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765LT Spider – McLaren’s most powerful-ever convertible supercar

Open-topped cars may not command big volumes but they are still very much in demand, at least in the upper levels of the market. So it is worthwhile engineering a convertible variant (and it’s not just a matter of leaving out the roof) as there will usually be more than enough buyers. That is likely to be the case with the new 765LT Spider, a complementary model to the 765LT ‘Longtail’ coupe that McLaren unveiled last year.

This new Spider is McLaren’s most powerful-ever convertible model and with only 765 cars to be available, it will be an exclusive McLaren with each unit having a pricetag starting from £310,500 in the UK (about RM1.823 million before Malaysian tax). MSO Clubsport Pack and MSO LT Black Pack options are available, plus other individual MSO options.

Carrying over the coupe’s dynamic and aerodynamic DNA with no structural compromise and only a minimal 49 kgs weight increase – primarily from the retractable hardtop and accompanying operating mechanism – the 765LT Spider weighs just 1,388 kgs,, which is 80 kgs lighter than a 720S Spider and around 100 kgs lighter than its closest comparable competitor.

High-performance lightweight materials feature throughout, with advanced carbonfibre technologies used for body components. Specific weight-saving components include titanium exhaust system (saving 40% over steel equivalent), Formula 1-grade transmission materials and thinner glass.

Up to 22 kgs has been saved in the development of the LT’s bespoke Ultra-Lightweight forged alloy wheels. These are fitted with Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres specially developed for the 765LT. Titanium wheel bolts are also standard fit.

In addition to all this, a significant proportion of the 80-kg weight-saving over the 720S is achieved inside the cockpit. The carbonfibre-shelled racing seats fitted as standard are together 18 kgs lighter than the 720S sports seats.

The cockpit’s central tunnel is made of carbonfibre just 0.8 mm thick; the door pockets are replaced by nets; and carbonfibre has been used for such micro-details as the window switch surrounds, steering wheel clasp and Active Dynamics Panel surround. Further weight is saved by deleting the floor carpet (saving 2.4 kgs), air-conditioning system (1 0kgs) and audio system (1.5 kgs) – although the latter two can requested by customers at no extra charge.

The Spider version of the carbonfibre MonoCage II – designated MonoCage II-S – was developed alongside the coupe monocoque and shares most of its structural elements, including the windscreen surround. Such is the strength and stiffness of the structure that no additional bracing is required over the coupe – another weight-optimising factor. At the rear of the car, carbonfibre structural supports are fully bonded into the chassis to provide roll-over protection.

The electrically operated, one-piece carbonfibre Retractable Hard Top (RHT) goes from closed to open within 11 seconds (among the world’s quickest) and can operate at speeds of up to 50 km/h. The convertible roof design plays an integral role in the structure, featuring a carbonfibre frame within the RHT panel and creating a full carbonfibre shell when closed.

The roof mechanism, powered by 8 motors, is also among the world’s quietest. Occupants will experience a sound no louder than 50 dBA during operation, with a peak of 60 dBA during the latching process – twice as quiet as the roof of the 675LT Spider, the first convertible LT supercar.

The rear window, which can be lowered even when the roof is up to intensify the quadrophonic exhaust note, has its own motor, as does the RHT latching mechanism. All these motors are optimised to work in parallel, allowing the roof to begin to move before the tonneau has completely opened, which saves time

There are also additional comfort benefits for occupants: because it is a single-piece panel with no central seal, headroom is improved, while the extended length of the roof panel allows the tops of the A-pillars to be further forward, enhancing the sense of space and easing ingress and egress.

Like every LT, the new Spider is designed to excel on track; the ability to remove the roof makes it an even more immersive and compelling car to drive on the road. There is the same highly evolved aerodynamic package as the coupe but the active rear wing calibration is revised to reflect whether the roof is up or down. A recalibration of the dampers has also been necessary to account for the minor increase in weight. As a result, the Spider matches the coupe’s aero performance in every respect, with class-leading downforce 25% greater than that of a 720S Spider.

765 ps from the 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine makes this the brand’s most powerful convertible, and it has a best-in-class power-to-weight ratio of 598 ps-per-tonne at lightest dry weight – with 800 Nm of torque. The transmission gear ratios have been revised and makes in-gear acceleration 15% quicker than a 720S Spider.

