The McLaren 650S

The McLaren 12C was the company's first attempt at building a "mass" production supercar. Unfortunately for McLaren it was met with mixed reviews from enthusiasts and journalists alike, mostly due to the fact that it had to compete with Ferrari's razor sharp 458. So after completing the P1 project (which we all know was a smashing success) McLaren's engineers went back to the drawing board to update the 12C in the form of the 650S.

The new car would utilize the same Carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer chassis and is powered by the same M838T 3.8L V8, twin-turbo engine that has been tuned to develop 641bhp and 500lb-ft of torque. The power improvements were met by revising the engine's cylinder heads, pistons, timing, designing new exhaust valves and a new inconel exhaust system. The car also produces nearly 40% more downforce. To cope with the increased downforce the 650S's pro-active chassis control system with changes to the hardware and the software. To start the accumulators are brought up from lower down in the car closer to the dampers that give them better control and compromise between ride and handling. The spring rate is nearly 22% stiffer at the front and 37% stiffer at the rear but with the updates Mclaren's active suspension system the car has a more supple ride when compared to the 12C. 

The tires were a joint development between McLaren and Pirelli. P-Zero Corsa Tire that was developed specifically for the 650S. The tread pattern is an A-symmentric pattern that gives the car a slightly sharper feel to the front-end. The way the tire lays on the rim it actually provides a wider contact patch than other tires. At the end of the day, its clear McLaren was on a mission to improve the dynamics of the vehicle, not only from a performance point of view but also wanted to improve refinement. They did that and more, it became the platform for the legendary 675LT.