McLaren 570S Track Pack 2017 review

Look at the Track Pack objectively and you could probably make do without the added Alcantara and lightweight extras, especially considering the extra cost. The changes aren’t obvious on the road compared to the ‘standard’ 570S, either. But in this price bracket, £16,500 is a small sum to pay to add some extra desirability to a car that is top of the class anyway.

Although technically not a separate model, the new McLaren 570S Track Pack will understandably appeal to those wanting to take their 570S to the circuit.

But this is no stripped-out, compromised version of the standard car. Instead, it’s a raft of lightweight features designed to maximise the McLaren’s performance.

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There’s a set of super-lightweight alloy wheels, dark-finish roof paint, a new sports exhaust system and a rear wing that now sits 12mm higher. Inside, swathes of lightweight Alcantara cover the dash, steering wheel and carbon-fibre racing seats, while McLaren’s Telemetry System gives real-time lap data and logging. And the price? A considerable £16,500 boost.

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The car is 25kg lighter, while the wing offers an extra 29kg of downforce at 150mph. Slip inside and that Alcantara gives an extra-special feeling to the near-perfect driving position, but press the starter button and you realise the Track Pack feels identical to the standard 570S. You still get the time-warping sensation when you floor the throttle and open up the 562bhp 3.8-litre V8 – which now howls a little more thanks to the exhaust – and the same lightning-fast changes from the seven-speed dual clutch auto box.

The Track Pack doesn’t add any power or mechanical changes, so it still benefits from an amazingly comfortable ride, considering the 570S’s purpose. There’s also great feel through the steering wheel and brake pedal. It’ll hit 0-62mph in just 3.2 seconds and carry on to 204mph given an empty stretch of tarmac.

Is the Track Pack worth the extra cash? Perhaps not, but it cements the 570S’s position as the most focused Sports Series car that McLaren builds.