720S with Gulf racing colours recreated by McLaren Special Operations

2020 Bentley Continental GT Mulliner Convertible to debut in St. Tropez

The first member of the new Collections portfolio introduced by Bentley Mulliner – the Continental GT Mulliner Convertible, will make its global debut at St. Tropez, the jetset town in the south of France. With this new variant of the Continental GT family, Bentley aims to raise the bar further where luxury convertibles are concerned.

The new Continental GT Mulliner Convertible has been created to appeal to those customers wanting an even greater focus on beautiful details. Taking pride of position between the cut-crystal inspired, precision-made headlamps, Bentley Mulliner introduces a bold new Double Diamond front grille, which is further complemented by bespoke Mulliner-branded side vents that continue the unique silver-on-black diamond theme.

Diamond-in-Diamond interior
The new Double Diamond design was inspired by Bentley’s exclusive Diamond-in-Diamond interior quilting design concept, which adorns all four seats, the door casings, rear quarters and now for the first time furnishes the tonneau cover.

The Diamond-in-Diamond interior quilting was tailored to include contrast stitching in two complementary colours to accentuate the thread against the quilting. It takes almost 400,000 stitches to deliver this quilting across the cabin of the car, with each diamond containing exactly 712 individual stitches. Each one is precisely aligned to point to the centre of the diamond it creates. Developing the embroidery process to deliver this process alone took 18 months.

Grand Black walnut veneer is standard, while a new extensive range of 88 different piano-finished wood veneers is available. Customers can therefore specify a contemporary, colourised veneer finish that can be matched to the interior or exterior of the car.

Burr walnut veneer is hand-sanded and polished to produce a perfectly smooth finish before painting to match the colour of the customer’s choice. Once dry, the veneer is polished to achieve a mirror-like finish. For the new Continental GT Mulliner Convertible, eye-catching chrome details are overlaid into the piano veneer, including a Convertible silhouette in the passenger fascia and a B-motif in the door waistrails.

Handcrafted interior
The handcrafted Continental GT Convertible interior offers 8 custom-made 3-colour combinations. A new Mulliner-designed colour split defines the 8 colour ways, including a third accent colour to the interior in the form of a distinctive design line. The hand-stitched hides are embellished with unique Mulliner-branded embroidery.

An exquisitely tactile Diamond Milled Technical finish has been applied to the centre console, through Bentley’s first use of a multi-machined panel process, extending the longest-standing partnership between a watch brand and an automotive manufacturer. The centre console houses a new and exclusive Breitling for Mulliner clock with a new brushed metallic face and bejewelled hour marks.

The clock bezel and air vent surrounds are finished in chrome to complete the stunning interior jewellery. The ornate and luxurious design of the Breitling for Mulliner clock face is also applied to the Driver Display Kombi, with the precision-rendered gauges of the LED-display driver’s instrument panel using the same brushed finished and Mulliner branding, linking the analogue and digital harmoniously.

Mood lighting consisting of 7 different themes are uplifted by illuminated Mulliner tread plates and LED welcome lamps that project the famous Bentley wings to the ground from the door mirrors.

For entertainment, the Continental GT Mulliner Convertible is available with the top of the range Naim for Bentley audio system. The setup features 18 speakers and 2 Active Bass transducers driven by a 2,200‑watt, 20-channel amplifier and 8 DSP sound modes with Active Bass.

V8 or W12, sir?
The powerplants available are Bentley’s V8 and W12 powertrains. When equipped with Bentley’s 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12, acceleration from 0 – 100 km/h is claimed to be within 3.8 seconds, with a hairstyle-reshaping top speed capability of 333 km/h. The new-generation 4.0-litre, twin‑turbocharged V8 unit can also reach over 300 km/h (318 km/h is claimed) and go from standstill to 100 km/h within 4.1 seconds.

Three-Dimensional Wood trim – a world-first by Bentley

Slavia open-top concept is seventh Skoda Students Car

Skoda, the Czech car company which is part of the Volkswagen Group, has been around since 1895 and over the many decades, it has ensured that the spark of creativity is maintained as different generations of employees come and go. One of the ways it has achieved this is through the Skoda Vocational School which was established in 1927 because of the need for qualified workers.

Each year for the past seven years, the students have been invited to come up with a concept car and for this year, the seventh Skoda Student Concept Car is one which links the past with the present. Designed by 31 students attending the vocational school, the open-top Slavia also concept pays homage to this year’s anniversary of the company by commemorating the name of the first bicycles produced by Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement after they founded the company in 1895.

