0:00:02 > 0:00:05Hi. I'm Rory Reid. Welcome to Extra Gear, the show that dives under
0:00:05 > 0:00:07the Top Gear bonnet to give you more. Tonight,
0:00:07 > 0:00:11we take you behind the scenes of the 720S power test.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12OK, he's on the straight.
0:00:12 > 0:00:13Here we go.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Chris takes the baby McLaren around our Top Gear test track.
0:00:19 > 0:00:20It just goes.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25And I'm joined by two bona fide racing drivers.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Marino Franchitti and Rob Bell.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29That's right, this is Extra Gear.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55OK, let's get our guests out.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58He's a member of the Italian Scottish racing fraternity and most
0:00:58 > 0:01:01definitely knows his way around a sports car,
0:01:01 > 0:01:02welcome Marino Franchitti.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Have a seat.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11And this man is no slouch in a sports car either.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15McLaren factory driver and 2016 Blancpain champion, Rob Bell.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21Take a seat.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Welcome, guys. Thanks for coming on the show.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30We're at the start of a brand-new season of motor sport.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32What's in store for 2018?
0:01:32 > 0:01:34For me, a lot of work with Singer,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36with this new car we're working on with Williams, well,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38it's an old Porsche, but making it new.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41And a lot of historic racing for me.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43So driving in some ridiculously valuable old cars
0:01:43 > 0:01:47and having fun while doing it. So maybe some modern racing as well.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Not sure yet, but there will be plenty to keep me busy, I'm sure.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Keeping busy, good. And, Rob, yourself, what are you up to?
0:01:52 > 0:01:55I'm back with McLaren, which is great.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59So I'll be driving the current GT3 car, the 650S,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03and we are developing a new car, the 720, into a GT3 car,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05so that's going to be my focus really from
0:02:05 > 0:02:07sort of mid-season onwards.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09It must be so cool to see what's in the future.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Just to be a part of it, having your DNA in
0:02:12 > 0:02:14a racing car is pretty special, actually.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17OK, this week Chris tested the McLaren 720S,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20and Extra Gear managed to get in on the action.
0:02:20 > 0:02:21Let's take a look.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26The Top Gear team get to work preparing for the day's shoot,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29and readying the 720 for Chris's first taste
0:02:29 > 0:02:32in McLaren's latest supercar offering.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34So, the 720 was launched several months ago.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Pretty much all of my work colleagues have driven
0:02:36 > 0:02:38the flipping thing, and I haven't.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40I deliberately resisted the temptation.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42I've been offered the chance to drive it, but I agreed with
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Al Renton, my boss, that I was going to wait so that when I got to the
0:02:46 > 0:02:48car it would be fresh, and I'm really glad I did,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50cos I came into it with no preconceptions,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52and I think that always makes the review a bit fresher,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55and it makes the responses and reaction on the camera more real,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57because they are real - I haven't driven it before.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03How good is that?!
0:03:05 > 0:03:07It does feel ridiculously quick.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10But this wasn't your standard power test.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14The 720 was here to square up to its big brother, the P1.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Lap times would need to be set under the same conditions,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21and with temperatures soaring, they were changing by the minute.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25It's ten o'clock in the morning, and the earlier we do it
0:03:25 > 0:03:28the better it is, because the cooler it is the quicker it goes.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32So, it's a big deal. It's quite tense, really,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35because we need the conditions to just be right and the turnaround to
0:03:35 > 0:03:37be really quick.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40There's quite a lot at stake. We've got to do it now.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50There was no time to spare,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54and all crew needed to be safe and in position before the car could be
0:03:54 > 0:03:55sent out.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12One of the big issues on Top Gear is crew safety,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15so you get our presenters to do what's called a sighting lap,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18so he spots where they are, checks the run-off,
0:04:18 > 0:04:23so our camera guy is right on his front line, there.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25We know that camera guy down there is safe,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29but you've got a car doing about 180mph.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31You've got to hold your nerve for that.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Getting a shot under those conditions isn't easy.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39The sighting lap was complete, but track conditions
0:04:39 > 0:04:41were beginning to deteriorate.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44I just ran out of grip halfway through the lap.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46I've got a lot of understeer, but I have got oversteer as well.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48It's the heat, temperature...
0:04:51 > 0:04:55The heat right now is bad for times. That's a fact. It's crazy hot.
