Last week’s Festival of Speed saw the world’s motoring-mad population descend on the Goodwood estate near Chichester, West Sussex.
The Festival of Speed is a celebration of all things petrol, diesel and electric, but it’s the supercar paddock which is full of expensive and exotic metal to get the hearts racing for those who love cars. But for me, the adrenaline was even more prominent as I got the chance to be a passenger of the new McLaren 750s up the famous hillclimb.
I’d never been in a McLaren, so the 750S marked my first encounter with the Woking-based brand. But, hopefully, it wouldn’t be my last, though the whole experience is pretty much unforgettable.
When you jump inside, you sit very low and are gripped by the bolstered bucket seats. There is a lot of leather, carbon fibre and Alcantara as well as a touch screen infotainment system that uses Apple CarPlay. Everything is angled towards the driver and the gear selectors are like little toggle switches which give me aeronautical vibes. The front boot was big enough to cater for a couple of bags, including mine, too.
Driving the supercar was McLaren employee and car stunt driver Andre D-Cruz who was very familiar with all of the firm’s products, meaning he wasn’t shy from showing me the 750S’ capabilities on the course.
As we sat on the start line, the excitement began to sink in, the revs rose to hear that 4.0-litre V8 even more clearly, the crowds began to gather with their phones on record, the flag drops and the wheels spin away. The car’s 0-60 mph time of 2.6 seconds is certainly accurate here. As we approach the first corner very quickly, the car’s poised turn-in as well as lift-off oversteer makes you realise just how quick your reactions have to be to drive this car to its full potential. As we shoot past the Lord March’s Goodwood house, the speed builds up that it becomes unfathomable to think.
The last narrow corner was done in a flash with you struggling to comprehend passing through it at 80mph, with the final stint accelerating up to the finish line. The whole experience is done within less than one minute, but it’s one minute that will stay with you forever. Even better still, when we reached the end point to drive back down the hill, we encountered possibly the world’s most expensive traffic jam. Ranging from the McLaren P1 to the one-off Ferrari SP-8. A queue worth millions and millions, and a moment where you have to pinch yourself to realise where you are. Meanwhile, a few famous faces including Bruno Senna were among the driver’s taking a lucky passenger up the hill in the flagship Senna hypercar.
My first impression of the McLaren 750s is that it’s a very raw and exciting experience that also has a bit of practicality on its side, which makes it a more usable supercar in the real world and for my first supercar experience – it was certainly a good one.
