[Eon]

Hey all,

I've been lurking here for the past two years or so just ogling at the adventures everyone has had with their cars, watching maintenance threads, and trying to follow the ordering process from years ago when the 570 came out.

I've been a McLaren fanatic since I first saw the MP4-12C on Top Gear when I was 12. I went to the Goodwood Festival of Speed for the first time in the summer of 2016 to see the James Hunt P1 GTR and P1 LM they had at the show. I spent over 80% of my three days in the supercar paddock enjoying every little detail about the 570s sprint, 675LT, 650 can-am, and a lovely McLaren Orange 570s. I hovered around the McLaren booth towards the front of the festival and enjoyed every second I got to sit in a 675LT - even though it was about 5 minutes it felt like a few seconds. I shrieked when we found a silver 570gt on the way to the festival the first day as the bus from our hotel to the grounds followed it for a few miles.

All of this is to say, I absolutely love these cars and the people who understand them. I love how the Ferrari booth was swamped but the people at the McLaren booth were fantastic and down to earth. I loved that one of the McLaren test drivers signed a picture of the P1 GTR (I acquired about 5 postcards of it over the three days I was there).

Being an Idahoan, I have been to the Sun Valley Road Rally a few times and seen some awesome McLarens! I don't have pictures of them all for the spoiler below but I've gotten to see some insane 570s, a storm grey 650s, and a Senna! Hearing the Senna at full bore down the straight was something I hope I'll never forget even in old age, that is coming with me to the grave because I'll be lucky to get to hear it again.

My father and I climb state highpoints and when we were in Nevada climbing Boundary Peak, we stopped at a racetrack and THAT was my first ever realization of just how utterly brilliant of a car the 570s is. I got to lap it for around 15 minutes, or 20ish laps. I've never experienced a car with the speed, handling, and character it had. I was also fortunate enough to drive some other fantastic cars like a 911 GT3rs, Nissan GTR, Lamborghini Aventador, and a Ferrari 488gtb - none of them felt half as special as the 570s. I have the track telemetry and videos and none of the videos make me beam quite like the 570s video does.

I have only ever seen one in its natural habitat here in Boise. It made my week and only further fueled my love for McLarens. That said, I would love to get to talk to some of you all - as owners and fellow enthusiasts - about your cars. I've been working hard in school to get my mechanical engineering degree and one day I hope to own a 570 of my own.

If anyone in the Pacific Northwest is interested in meeting up, I would bend over backward for the opportunity to be in the company of one of these gems again. I'm itching to go road-tripping and if a 570 is at the end it'd improve on perfection. I know this thread isn't exactly the usual sort of contribution but I have been thinking through this post for several days and wanted to finally get it out there.

I hope I'm not stepping out of line. I genuinely hope that one of you reading this is available to share your experiences over coffee to make the best cars and coffee I could imagine. I'd love to go for a weekend drive just to see them in action again, and I'd be willing to drive a great distance to do so.

Pop open the spoiler to see the visuals to go along with my ever-growing passion. I also put some more details in there to keep this post more concise (at least on first glance).

Spoiler: My McLaren Journey! (Lots of pretty pictures)

Here are the McLaren highlights from Goodwood. They were all over the festival but the majority were in the supercar paddock or the McLaren "tent" (even though it wasn't really a tent). There was another P1 there at a PPF booth. It was right in the front and got me giddy the moment we walked in!

This was the only picture I took in the 675LT. I spent most of my time just admiring the layout of the thing and trying my best to imagine myself driving down a sunny backroad in it - it hurt to get out and say goodbye but I promised myself it wouldn't be the only time I got to get behind the wheel of a McLaren - and it wasn't!