0:04:55 > 0:04:5836 degrees, something like that.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01The track temperature was reaching levels that could rule out
0:05:01 > 0:05:03competitive lap times for either car.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06With fresh tyres on both, the time was now.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15The crew roll camera and set themselves for shooting
0:05:15 > 0:05:16the P1's lap time.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20OK, lads, he's coming out now. Flying lap.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Going past cameras. He's got two laps, two goes, over.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32OK, so we've got a flying lap happening in about 45 seconds,
0:05:32 > 0:05:34so make sure you're all clear from the track.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37If you've got shots, we're going in for it, people.
0:05:50 > 0:05:56The P1 did a lap time of 1.54.7.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58I'm happy with that.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02That's a good time. It's a hot day today, really hot.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05The P1 always struggles with tyres,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08so I think that is a good time,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12and I struggle to see how the 720 can get anywhere near it.
0:06:12 > 0:06:13In order to compare the laps,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16the 720 had to head out within moments of the P1.
0:06:16 > 0:06:17Three, two, one, go.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27OK, he's on the straight. Here we go.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31He's going for it.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44OK, the finish line shot. Should be coming round the final corner now.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Drone, give me a pit lane shot of him just coming in.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00So can I have the lap time, please?
0:07:00 > 0:07:04The 720S did it in 1.55.12.
0:07:04 > 0:07:071:55...
0:07:09 > 0:07:12So that's half a second off?
0:07:12 > 0:07:13That is remarkable.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18And that, my friends, is how it's done.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31I think he loved it.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35He was pretty taken with that. I mean, half a second behind a P1,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37it doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39What's your take on the 720S?
0:07:40 > 0:07:42I haven't driven it on a track yet.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44I drove it on the roads in Scotland
0:07:44 > 0:07:48on the same day I was driving the P1 - it was a good day.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50- Another one!- Another good day.
0:07:51 > 0:07:52It was so impressive.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56First thing is just they've taken the design from the P1
0:07:56 > 0:07:59with the windows in the top of the doors and stuff,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01so it's a really airy cockpit.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02It's a nice place to be.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06You could drive it every day. It's so usable, yet when you go,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10it's right on the edge of being a hyper car. It can do everything.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15And just the progress they've made and even the cockpit, the switches,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18the way everything works, McLaren are at the top of their game,
0:08:18 > 0:08:22which, as young as the company is, is very impressive.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25It's incredible that they can achieve that kind of performance for
0:08:25 > 0:08:26a quarter of the price.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29You must be quite astonished at the rate of development that these
0:08:29 > 0:08:30things are going through.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33And to get things going so quickly in such a short
0:08:33 > 0:08:36period of time, the new product is absolutely fantastic.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40I want to talk suspension for a second, because the 720S has this
0:08:40 > 0:08:42remarkable new suspension system.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44It's amazing they've managed to separate
0:08:44 > 0:08:47what the car does in heaves, so what it does vertically,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50they can make it soft in that way so it can deal with the bumps and the
0:08:50 > 0:08:54hard inputs, but when you turn and put load onto the car,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58it just stiffens up, it's unbelievable.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01The roads in the UK are awful. They're just terrible.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03And the roads we were on in Scotland,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05you would struggle with an SUV,
0:09:05 > 0:09:10whereas this thing was like a magic carpet, the 720, and even the P1 -
0:09:10 > 0:09:12as old as it is now - they just go
0:09:12 > 0:09:14across these bumps like they're not there.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17The expensive suspension is even better than what people
0:09:17 > 0:09:20have in their normal everyday cars, it's incredible.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23And, as you say, it's like a racing car in stiffness.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29I heard a story that the 720S was tested in Colorado and in the Alps,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and also at a bumpy roundabout in Woking!
0:09:33 > 0:09:36I think it's perfect. That's where people want to drive their cars.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39They want to show off their cars in ordinary places like Woking!
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Absolutely, absolutely. You've got to do these things.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44It's just incredible how you can get both things in one car.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Let's talk about Portimao for a second.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50I know that Chris and the team really wanted to make sure there was
0:09:50 > 0:09:53a level playing field in the 720 versus P1 film there.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Portimao has a very abrasive surface,
0:09:55 > 0:09:57so you go through tyres quite a lot,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01so the temperatures can affect the performance of the tyre.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03What's your experience of this track?
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Well, the way Chris drives, you go through tyres everywhere, but...
0:10:06 > 0:10:07LAUGHTER
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Portimao, it is very abrasive.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14On the P1, to this day, having revisited the P1 recently,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18tyre technology cannot keep up with the performance of these cars.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20I think if you could get a tyre...
