2015 McLaren 650S Spider Review

Win a reality television game show, make a sex tape or create a viral YouTube video. In this wondrous modern age, there are several ways to become instantly famous.

But all of that sounds like too much work, effort and embarrassment. There has to be an easier way to become famous, right? Well, yes there is. But like many problems in life, it involves throwing some cash around. Actually, make that a lot of cash.

For the tidy sum of $282,625, you too can be the owner of a 2015 McLaren 650S Spider, a British born supercar that turns heads everywhere it goes.

To tussle with the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini, a car cannot simply blend into traffic. It needs in-your-face, dramatic styling that screams “Hey look! I’m special!” An example of being too conservative can be found with McLaren’s last supercar, the MP4-12C. Although it had the right wedge shape, some of the other details were kind of bland and boring. It didn’t look special enough.

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With the 650S, McLaren changed all that. The front end uses design cues found on the P1 hypercar, like the signature crescent headlights, and the rear of the 650 features a very distinct tail light treatment. People may not know it’s a McLaren, but they definitely know it’s something extraordinary, even finished in Storm Gray paint like my test car.

SEE ALSO: 2015 Lamborghini Huracan Video Review

As soon as one of the butterfly doors opens, a crowd of people are soon to descend, armed full of a multitude of questions that need answering. “How fast is it?” “What’s the power?” “How much is it?”

The 650S truly is a beacon that even the most disinterested eyes are drawn too. It’s as subtle as taking out an ant hill with a howitzer. And don’t even think about refueling the car when running late – trips to the gas station become mini car meets.

The problem is, I could rarely experience this unadulterated speed or joy. Even if there was some way to come to a complete stop in the middle of the freeway and then launch the car, in just over three seconds, I would be breaking the law. Another two seconds after that, I’m risking losing my license for a long, long time. Now, this didn’t hold me back from having some fun in the car, as I did, and the proof can be found in my observed fuel economy average of 10.4 mpg.

SEE ALSO: 2013 McLaren MP4-12C Review – Video

Still, what’s the point of all this power and performance if it can’t be used on a daily basis? Simply put, as long as you know what the car is capable of and make sure everyone else is aware, it’s almost worth it. Part of owning a supercar is making sure everyone else knows it a supercar. One funny thing I noticed is the number of people who attempt to race the 650S as I’m cruising to work; as if their 8-year-old Nissan Maxima would actually have a chance against this 204 mph rocket.

Weighing around 3,000 lbs, the McLaren is easy enough to maneuver around town and it’s surprisingly spacious and livable. The transmission is amazingly smooth in full automatic mode and lacks any dual-clutch jerkiness.

Steering response borders on maniacal, as full attention is required on the freeway since the smallest input can send the McLaren in another direction. As well, the far larger rear tires fight with the skinny front tires on highways when stuck in ruts left by trucks that have had their way with the asphalt.

But find a nice smooth, twisting piece of blacktop, and the 650S shows an inclining of what it can do. Suffice to say, in the right hands, the 650S is most likely an automotive atomic bomb on the track.