The spider variant of the Scala production model combines the contemporary compact car’s bold and exciting lines with a common design standard from the earliest days of motoring, when most automobiles were open-top vehicles.

Skoda Scala — *The Scala, from which the Slavia concept has been adapted.*

*The students also took inspiration from the 1957 Skoda 1100 OHC, a sports prototype developed as an open-top two-seater racing car for endurance rallies.*

From the first draft to putting together this one-off car, the students completed every step themselves. Of course, there was also guidance and support from their instructors as well as experts from Skoda’s Design, Production and Technical Development departments.

“The Student Car is the Skoda Vocational school’s annual flagship project. For the seventh year running, our students are demonstrating the high standard of our in-house training by planning, designing and building an impressive one-off car. We enable them to design their dream car, working with professionals from our various departments. As a result, their training already familiarises them with processes that will become part of their working lives later on, when they graduate from our vocational school and embark on a career in our company,” explained Alois Kauer, who took over as Head of the Skoda Academy in February 2020.

Skoda Slavia — *The students designed the Slavia and then built it themselves as a project car.*

The 31 students involved in the seventh Skoda Student Car marks the first time the project participants have chosen the Scala as the basis for their personal idea of a dream car, turning the compact hatchback model into a particularly sporty spider. The Slavia, as in the production version of the Scala, has a similarly distinctive design, defined by precise lines and sculpted surfaces.

The matching dynamic performance of the topless car comes courtesy of the familiar 1.5 TSI petrol engine with an output of 150 ps, which goes to the front wheels through a 7-speed DCT. Other carry-overs from the production model include the front and rear axle, steering, the complete electronics including cabling as well as the assistance systems. The instrument panel, Virtual Cockpit and infotainment system are also retained in their original form.

Whether the Slavia will serve as the basis of a future production model remains to be seen. But it is well known that the work of the students has always impressed the designers at Skoda and who knows, perhaps they will draw inspiration from it.

Latest sketches of Skoda VISION IN concept reveal the design of new compact SUV for India

Seventh Skoda student concept car project underway

Skoda, the Czech carmaker has been training and developing talent for more than 90 years at its Vocational School in Mlada Boleslav. In the first year, 58 students began their training in three different specialist areas. Today, more than 900 students (13% female) are enrolled in 13 full-time courses and three postgraduate programmes at the Skoda Academy.

The quality of training will be put to the test in the seventh Skoda student concept car project. 20 students from the academy are involved in the ambitious project this year. They have decided to design and build an open-top Spider version of the new compact Scala model.

Watching and learning from the professionals
At a workshop in the Skoda Design department, the participants met the company’s Head Designer, Oliver Stefani, and put their first ideas down on paper with him and his team. The still-unnamed project car, which the students will be constructing according to the design, will be presented to the public in early June.

During the visit, they were allowed to watch Stefani and his team in their day-to-day work and to create their own drawings. “Despite the increasing use of computers and simulations, drawing is still an essential part of automotive designers’ work. With every stroke, an idea turns into something real. A sketch is the first of many steps on the long and exciting path to a new car,” explained Stefani.

Support from engineers
Throughout this project, the up-and-coming talent will receive support from engineers and experienced employees from the areas of technical development, design and production within the company. The apprentices have expressed a wish to make the car’s clear lines and emotive shapes more prominent in the spider version to emphasize the vehicle’s overall dynamics.

“From the beginning, all the participants showed great enthusiasm and determination. Their sketches are very impressive, I really like the concept,” said Jiri Hadascok, exterior design coordinator at Skoda, adding that the professionals were impressed with their enthusiasm and receptiveness.

Designing a concept vehicle and then building it by hand is the highlight of all apprenticeships. “We are all delighted to be part of this project. As a student, where else do you get the chance to put your own ideas and vision into designing a car and then actually build it yourself? Drawing our first sketches was lots of fun, and we learned a lot from Oliver Stefani and his team,” said one of the participants, Vojtech Spitalsky.

Latest sketches of Skoda VISION IN concept reveal the design of new compact SUV for India

New Ferrari F8 Spider is topless version of F8 Tributo, replaces 488 Spider

On the same weekend that Ferrari scored a F1 victory in its home race after 9 years, the company also unveiled the F8 Spider, the new generation drop-top sportscar powered by the most successful mid-rear-mounted V8 in history. The F8 Spider was designed in parallel with the F8 Tributo berlinetta and features the compact and efficient RHT (Retractable Hard Top). The RHT takes just 14 seconds to deploy or retract and can be closed or opened while the car is on the move up to 45 km/h.

