behind a new set of ‘Super Lightweight Forged Alloy’ wheels, becoming the first rims in McLaren’s Super Series to feature a centre-locking system.
Importantly, the 788HS is the most powerful iteration of the 720S/750S/765LT series ever, with its twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine turned up to produce 580kW (or 788PS, hence the name) and 800Nm, representing a 28kW power bump over the 750S.
Drivers are also treated to a revised induction and exhaust system to get better tones from the V8.
It may also be the last non-electrified V8 in the McLaren lineup we’ll see for a while, as the brand’s next-generation models are tipped to get hybrid assistance, something which has already started with the smaller Artura V6 PHEV.