0:10:20 > 0:10:21..with the P1, with its lower
0:10:21 > 0:10:23suspension on track and everything else,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25if you could get a more advanced tyre,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27a slick... Almost a racing slick,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29the performance would be otherworldly.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32It would be even further set apart from the 720s of the world.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Halfway through the lap, the tyre has already started to overheat.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38It is screaming for mercy.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41The surface of the tyre has overheated,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43that starts to build the pressure in the tyre
0:10:43 > 0:10:46so you get even less contact patch, less grip.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48It's just a vicious circle.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49How do you manage that with so much power?
0:10:49 > 0:10:51It's so difficult.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55You get through those first couple of corners, it just...
0:10:55 > 0:10:58It's like falling off the edge of a cliff. It just goes down and down,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00and you have less and less grip.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03You saw on the videos, he goes through the last corner,
0:11:03 > 0:11:04and he's just hanging on to the thing.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05It's four-wheel drifting.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08The tyre has given up halfway round the lap and gone home.
0:11:09 > 0:11:10At that point you are...
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Your inputs just increase everywhere.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17More steering, more work on the throttle, more work on the brake,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20and it's a fabulous track, Portimao,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24because not only does it have a lot of different types of corner,
0:11:24 > 0:11:25it has the abrasion.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28As it settles, it's really quite bumpy,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30but you also have a big elevation change,
0:11:30 > 0:11:31and the video doesn't do it justice.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35It's so, so different from one corner to the next,
0:11:35 > 0:11:36blind. It's tough.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Rob, you've driven there yourself quite a few times, I'd imagine.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41What kind of testing do they do here?
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Well, we've raced there over the years
0:11:44 > 0:11:49and testing, and the other thing is the climate.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52If you want to be testing in warm weather, you go at 12 o'clock.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55If you want to be testing in cool weather, you go earlier, so,
0:11:55 > 0:11:59in amongst what we do, a lot of it is based on climate, temperature,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01and looking after the tyres.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Management, a lot of traction control work we do,
0:12:04 > 0:12:05especially in the race car,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09it's not about necessarily getting the best lap time on that lap,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11it's about making the tyres last.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15You know, you could maybe squeeze another tenth out of a car
0:12:15 > 0:12:17over one lap, but then if your tyres are dead,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19then that's no good to anyone,
0:12:19 > 0:12:23so we do a lot in these sort of places, especially here at Portimao,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26when it is hot. That's why you go,
0:12:26 > 0:12:27because it's so gruelling, you know?
0:12:27 > 0:12:30If a car can survive there for an hour,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33then you're going to survive pretty much anywhere.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36You talk about the car surviving, but what about for a driver?
0:12:36 > 0:12:39What's it like to be at full pelt around this track?
0:12:39 > 0:12:41It's intense. It's hard.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43We do a lot of endurance testing there as well,
0:12:43 > 0:12:47so I've done a 30-hour simulation for Le Mans and...
0:12:48 > 0:12:51..it's really dark, it's in the middle of nowhere,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53there's no ambient light - they put some lights up,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55but you don't see very much -
0:12:55 > 0:12:57and the tyre is
0:12:57 > 0:13:00going away all the time, so you are fighting the car,
0:13:00 > 0:13:02even in the race car, the slick,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04it works the tyre harder than anywhere else
0:13:04 > 0:13:05and, as Rob said earlier,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08if you can survive there, you can survive anywhere.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12And, Marino, you worked with Chris on a film, didn't you?
0:13:12 > 0:13:15I did. I was lucky enough to work with Chris on
0:13:15 > 0:13:18a film that we're very proud of with some pretty special cars.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22I mean, it was three and a bit years ago, I think, nearly four years ago.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25It's a long time. But I think people enjoyed it
0:13:25 > 0:13:27and we had a blast making it.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29This is when Chris Harris lived on the internet and I think we
0:13:29 > 0:13:31actually have a clip of it right now.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43So, this is the test that everyone, including me,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45thought wouldn't happen.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Well, it's going to happen.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53This film exactly reflects the order in which we shot the actual film.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57I mean, you can't skid a 918 for two days and then expect it to set its
0:13:57 > 0:13:59best lap time, can you?
0:13:59 > 0:14:01So we did the lap times first.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03I drove them for a bit of slidey time
0:14:03 > 0:14:05to discuss how they all actually
0:14:05 > 0:14:10feel behind the wheel and then two very special guests joined me for
0:14:10 > 0:14:11a three-way track battle.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Whoa!
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Look at these things.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Job one done - made it into the first corner first.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27What a view I've got.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Oh, I'll take Marino as well, then.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33I've been mugged!
