Doug DeMuro is giving us yet another in-depth “quirks and features” review of a cool car. This time, t’s the latest special car from McLaren – the Sabre. As always, we get the introduction to the car. It’s worth noting that the Sabre is supposed to be an evolution of the McLaren Senna, on which it is based. In the McLaren lineup, the Sabre sits over the Senna, but under the Speedtail that mimicked some features of the McLaren F1.
More special than the Senna?
Doug DeMuro already talked about the mess that McLaren's current lineup is. Nevertheless, he points out that the McLaren Sabre is even more special than the McLaren Senna, which he reviewed a couple of years ago. It's also a lot more exclusive. While 500 copies of the Senna were made, the Sabre will be made in only 15 examples. Moreover, the Sabre will be available only in the US.
More power
If the Sabre is going to be more special than the Senna, it's going to need a more special engine. While it uses the same 4.0-liter M840 twin-turbo V-8 unit, it no makes around 825 horsepower, instead of the Senna's 795 horsepower.
It's an evolution of the Senna
You may have noticed that this "quirks and features" review is shorter than most. Doug points out that the Sabre is based on the Senna and since he has already made a thorough review on that, this will simply highlight all the innovations that come with the McLaren Sabre.
It's basically a good-looking McLaren Senna
DeMuro pays special attention to the styling, as this is the main difference between the two cars. In his words, the Senna is simply ugly. "The Senna, I love. I think it's an amazing car that drives tremendously, but it is weird-looking, period!". He continues by complementing the smooth lines of the Sabre. "It actually turns the Senna into a good-looking car".
The new "fin" in the back
Doug comments on the new aerodynamic panel, which drops from the center of the roof towards the massive rear wing. He points out that this is probably the only thing he doesn't like about the exterior styling. Nevertheless, it seems to be a trend with hypercars, as we see it on the Bugatti Divo and Koenigsegg One:1, the latter of which actually has two.
"Sabre number seven"
Since the McLaren Sabre will be made in just 15 copies, each one has a unique number, inscribed on the side. Right behind the front wheel arch, on the naked carbon fiber part of the door, it says "Saber 7", indicating that the Sabre we are looking at is the seventh out of all 15. Inside the car, there's a plaque located between the seats, once again, showing, the number of the Saber you have.
"Swiveling gauge cluster"
We've seen this on some of the other McLaren models. The Sabre has the "swiveling gauge cluster". Upon switching to "race mode" the cluster retracts in "sleeping position", giving you a simplified rev-counter and speedometer, in order to not get distracted.
Jetfighter controls
Doug continues by showing the various buttons, positioned on the roof of the Sabre. There's a surprising amount of them, including the door handles, window switches, and even the engine start button.
You can record your driving
There's also a roof-mounted camera in the interior, which can record your lap times if you want it to.
"It's such an instant car"
Doug takes the Sabre for a drive and immediately praises the "instant" driver inputs. He does point out that the Senna has slightly more precise steering, but the Sabre is actually the more refined version of the car. "The Senna was insane, almost to a detriment".
The Sabre drives the way it looks
Some of Doug's final words on the Sabre are that, like the exterior, the driving dynamics have been refined. "It's like the Senna has been smoothed out...dare I say improved". He also points out that the Sabre is reasonably tame at cruising speeds, which goes to show the level of refinement, the Sabre brings.
Although Doug questions the existence of "yet another special, highly expensive, ultra-limited production. cool, unique McLaren", the 72 out of 100 Doug score is actually the highest and on par with the Ferrari SF90 Stradale and 488 Pista.