My first ever driving experience in a 570s was with this gem! Pretty low on options since it was a track weapon, but I know that just means there's ways to make it even better. I've heard journalists say it feels like a go-cart but I wasn't prepared for just how true it was. I think I had gotten out of the Aventador before the 570s so the contrast was even more startling. I cannot fault the 570s no matter how hard I try. Turbo lag? Depending on who you ask, it doesn't exist OR is the fun "hit you in the kidneys" type as the revs build. Interior? Perfect mix of hard buttons for the drive modes and a decent infotainment screen. Looks? You've got to be kidding me, it's stunning from EVERY angle! Sound? People who don't like the sound of these things clearly haven't been around one in person or just side with the "everything turbocharged sounds bad" camp. I LOVE the turbo whistle and the tones especially above 3500rpm when it just starts to let you know what it's actually packing.

The other cars I drove were fantastic but none hit as hard as the McLaren did. The Aventador was notably disappointing speed-wise because of its tremendous weight. The 488 was the only thing that came close to the 570s but felt like it had no soul (contrary to what every auto journalist ever taught me when I was growing up)

Here was the Senna I found at the Sun Valley top speed event a few years ago. My dream 570s is silver over red like this one so it was pretty surreal to see the bigger brother of my dream car in person, especially so up close. There were ropes all over the place to keep people away because there was a Chiron next to it but I apparently managed to sweet talk someone to let me have a closer look. I'll never forget getting to peer through all of its gaps and aero work, truly stunning!

I would love to put more pictures at some point but the 10 image limit has hit at this point. Just writing this out has been so much fun! I know someone out there will read all the way down here and have the same passion I do and that's extremely comforting. Nobody I know is as interested in cars as I am so it's awesome to have finally decided to dip my toes into a place where I hope I'll be with likeminded individuals like yourself.

Thank you for reading, I hope you got some warm fuzzies from hearing my story or at the very least enjoyed my amateur photography. I'm hoping for a positive response from this post but it's a step into the unknown. I've never put myself out there like this and just free-flowed words about the cars I love so much.

 

[Ingenere]

I think a lot of us on here have loved cars since we were kids. I fell in love with Ferrari when I was 6. I remember the 1st time I saw one on the road. Sunday morning in the fall riding my bike down a country road and I heard an amazing sound off in the distance. As he went up and down through the gears, it was obvious that this wasn't a Mustang headed my way. As the sound got closer, I pulled my bike over and a bright yellow 275 GTB/4 went streaking by. The first time I sat in a Ferrari was at the New York Automobile show... A yellow Daytona. I can still smell the leather. THAT was 50 years ago!

You aren't alone. These forums are actually 'support groups'!

 

[Eon]

I fell in love with Ferrari when I was 6.

Do you ever think back and think to yourself "this is for you, 6-year-old me" every time you look at your garage?

I try and do that as often as I can since younger me had always wanted to have a car to work on, drive around for fun/practicality, and do all of the other passion projects I have at the moment. Younger me always looked forward to my future self when I could be doing all these cool things, and now that I'm there I try to not lose touch with that joyous optimism. It sounds kind of weird now that I put it into words but I hope it makes sense.

How has your Mondial been by the way? I'm interested in how they have been over time with reliability/just standing up to the test of time.

 

[Ingenere]

Do you ever think back and think to yourself "this is for you, 6-year-old me" every time you look at your garage?

I try and do that as often as I can since younger me had always wanted to have a car to work on, drive around for fun/practicality, and do all of the other passion projects I have at the moment. Younger me always looked forward to my future self when I could be doing all these cool things, and now that I'm there I try to not lose touch with that joyous optimism. It sounds kind of weird now that I put it into words but I hope it makes sense.

How has your Mondial been by the way? I'm interested in how they have been over time with reliability/just standing up to the test of time.

Every time I go to the garage! I have been blessed with a great work ethic and I have made some (mostly) good choices over the years that has given me the opportunity to drive some pretty cool cars.

Frankly, the Ferraris have been very reliable. The CS had an immobilizer issue that we had to come up with a solution for. The others, including the F40 have been great.

The Mondial is a great car. It looks exotic and it has been very reliable. I can't think of an issue. The roof is a little fiddly, but that's about it.

 

[Cesar]

Hey all,

I've been lurking here for the past two years or so just ogling at the adventures everyone has had with their cars, watching maintenance threads, and trying to follow the ordering process from years ago when the 570 came out.

