McLaren’s double dose of debuts came as a surprise when the highly anticipated arrival of the 720S supercar was shortly followed by the introduction of the 720S Velocity, a bespoke creation by McLaren Special Operations meant to showcase the enormous personalization opportunities that are on the horizon for the British automaker’s next great wonder machine.

The arrival of the 720S marked the next step in the evolution of McLaren’s Super Series, a family of supercars that sprouted from the seeds of automotive engineering with the debut of the MP4-12C back in 2011. Since then, the Super Series family has grown to include the 650S, the 675LT, and the 650S GT3. The 720S serves as the replacement for the 650S after the latter’s three-year run in the market and just as appealing as that car was with MSO’s involvement with the 720S proving to be just as enthralling under the carefully thought of eye of the personalization division.

The 720S Velocity is unlikely to be the only 720S model that MSO will be working on in its life span. More versions will come, either through future owners of the new supercar or through McLaren itself. But the 720S Velocity accomplishes something that shouldn’t go understated. It’s setting the bar incredibly high for future 720S models that will pass through MSO. It’s combination of exclusive exterior colors and finely tailored interiors all make for a car that brings out a unique personality to the 720S, which of course is what MSO is all about in the first place.

It won’t come cheap by any means, but that comes with the territory of having MSO work on a car that by itself will cost just under $300,000 when it becomes available in the U.S. Yes, the price of personalization doesn’t come cheap. But if the car ends up looking like the 720S Velocity, money becomes a small price to pay for the rewards that come after.

Continue after the jump to read more about the McLaren 720S Velocity.

2018 McLaren 720S Velocity

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2018 McLaren 720S Velocity
  • Engine/Motor: V8
  • Horsepower: 710
  • Torque: 568
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

What makes the McLaren 720S Velocity so special

Velocity is a fitting name for this MSO-created McLaren 720S, isn’t it? The aggressive nature of the word lends itself well with the two shades of red that MSO prepared to use on the supercar. One of these shades is called Nerello Red, which dominates the front and upper body panels of the 720S, including that red-tinted carbon fiber hood. As the color moves to the sides of the car, the Nerello Red hue fades off and transforms into what MSO calls Volcano Red, a brighter shade that tends all to the way to rear section of the MSO. This kind of color treatment isn’t exactly new to the industry, but there’s something passive-aggressive about these two colors that fits the personality of the car.

A number of carbon parts have also been fitted into the car, all of which come from MSO’s seemingly endless catalog of add-ons and options. The hood, as I’ve mentioned, is made from carbon fiber. But that’s not the end of it. The rear deck vent, for example, is made from gloss carbon, as is the rear aero bridge. Then there’s the full-length sill cover and the face vents, both of which are also made from carbon, albeit finished in satin. Evidently, using straight up carbon fiber is now considered a little bourgeois for the 720S; it has to either be finished in gloss or satin.

Move to the interior and MSO’s involvement is pretty evident on it as well. To be fair, McLaren already put in the work on the supercar’s cabin, drowning it in luxury features like leather, Alcantara, carbon-fiber, and even switches that are entirely machined from aluminum. McLaren is even offering upholstery options, including black or black and Scoria Grey, and the freedom to choose between standard or carbon fiber seats, carbon fiber packages, and a host of other upscale options. Remember though, these options are entirely available from McLaren; MSO isn’t even involved here.

As for what the personalization division is offering, well, consider McLaren’s offer pedestrian by comparison. Sure, the materials are likely the same, but MSO is provided a little bit more freedom to interpret the application of these materials. In the case of the 720S, MSO went with a full Carbon Black Alcantara trim throughout the cabin. And by “throughout,” I really mean all over pretty much everything, including the steering wheel, door casings, headliner, the tunnel and door bin lid, insert access panels, and even the rear quarter panel and the bulkhead finisher. That extensive treatment plays in sharp contrast to the equally present and visible Harissa Red leather details found on the fascia, steering wheel, doors, and sports seats.

No performance upgrades were given to the car, but I hardly think that’s going to be an issue since the 720S already packs a new twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 engine that itself produces 710 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque. Get a calculator, and you’ll realize that the car has 70 horsepower and 68 pound-feet of torque over the car it replaces – the 650-horsepower McLaren 650S – and 44 horsepower and 53 pound-feet of torque more than the 675LT, the most powerful Super Series car McLaren had created until the 720S showed up.

All that power undoubtedly translates to quick performance times, and even though McLaren has yet to announce the exact numbers, it did say that the 720S should cover 0 to 62 mph in less than three seconds, possibly as quick as 2.7 seconds, before peaking at a top speed that’s north of 210 mph.

The extent of MSO’s work on the McLaren 720S Velocity doesn’t look much if you classify it from a quantitative stand point. Really, between the shifting body color of the supercar, the splashy set of bronze-finished wheels, and the use of the Carbon Black Alcantara trim and the Harissa Red leather trim on the interior, that’s really it.

Here’s the thing, though. Judging MSO’s work simply on the basis of the quantity of options the 720S Velocity received short-changes the scope of options that the personalization division really has. In truth, there’s more to it than what the 720S Velocity is showing. McLaren itself mentioned that MSO already has other “themes” available for the 720S and even though they weren’t displayed at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show like the 720S Velocity was, we can at least keep a keen eye on these other MSO-created 720S models so at some point in the near future, the names “McLaren 720S GT,” “McLaren 720S “Pacific,” McLaren 720S “Track,” and “McLaren 720 S Stealth” should be familiar to us. That’s because these options were also displayed in Geneva, albeit only on screens inside McLaren’s booth.

Be that as it may, these options, headlined of course by the 720S Velocity, gives us a peek into the MSO potential of McLaren’s latest supercar. The 720S Velocity, with all its MSO-derived bells and whistles in tow, costs £335,000, which converts to about $407,500. That’s a heavy price to pay even for a 720S, but the opportunity to add a heavy dose of personalization to the supercar would be difficult to pass up.

Drivetrain Specifications

Engine configuration

M840T engine, 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, 3,994cc

Drivetrain layout

Longitudinal mid-engined, RWD

Power

710 HP @ 7,500 RPM

Torque

568 LB-FT @ 5,500 RPM

Transmission

7 Speed SSG

Suspension

Independent adaptive dampers, dual wishbones, Proactive Chassis Control II (PCC II)

Brakes

Carbon Ceramic Discs (F: 390mm R: 380mm)

0 -60mph

2.8 seconds

0-100 km/h (0-62mph)

2.9 seconds

0-200 km/h (0-124mph)

7.8 seconds

0-300 km/h (0-186mph)

21.4 seconds

0-400 m / ¼ mile

10.3 seconds

Maximum Speed

341km/h (212 mph)

200 – 0 km/h (124mph – 0) braking

4.6 seconds/117 m

100 – 0 km/h (62mph – 0) braking

2.8 seconds/29.7 m