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Tim's got his indicators on.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37I don't think he really knows how all this works.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40I still cannot believe we've got these three cars doing this.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Twin drift,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44P1, LaFerrari.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Having driven all three over the last couple of days,
0:14:49 > 0:14:50I need all three.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53I need them all. I don't know how I'm going to make it happen,
0:14:53 > 0:14:54but I'm going to make it happen.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56What an amazing three cars.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59I don't think I've ever had such a good view in my mirror, ever.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09That was about four years ago, but surely it's still such
0:15:09 > 0:15:11a memorable experience for you.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13It's unbelievable. I still can't quite believe we did it.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15I haven't aged very well, have I?
0:15:15 > 0:15:18But Chris has aged even worse than I have, so...
0:15:18 > 0:15:20It's amazing to see that again and to have those three cars.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22We were the first people to get it together.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Chris made that happen all on his own and it was just an unbelievable
0:15:25 > 0:15:28- experience.- I think your hair might have grown a little bit, actually.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30A little bit, and certainly in some places,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34but it is just nuts to think that we got to do that and to do it first.
0:15:34 > 0:15:35It was a special, special thing.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Chris mentioned in the film that the three cars have such a different
0:15:38 > 0:15:43approach but, you know, even though they approach things so differently,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47they all have very similar lap times and similar capabilities.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Isn't it amazing that these three manufacturers go away and build
0:15:50 > 0:15:54these entirely different cars, yet they are within
0:15:54 > 0:15:55such a small amount of time?
0:15:55 > 0:15:59The LaFerrari I would say is more...
0:15:59 > 0:16:01..a classic car. You can make it oversteer,
0:16:01 > 0:16:02you can make it understeer,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05it reacts to your inputs more than the other two.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09The other two cars, the 918 is the most digital of them.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12Four-wheel drive, electric motors at the front,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16and it still provides its performance, though,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18in a very natural way.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20But every now and again,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23it's like when you get that little spinning wheel on your computer.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27It just doesn't quite flow as well as the LaFerrari.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Particularly in the brakes, I believe.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31- Is that right?- Absolutely. Because
0:16:31 > 0:16:34the 918, while it's still quite natural,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37it harvests a lot of energy from the braking.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41With the P1, what they did was the energy's harvested when you lift off
0:16:41 > 0:16:43the throttle, rather than the brakes.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45So the brake pedal's really natural,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49really normal in the P1 and the same in the LaFerrari,
0:16:49 > 0:16:50whereas in the 918,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52just now and again, it wants to take more energy, less,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56so you don't have the same braking pedal every time that you use it.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01And then, the P1 is definitely the most ferocious.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03I think we see the video with Chris -
0:17:03 > 0:17:05you see him in the 720 and it's like...
0:17:08 > 0:17:10..the elbow out the window, he's relaxed,
0:17:10 > 0:17:11he's doing almost the same time.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13He's sideways, making a cup of tea.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Exactly. And it's all relaxed and he gets to the end of the lap and he
0:17:15 > 0:17:17doesn't look quite as rung out as the P1.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20The P1, you get to the end of the lap, you're breathing hard,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22you're sweating, you're just like, "What is going on?"
0:17:22 > 0:17:26And I think a big part of that is to do with the tyres and not being
0:17:26 > 0:17:30capable of putting up with what this P1 can put down.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33And, Rob, you were one of the first people to actually drive a P1,
0:17:33 > 0:17:34- is that right?- Yeah, pretty much.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36It was back in the day where we were still doing
0:17:36 > 0:17:39the endurance work on the 12C.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42So I was asked - would I go to a little test track in Spain?
0:17:42 > 0:17:45And then we kind of heard, "Ah, there's a P1 in town.
0:17:45 > 0:17:46"There's a P1 coming out."
0:17:48 > 0:17:51But at that point, they were still cloaked in secrecy.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54So it turned up at night.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57And they said, "Right, we've done our simulation on this car,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00"but we've never actually had a racing driver behind the wheel.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02"Are you free for ten minutes?" sort of thing.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05So I was, like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll do that.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06"I'll step up to that."
0:18:06 > 0:18:08And they said, "But it's a mule car,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11"so it might not be quite as refined as the real thing."
0:18:11 > 0:18:13So I'm thinking, "Yeah, that's cool."
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Doesn't matter to me. "And we don't want anyone taking photographs,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19"so we can only drive at night around this test track."
0:18:19 > 0:18:22So I get in the car, and there's, like, wires hanging out,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26and, you know, they said, "Oh, the brakes, we haven't quite come
0:18:26 > 0:18:28"to the final preparation for the brakes yet."
0:18:28 > 0:18:29The last thing you want to hear.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31We've not quite worked out what's going on.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33They're not selling it to you, are they?