I've been a McLaren fanatic since I first saw the MP4-12C on Top Gear when I was 12. I went to the Goodwood Festival of Speed for the first time in the summer of 2016 to see the James Hunt P1 GTR and P1 LM they had at the show. I spent over 80% of my three days in the supercar paddock enjoying every little detail about the 570s sprint, 675LT, 650 can-am, and a lovely McLaren Orange 570s. I hovered around the McLaren booth towards the front of the festival and enjoyed every second I got to sit in a 675LT - even though it was about 5 minutes it felt like a few seconds. I shrieked when we found a silver 570gt on the way to the festival the first day as the bus from our hotel to the grounds followed it for a few miles.

All of this is to say, I absolutely love these cars and the people who understand them. I love how the Ferrari booth was swamped but the people at the McLaren booth were fantastic and down to earth. I loved that one of the McLaren test drivers signed a picture of the P1 GTR (I acquired about 5 postcards of it over the three days I was there).

Being an Idahoan, I have been to the Sun Valley Road Rally a few times and seen some awesome McLarens! I don't have pictures of them all for the spoiler below but I've gotten to see some insane 570s, a storm grey 650s, and a Senna! Hearing the Senna at full bore down the straight was something I hope I'll never forget even in old age, that is coming with me to the grave because I'll be lucky to get to hear it again.

My father and I climb state highpoints and when we were in Nevada climbing Boundary Peak, we stopped at a racetrack and THAT was my first ever realization of just how utterly brilliant of a car the 570s is. I got to lap it for around 15 minutes, or 20ish laps. I've never experienced a car with the speed, handling, and character it had. I was also fortunate enough to drive some other fantastic cars like a 911 GT3rs, Nissan GTR, Lamborghini Aventador, and a Ferrari 488gtb - none of them felt half as special as the 570s. I have the track telemetry and videos and none of the videos make me beam quite like the 570s video does.

I have only ever seen one in its natural habitat here in Boise. It made my week and only further fueled my love for McLarens. That said, I would love to get to talk to some of you all - as owners and fellow enthusiasts - about your cars. I've been working hard in school to get my mechanical engineering degree and one day I hope to own a 570 of my own.

If anyone in the Pacific Northwest is interested in meeting up, I would bend over backward for the opportunity to be in the company of one of these gems again. I'm itching to go road-tripping and if a 570 is at the end it'd improve on perfection. I know this thread isn't exactly the usual sort of contribution but I have been thinking through this post for several days and wanted to finally get it out there.

I hope I'm not stepping out of line. I genuinely hope that one of you reading this is available to share your experiences over coffee to make the best cars and coffee I could imagine. I'd love to go for a weekend drive just to see them in action again, and I'd be willing to drive a great distance to do so.

Pop open the spoiler to see the visuals to go along with my ever-growing passion. I also put some more details in there to keep this post more concise (at least on first glance).

Spoiler: My McLaren Journey! (Lots of pretty pictures)

Here are the McLaren highlights from Goodwood. They were all over the festival but the majority were in the supercar paddock or the McLaren "tent" (even though it wasn't really a tent). There was another P1 there at a PPF booth. It was right in the front and got me giddy the moment we walked in!
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This was the only picture I took in the 675LT. I spent most of my time just admiring the layout of the thing and trying my best to imagine myself driving down a sunny backroad in it - it hurt to get out and say goodbye but I promised myself it wouldn't be the only time I got to get behind the wheel of a McLaren - and it wasn't!
View attachment 204099