Open-top V8s since 1977
The F8 Spider is the latest addition to an exclusive and prestigious bloodline of open-top V8 cars which began with the 308 GTS in 1977. It is less extreme than the 488 Pista Spider, but sportier than the 488 Spider which it replaces in the range.

Consequently, the F8 Spider sets a new benchmark for the ‘en plein air’ sportscar in terms of usable performance and exceptional handling, providing an incredibly rewarding driving experience. In fact, it is claimed to excel in merging handling dynamics with surprising in-car comfort.

Award-winning engine for 4 consecutive years
The 3902 cc twin-turbo engine is a development of the V8 that won the ‘International Engine of the Year Award’ for four consecutive years (2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019) and that was also selected as the best engine of the last two decades.

The F8 Spider’s greatest achievement is the fact that it unleashes its power instantaneously with zero turbo lag, whilst retaining this V8’s unique and very special ‘soundtrack’. This performance and the car’s disarmingly effortless handling were made possible by integrating a series of innovative, track-derived aero solutions into its design.

The F8 Spider replaces the 488 Spider and improves on all aspects of its specifications. Aside from the fact that its engine delivers an extra 50 ps (now 720 ps, with 770 Nm of torque), the new Ferrari is 20 kgs lighter than its predecessor and 20 kgs more than the more extreme 488 Pista Spider. Significantly more aerodynamically efficient, it features the new 6.1 version of the Side Slip Angle Control system.

Improved performance-enhancing systems
The new car also has a new version of the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer (FDE+) which can now be activated in the manettino’s RACE position, a move designed to make performance on the limit easier to reach and control. Adaptive Performance Launch analyses grip as the car accelerates and then uses electronic controls to optimise the torque delivered to suit the road’s grip level, reducing wheel slip to a minimum which, in turn, maximises acceleration.

The rev limiter’s ‘Wall Effect’ strategy is another leap forward in terms of extreme engine performance. Rather than gradually limiting the revs towards the limit, it cuts off right at the 8,000 rpm redline, maximising the amount of power available in power-on dynamic driving situations and consequently improving lap times.

The F8 Spider’s cockpit retains the classic, driver-oriented look typical of Ferrari’s mid-rear-engined berlinettas. A concept that creates a symbiotic relationship between driver and car, with all controls mounted on the new generation steering wheel.

The dash incorporates an aluminium sail panel supporting the central satellite and continuing into the dash itself. Also to create a sense of visual lightness, a sliver of carbonfibre divides the upper and lower parts, streamlining the whole look. This section also incorporates the optional 7-inch touchscreen passenger-side display and the dash is completed by the classic instrument cluster with its central tachometer.

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Topless Lexus LC confirmed for production this year

Lexus has confirmed that it will soon offer a convertible version of the LC flagship coupe. The open-top model was shown as a concept car at the North American International Auto Show in January this year to gauge its potential as a production model.

When displaying the concept model, Lexus said the design goal was to express ‘Ultimate Beauty’, and it provoked an enthusiastic response from both industry experts and the public. Like the LC itself, the concept car was honoured on its debut with a prestigious EyesOn Design Award.

In action at Goodwood Festival of Speed
The first public viewing will take place this weekend in England. Visitors to this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed will be able to see a LC convertible prototype in action when it appears on the famous hill course. Nick Cassidy, who competes for Lexus in the GT500 class of the Japan Super GT series, will be behind the wheel.

Though camouflaged, the public will be able to see that the car is long, low and lean. It will share the coupe’s athletic proportions but project its own distinct identity.

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open top

765LT Spider – McLaren’s most powerful-ever convertible supercar

2020 Bentley Continental GT Mulliner Convertible to debut in St. Tropez

Slavia open-top concept is seventh Skoda Students Car

Seventh Skoda student concept car project underway

New Ferrari F8 Spider is topless version of F8 Tributo, replaces 488 Spider

Topless Lexus LC confirmed for production this year

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765LT Spider – McLaren’s most powerful-ever convertible supercar

2020 Bentley Continental GT Mulliner Convertible to debut in St. Tropez

Slavia open-top concept is seventh Skoda Students Car

Seventh Skoda student concept car project underway

New Ferrari F8 Spider is topless version of F8 Tributo, replaces 488 Spider

Topless Lexus LC confirmed for production this year

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