Holy smokes, it’s the McLaren Artura Spider

Yup, you read that right: in the act of creating this here drop-top Artura Spider, McLaren has thrown in an extra 20bhp for good measure. Generous, eh?

Power that - from this day forth - will also be available on the Artura coupe. The 3.0-litre V6 hybrid powertrain has been fine-tuned and now produces 690bhp at 4,000rpm, meaning it's still Very Rapid Indeed: 0-62mph takes three seconds; 0-124mph occurs in 8.4s; 0-186mph needs just 21.6s. 205mph is your top speed.

Peak torque stays at 531lb ft and the redline’s still at 8,500rpm. McLaren claims a dry weight of 1,457kg and thus 473bhp/tonne.

That’s despite the Spider being portlier to the tune of 62kg compared to the coupe, and while McLaren says most of this is down to the retractable hard-top mechanism, it also claims ‘no loss of rigidity when the fixed roof is removed’. Hmm.

McLaren’s explanation for that is akin to ‘something something new engine mounts, something something carbon fibre monocoque’, choosing instead to focus on other areas of improvement. Which - from this day forth - will also be available on the Artura coupe. Yep, it’s basically a facelift.

In revising the aero to reduce buffeting, McLaren has also been able to boost cooling to the engine and brakes, with ducts to the latter giving better and more consistent performance from the carbon ceramic brakes at high speed.

Meanwhile response rates for the damping control system are up by circa 90 per cent, (improving the handling, so says McLaren) and the eight-speed transmission has been recalibrated so shift times are down by 25 per cent.

Worried about rising fuel prices? McLaren ambitiously calls the Arutura Spider ‘the most fuel efficient’ convertible it’s ever made, managing 58.9mpg; a figure flattered to the gills by the 7.4kWh battery and its now 21 miles (up from 19) of e-range.

And of course the exhaust has been tinkered with, because noise. It now includes a ‘tuned resonator and upward conical shape to the tailpipes’ for a ‘cleaner’ sound from the engine. A sports exhaust is optional, and is even more enhanced than the standard one according to its makers. Uh huh.

Naturally, you’ll be able to hear all of this clear as day with the roof down: dropping the hard top takes all of 11 seconds at speeds up to 31mph.

“The new Artura is absolutely the complete next-generation supercar, whichever model you choose,” says McLaren CEO Michael Leiters. “We have upgraded the powertrain and the chassis systems to deliver more power, more dynamic performance and even higher levels of connection with the driver – without any compromise in everyday driving.

“And now alongside the new Artura coupe we have the Artura Spider, a new convertible that has all of these improvements and brings another dimension of open-air McLaren supercar exhilaration to our range.”

You can order your McLaren Artura Spider now for the princely sum of £221,500, with the first deliveries expected in the middle of 2024.

Oh, and if you’re an existing Artura coupe owner and you’re a bit miffed that they’ve found another 20bhp for it so soon after launch, McLaren will re-map the engine for you for free.