McLaren 600LT Spider

As birds chimed and the wind rushed through the trees, the McLaren 600LT emerged from its secluded garage. Arriving at this private country estate, complete with lush gardens, rolling vineyards and a picturesque lake, we had little idea that the garage at the end of the long, gravel driveaway housed a collection of jaw-dropping supercars, including the stunning Helios Orange McLaren 600LT Spider that we had come to photograph.

Despite touch competition from a Mercedes AMG GT-R and Porsche 911 Turbo S, this was the car that stood out the most. With the sunlight reflecting onto the acidic gloss paint, it's clear that this car is in a league of its own.

Using the base model McLaren 570s, the team at Woking add this variation to the infamous Long Tail (LT) lineup, which not only extrudes the rear quarter of the car, but also increases the performance, aerodynamic efficiency and overall track capabilities. Of course, there is always the 620R, the track-focused top of the range model, however the 600LT is more than capable of smashing times and blasting track records.

The McLaren 600LT is fitted with a twin-turbo 3.8L V8 engine which produces 592 horsepower - not quite 600 like the name suggests. Still, the 600LT is up 30bhp to the 570s, mostly caused by the new top-exit exhaust, which yes; shoots flames. The power is sent to the rear wheels using a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which cracks between shifts extremely sharply. This results in a 0-100km/h time of 2.9 seconds, up there with the likes of the Ferrari 488 Pista and the Porsche 991 GT2RS; both incredible cars. This all generates a top speed of 328km/h.

Even without all the technological advancement and fine-tuned engineering systems under the bonnet, the McLaren 600LT would still be a marvelous piece of kit. The exterior design is reminiscent of the stock-standard 570s, while also giving it some spice. Fittingly, when being named a 'Longtail', the 600LT has a 47mm extension to the rear, while also having the addition of a 27mm longer front splitter. 100kg of downforce is created at 250km/h. The flowing lines accentuate the curves of the 600LT, alluding the airflow path through vents and over panels.

The cockpit is a simple, alcantara-clad place, with quite dull features. A large infotainment screen is sat in the centre and the whole interior is similar across all McLaren models. However, the bland interior is made up for with the loud and colourful exterior. The gorgeous butterfly doors stretch up to the sky for the owner to step into, and the hard-top roof mechanism folds the top smoothly away, for those warm summer drives.

Overall, the McLaren 600LT Spider is a perfect supercar. Although toned down in noise, the car redeems itself in exterior styling and advanced engineering. It's fast, refined and beautiful. What more could you ask for?

Price when new: $496,000AUD Secondhand: $568,888 - $595,000 AUD