0:18:33 > 0:18:36"And the lights aren't quite finished yet, either.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38"So just take it easy, but go for it."
0:18:38 > 0:18:41So I set off, and I couldn't see a thing.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43I didn't really know where I was going.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48The brakes are much more refined now, when it was finished.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51What an experience. It was like
0:18:51 > 0:18:53the fastest road car you've been in.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55In first gear, it's amazing.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56Second gear's pretty good.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Third gear... By the time you get to fourth gear, it's OK.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03That thing, every time it was first gear, just, like,
0:19:03 > 0:19:04pulling first gear.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07It was amazing. And the other thing they didn't get quite right was the
0:19:07 > 0:19:10fuelling. But it was good because every time I downshifted
0:19:10 > 0:19:13I got such a big flame out the back, I could see where I was going.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17But, actually, what a fantastic experience.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Kind of a little bit of history, so I really enjoyed it.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22I'd love to see that flame feature on more road cars, actually.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- Yeah, yeah, absolutely.- It could be a decent anti-theft device as well.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26Absolutely, absolutely.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29All right, well, it would seem that Chris just couldn't get enough of
0:19:29 > 0:19:34McLaren this week, so here he is in the 570S Spider at Dunsfold.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Cracking traction off the line.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Very clear dashboard,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47so I can see the shift light to get my shift time just right.
0:19:47 > 0:19:48Paddles click beautifully.
0:19:48 > 0:19:54I can just tell it's a proper car. Pitch it in, and immediately...
0:19:57 > 0:19:58..I'm having fun.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Open differential, but McLaren have this very, very clever system,
0:20:03 > 0:20:07where they can brake a wheel and make it feel like it has
0:20:07 > 0:20:08a locking diff.
0:20:08 > 0:20:14And I have to say, even though it doesn't quite feel like an LSD,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17it's so close that you don't really worry.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20You just marvel at how nimble the thing feels.
0:20:31 > 0:20:32Just goes.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Whoosh, it goes.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39And this is a Spider, but it makes no big difference being a Spider
0:20:39 > 0:20:40because of the McLaren carbon tub.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44You chop the roof off a Ferrari, it makes a big difference.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Chop the roof off a McLaren, there's a small weight penalty,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48but it really drives just the same.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52It's agile, it's nimble, it's fast, it's beautiful.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Got a bit of admiration for this thing.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59It's a stunning achievement.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02I think this might be the best car they make, I really do.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13I think the tyres were getting a bit of a punishment there.
0:21:13 > 0:21:19So, Chris is talking about that not being that far off a 720S,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22and a 720S not being that far off a P1.
0:21:22 > 0:21:23McLaren seem to be, kind of,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26outdoing themselves at every opportunity by building all these
0:21:26 > 0:21:29awesome cars that are not that far from each other
0:21:29 > 0:21:30in terms of performance.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32That's my favourite McLaren.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35- Really?- Right there. That 570, it is fabulous.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37It's the one that, for me,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41reminds me most of the original McLaren F1 road car.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43It just shrinks round you, it does everything you want it to do,
0:21:43 > 0:21:45it's just... It's lovely.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Just does everything you want it to do as a driver.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51What gets me is that they're making the cars cheaper,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53but not losing the performance.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56I'm kind of waiting for the day when they end up making a hatchback for,
0:21:56 > 0:21:57like, 15 grand.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01That will be a bit better when it's in my price range.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Speaking of which, I'm going to give you one more opportunity to make
0:22:03 > 0:22:06a decision. We saw you saying you wanted
0:22:06 > 0:22:08all three of the holy trinity -
0:22:08 > 0:22:12the 918, the P1, and the LaFerrari.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Or I might throw in the 720S as well.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18- What are you going to have? - The problem is, since then,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21I've driven the 675 and the 570S as well.
0:22:21 > 0:22:22I still need them all!
0:22:24 > 0:22:27And, Rob, I get a feeling I already know the answer,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29- but what would you choose? - Yeah, it's pretty easy.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Yeah, yeah. I'd choose a McLaren, yeah.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33- All three, all three. - Well, on that note,
0:22:33 > 0:22:34it's time to say goodnight.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Let's give a big thank you to our guests,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Marino Franchitti and Rob Bell.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47Join me next week as Extra Gear heads to Japan to celebrate an icon,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Chris gets his hands on a 370Z,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53and I'll be joined here in the studio by Nismo team driver
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Jann Mardenborough, alongside presenter
0:22:55 > 0:22:57and comedian Matt Richardson.
0:22:57 > 0:22:58Don't miss it. Goodnight.