McLaren lifts lid on its new 570S Spider

McLaren has taken the wraps off its new 570S Spider, the British carmaker's cheapest drop-top supercar currently available.

It's based on the regular 570S that sits at the top of the company's Sports Series range, just above the slightly less powerful 540C.

Unlike many convertible versions of hard-top cars, which often need extra weight to improve body stiffness, McLaren claims there are "no performance compromises" between the regular 570S hard-top and the Spider variant.

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This is because the car is built around a carbon fibre structure, which is strong enough to maintain the car's body stiffness without a roof.

The 570S Spider is powered by the same 3.8-litre V8 engine that has been fitted to all of McLaren's recent cars except the new 720S.

The mid-mounted engine produces 562bhp and 443lb-ft of torque, says AutoExpress, which is directed towards the rear-axle through a seven-speed automatic gearbox. This helps the Spider go from zero to 62mph in just 3.2secs and on to a top speed of 204mph "with the roof in place".

"The retractable folding roof is made up of two panels constructed from lightweight composite materials", the magazine says. Retracting the roof takes 15 seconds and "can be operated at speeds up to 25mph."

McLaren hasn't introduced any noticeable exterior tweaks to the Spider, says Evo, although a small carbon fibre lip at the rear has been fitted to "retain a similar downforce rating as on the standard hardtop model".

The car also comes with a new set of alloy wheels. Three new colours will also be available at launch, adds the magazine.

Orders for the 570S Spider are open now, with prices starting at £164,750. That's around £20,000 more than the coupe it's based on and £30,000 more than the car's Audi R8 V10 Spyder rival.