Ive drank the kool aid of Mclaren and currently have an all Mclaren garage. A 2022 765 LT Spider and just added a 2016 675 LT with a roof scoop. My journey has taken me from owning a bunch of Porsches (now all sold expect for Taycan daily driver which will be sold soon) and several Ferraris (also sold). And as we wait for my new house to be built - scheduled completion April 2024 where I will have the ability to park/display up to 12 cars, this is all im going to be adding to the garage at the moment. 750 in the future but likely that will come once house is done.
With regards to the all mclaren garage, this is not to say I wont ever buy another Ferrari- I enjoy the power and prestige and history of Ferrari but at the current moment I did not find any Ferraris that I enjoyed enough to add over my two current cars. The SF90 too big, too heavy and hearing lots of issues. I sold my Pista and while it was a brilliant vehicle, the aluminum chasis and body roll left a lot to be desired. Roma/Portifino I have no interest in. I do have a deposit on a 296 and will probably add that in a few years but need to do more research before final decision. Their limited edition cars are brilliant (TDF, Monza etc) but basically unobtainable.
With regards to Porsche- Im just done with the brand. The arrogance of the dealers, the need to kiss an idiot sales persons ass to get a 500 hp sports car, the ridiculous 50-100k ADMS which the Porsche fanboys just lap up, the taking the same basic car, adding some paint and trim and calling it a special edition- just not worth it to me. A new GT3 RS is selling for 300k and dealers are asking 150k ADM and they laugh at you when you. question selling above MSRP. The whole brand currently is just polluted. Its a shame cause they do make some decent cars but the entire Porsche ecosystem-They suck. Im done.
This leaves me with Mclaren. Ever since I got my first 720 Ive fallen in love with the cars. the way they look, the way they drive, the carbon tub. The carbon tub is the magic sauce- it makes the car feel so stiff and connected. Its wonderful.
After my 720, I was able to secure an allocation for a 765 Spider which IMHO is the best car Ive ever owned. Its magical. And ofcourse every Mclaren owner that I spoke to who has been in the Mclaren eco system and has a bunch of the hypercard (P1, Senna, Elva etc) would speak so highly of the 675 that I had to have one. So last week I finalized the deal on a 2016 LT. Originally I was going to just get a regular coupe but changed my mind and switched to a more rare 1 or 18 factory original in the US roof scoop version.
Below are my initial thoughts after about 100 or so miles in the last few days. All of this I will speak relative to the 765 as there have been many questions that Ive seen asking to compare the two.
Power - Winner 765 hands down with regards to having more power. While the 675 is no slouch, 765 just will outgun the 675 no issues. However, thats not necessarily a good thing. The 675 while having less power, its more drivable. The 765 is just scary fast if you push the pedal all the way down. the 675 is fast as hell, but more manageable. There is plenty of power in the 675 and while the 765 has more, I would say in terms of driving- both are great but different in how they deliver the power.
Comfort - I have the P1 seats in the 675 and frankly whoever designed these should be shot. I hate these seats. My 765 has the Senna seats and while its a bit more difficult to get in and out of the Senna seats- once you are in them they are super comfortable. The P1 seats are just super narrow so not only difficult ot get in and out of, but tight when you are seated. Ill be looking out for some alternatives later likely as I hate the P1 seats. I asked to get a couple of seats ordered and was quoted 28k from MSO. Umm- no. Will find a salvaged 650 and just pull the seats if I can find the right ones. Or some 720 comfort seats. Regardless- comfort seats are the way to go but from an esthetic perspective, Senna looks the best, then P1.
Handling - Man this is a wash. Both are just so connected to the road. Both amazing. So tight- no body roll. My Pista used to sit like a 4x4 from the factory - I had to get novitec springs and lower the car a bit but it still have body roll compared to my Mclarens. Both 765 and 675 just wonderful in how connected they are.
Visibility - Since my 765 is a spider- if I have the rear wing down, I have better visibility. But if I put the rear wing up- I cant see out the back. The 675 you have decent visibility but not great. Its pretty tight cocoon in there. Snug in a good way. I would give the edge to 765.
Build quality - No issues on either one so far. I would say build quality is excellent on both.
Esthetics - totally subjective and while I think the 765 is one of the best looking cars out there- 675 with the roof scoop is no slouch. You decide.
Sound- I think I have to give this to the 675. Probably because of the roof scoop. Probably because of the coupe vs spider. 720 I think the weak point was the sound. they fixed that in the 765 but 675 to me sounds more visceral and raw.
In the end- both amazing wonderful cars, I would say long terms keepers for me most likely and Im enjoying tremendously my Mclaren journey. It helps to have a good dealership and team. They have been very supportive. Lets see where this journey takes me.
