McLaren 750S Coupe makes its Asia Pacific debut in Taiwan

Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei - Typhoon Doksuri wasn’t the only storm to blow through Taiwan, as the storming McLaren 750S Coupe was launched this very same week at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park!

As a side-note, fans of open-top motoring won’t have to wait very long for the 750S Spider, because both Coupe and Spider variants have been announced simultaneously.

In a nutshell, the 750S is a late-mid-life update (with 30 per cent new parts) to the rear-drive V8-engined 720S, with a light nip-and-tuck to its aesthetics, less weight (30kg less), more power (750hp up from 720hp, in case the name didn’t give it away) and even tighter handling traits (Proactive Chassis Control – or PCC – III debuts in the 750S) compared to the already-excellent 720S.

Front and rear see the big design changes, with the distinctive (and very dramatic)  ‘eye-socket’ headlights given a more focused look than before and the rear now featuring a lightened centre-exit single exhaust (yes, just like the P1) in contrast to the twin-exit round tail-pipes of the 720S.

On the inside, you might have spotted a new button emblazoned with the McLaren ‘Speedmark’ logo on the centre dash.

This engages MCL (or McLaren Control Launcher), which allows the driver to store his/her favourite combination of aero, handling, powertrain and transmission settings that can be instantly recalled with the push of the button.

At the launch, Mr. Shane Harman – McLaren Automotive, Product Manager – explains why it took so long for McLaren to introduce a one-touch button to recall one’s fave dynamic settings.

“It was an evolution from our brand and engineering team. Previously, we had the Active button (which some might have found fiddly), but we had the opportunity to change the interface with the 750S. After talking to a lot of customers and media, and appreciating that people generally have their favourite drive settings, we decided to give the driver the opportunity to recall their preferred settings with one touch of the MCL.”

Most notably, fans of the 720S’s unique folding instrument cluster will lament its absence – we certainly did! – but there’s a good reason for this.

(Click HERE to read our McLaren 720S First Drive Review)

Firstly, the new instrument cluster boasts vivid graphics and saves just under 2kg from the trick one in the 720S. Moreover, it adopts the binnacle-mounted Powertrain and Handling controls from the Elva and Artura, which places the rocker switches within ergonomic reach of the driver.

Singapore fans eager for a glance at the 720S successor may not have that long to wait, because McLaren in Singapore (through its dealer Eurokars SuperSports) could well have something planned around the period of the 2023 Singapore F1 Grand Prix Night Race.

With Ms. Charlotte Dickson (pictured above) – McLaren Automotive, Head of Asia Pacific – in attendance at the launch, we ask her some quick questions about the Singapore market.

She tells us, “We’re pleased with how McLaren's market share has been growing and we think it will continue to grow over the next couple of years. The market in Singapore has been challenging recently with the tax increases, but this applies to this segment of the market as a whole. It’s fantastic that our dealer in Singapore, Eurokars Supersports, has already taken orders for the 750S despite the fact people haven’t even physically seen the car. I think we’ll see the order bank grow a lot more once we have the static car and even more once we put some cars on the roads.”

“We’re very lucky with our partner in Singapore, Eurokars Supersports. They’re one of our trusted retailer partners. The level of customer service they bring is exceptional, so that’s very positive.”

PHOTOS McLaren Asia Pacific