Posted on: Oct 27, 2012 | 19,437 reads

Chris Harris on the MP4-12C Spider

In Harris’ latest Drive episode, he takes the 12C Spider for a spin around Ascari to see how it sizes up to the coupe.

Though some lament a certain lack of soul you'd find in its Italian rivals, there's little question that the McLaren MP4-12C is one of the most capable performance machines on the market. Chris Harris raved about the coupe and he's equally impressed by the Spider variant, which he blasts around the Ascari Race Resort for his latest video review. Like its coupe counterpart, the 12C Spider packs a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 that now produces 616 horsepower, driving the rear through a 7-speed SSG dual-clutch gearbox.

The Spider can go from 0 to 62 mph in 3.1 seconds and has a top speed of 204 mph - barely a tick off the coupe's speed. Best of all, its retractable hard top retracts in only 17 seconds to let the sweet exhaust note in - without obstructing the view of the engine bay, unlike its direct competitor, the Ferrari 458 Spider.