McLaren 650S Spider review

What this means is that the Spider drives identically to the coupe. Identically. There is not a trace of chassis shimmer, no extra steering kickback and not even a hint of extra vibration in the rear view mirror. It’s uncanny. And it handles with exactly the same confidence-inspiring accuracy as the coupe, and since the 650S produces, as its name suggests, 650bhp, you really, really don’t notice the extra 40kg. 
What you do notice is a lot more noise. Arguably the Spider’s best feature isn’t the roof itself, but the electric rear window, which fulfils the role of wind deflector when the roof is down, but acts as a volume control for the V8 twin turbo with the roof up. Keep it raised and the V8 is nicely muted and cruising a breeze. Lower it and you’re exposed to epic levels of aural brutality. 
What’s more, the loss of the roof seems to have made the McLaren less uptight and clinical. It’s somehow more exuberant now, more characterful and fun. It’s one of the true greats.