We feel for those McLaren buyers who haven’t purchased one of the company’s many special-edition models. The sheer quantity of limited-run variants emerging from Woking means we wouldn’t be surprised if standard cars were actually in a minority.
-And here’s another ultra-exclusive special, and the most enigmatically named yet, the 650S Spider Al Sahara 79 by MSO. It’s the work of McLaren’s in-house tuning and customization division, MSO, and has been unveiled at the Dubai auto show. It will be available exclusively in the Middle East.
-So what will buyers get in exchange for their 1,456,308 Emirati Dirham ($396,400 at current exchange rates)? No more power, disappointingly—the Al Sahara uses the standard 650S Spider’s 641-hp 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 and records identical performance times (including a manufacturer-claimed 3.0-second 0-to-60-mph time; we clocked 2.8 seconds.). But it does get pearlescent white-gold paintwork with, we’re told, a “subtle shimmer inspired by the golden sands which form such a distinctive part of the Middle Eastern landscape.” The cause of that shimmer? Actual 24-karat gold particles mixed into the paint.
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That also explains the name; ‘79’ refers to the atomic number of gold. Award yourself a small prize if you knew that.
-Other details include gloss-black forged wheels, more carbon-fiber exterior trim, and interior details with the same white-gold finish, including the floating center console. Just five of these will be produced, and, as mentioned, you will have to live in the Middle East to be able to order one. Apparently the region already has one of the highest levels of MSO customization for McLaren products, and the Al Sahara is designed to reflect “local trends, cultures, and tastes.”
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It’s a trend for special editions we hope to see extended to other parts of the globe; we’ll leave you to imagine what a variant inspired by Florida, New Jersey, or even some of the less stable parts of the former Soviet Union might look like.
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