My first ever driving experience in a 570s was with this gem! Pretty low on options since it was a track weapon, but I know that just means there's ways to make it even better. I've heard journalists say it feels like a go-cart but I wasn't prepared for just how true it was. I think I had gotten out of the Aventador before the 570s so the contrast was even more startling. I cannot fault the 570s no matter how hard I try. Turbo lag? Depending on who you ask, it doesn't exist OR is the fun "hit you in the kidneys" type as the revs build. Interior? Perfect mix of hard buttons for the drive modes and a decent infotainment screen. Looks? You've got to be kidding me, it's stunning from EVERY angle! Sound? People who don't like the sound of these things clearly haven't been around one in person or just side with the "everything turbocharged sounds bad" camp. I LOVE the turbo whistle and the tones especially above 3500rpm when it just starts to let you know what it's actually packing.
View attachment 204082 View attachment 204084
The other cars I drove were fantastic but none hit as hard as the McLaren did. The Aventador was notably disappointing speed-wise because of its tremendous weight. The 488 was the only thing that came close to the 570s but felt like it had no soul (contrary to what every auto journalist ever taught me when I was growing up)

Here was the Senna I found at the Sun Valley top speed event a few years ago. My dream 570s is silver over red like this one so it was pretty surreal to see the bigger brother of my dream car in person, especially so up close. There were ropes all over the place to keep people away because there was a Chiron next to it but I apparently managed to sweet talk someone to let me have a closer look. I'll never forget getting to peer through all of its gaps and aero work, truly stunning!
View attachment 204095

I would love to put more pictures at some point but the 10 image limit has hit at this point. Just writing this out has been so much fun! I know someone out there will read all the way down here and have the same passion I do and that's extremely comforting. Nobody I know is as interested in cars as I am so it's awesome to have finally decided to dip my toes into a place where I hope I'll be with likeminded individuals like yourself.

Thank you for reading, I hope you got some warm fuzzies from hearing my story or at the very least enjoyed my amateur photography. I'm hoping for a positive response from this post but it's a step into the unknown. I've never put myself out there like this and just free-flowed words about the cars I love so much.

That is the "kid" in most of us.... I used to dream about ever driving one of these cars: just the sight of it, the sound and even the smell...
My first Mclaren was a 570S and I can tell you for sure that it was the most fun I ever had driving a car. Even more than my new 720S ( I guess I got used to it ) but the reality is that the 570S felt more like a Go Kart ( it was really fun to drive), and the 720 feels more refined ( and way faster). I would have kept both if I could only afford it.
Too bad you are too far from where I live, otherwise would enjoy to share experiences and a drive.

 

[Eon]

That is the "kid" in most of us.... I used to dream about ever driving one of these cars: just the sight of it, the sound and even the smell...
My first Mclaren was a 570S and I can tell you for sure that it was the most fun I ever had driving a car. Even more than my new 720S ( I guess I got used to it ) but the reality is that the 570S felt more like a Go Kart ( it was really fun to drive), and the 720 feels more refined ( and way faster). I would have kept both if I could only afford it.
Too bad you are too far from where I live, otherwise would enjoy to share experiences and a drive.

I love when reviewers use the term Go Kart since I associate it purely with McLarens, I'm convinced they feel more like superkarts more than supercars, compared to other more traditional sport/supercars. What made you go from the 570s to the 720s? If you loved the 570s so much, what was so enticing about the 720s? I've heard the speed is borderline hypercar fast which sounds like a pretty convincing argument in my eyes.

I go to school in OK but even that is a long way away from GA. I'd honestly be willing to make a trip out of heading to the east coast to have such an experience. The furthest on the east coast I've ever been was FL, which doesn't really count. I guess that's an adventure for the future since school is so uncertain right now.

 

[Ingenere]

I've thrown the idea around of a 600LT or a 720. I drove the 570 to the dealer and drove the other 2 back to back. There was a fair amount of traffic, so I really wasn't able to give them a good thrash. They were all kind of like different flavors from the same ice cream store!

At the end of the day, they are all more than you can ever exploit on the road. The experience made me appreciate just how good the 570 is. Just today, I was on a 2 lane road and I needed to get past a group of cars, as some great switchback were just ahead. 60 mph... short passing zone... 4 cars dispatched in short order. It couldn't have taken more than 3-4 seconds. I checked speed before the braking zone for start of the 'good stuff'...an undramatic 130, hard brake, quick turn in and off we go. How much faster do we need to be, and boy does the 570 handle the twisty bits!