It was blue blood times three at the Monaco Grand Prix over the weekend, as H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco and H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Jacques opened the event by driving the new McLaren Artura Spider.
The open-top electrified supercar made its dynamic debut at the event with the Monegasque Prince behind the wheel. Prince Albert II drove the orange-finished machine for an honorary lap around the circuit, accompanied by Prince Jacques.
"The Monaco circuit holds a cherished place in McLaren's heritage, which spans over six decades," said the brand's Chief Executive Officer, Michael Leiters. "The Artura Spider encapsulates decades of learnings from racing and automotive innovation, which we are excited to share with our customers and fans."
The Artura Spider is the open-top version of the Artura Coupe that entered production some two years ago. The model was unveiled back in February and uses a carbon and aluminum structure. It is only 137 pounds (62 kg) heavier than its fixed-roof sibling and features a folding hardtop that can be retracted in 11 seconds, three seconds quicker than the Ferrari 296 GTS, which is 143 pounds (65 kg) heavier.
Photo: McLaren
The British exotic auto marque's engineers boosted the V6 powertrain by 19 hp (19 ps/14 kW) to compensate for the added weight. The 3.0-liter unit sports a new ECU map and kicks out 596 hp (605 ps/445 kW), with another 94 hp (95 ps/70 kW) coming from the electric motor inside the DCT. The car's total output is 690 hp (700 ps/515 kW), and it has 531 pound-foot (720 Nm) of torque, identical to all other 2025 model year versions of the Artura.
How quick is it? A look at the spec sheet reveals that the McLaren Artura Spider takes three seconds flat to accelerate to sixty-two miles per hour (100 kph) from rest. That's identical to the pre-boosted coupe, and the model will tap out at 205 mph (330 kph). McLaren also says 0-124 mph (0-200 kph) takes 8.4 seconds, and this model can reach mph (300 kph) in 21.6 seconds after taking off. The quarter-mile is a 10.8-second affair in the convertible supercar.
With its 7.4 kWh lithium-ion battery fully charged, the McLaren Artura Spider can make the larger and much more powerful Lamborghini Revuelto jealous, as it can travel on zero emissions for 21 miles (33 km). The vehicle's combined fuel consumption is 49 US mpg (4.8 l/100 km/58.9 UK mpg), emitting 108 g/km of CO2. This ride has electro-hydraulic steering, double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension, a longitudinal mid-engine layout, and pure rear-wheel drive.
Pricing for the McLaren Artura Spider starts at over $280,000 in the United States, some $25,000 more than the Artura Coupe, before dealer markups, options, and destination.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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