What's the news?

McLaren has pulled the covers off the second model of its expanding line-up, the 12C Spider. The open air supercar was initially unveiled at the Gooding and Company Auction in Monterey before being moved on to the Concept Car Lawn at Pebble Beach's Concours d'Elegance.

Exterior

Shown in new Volcano Yellow paint the 12C Spider features a Retractable Hard Top (RHT) - a tri-folding hard top that is stowed under a tonneau cover leaving the 12C's engine exposed under a glass engine cover. The roof is capable of operating at speeds up to 19mph and takes 17 seconds to raise or lower.

Interior

A rear window, situated behind the seats, can be electronically raised to act as a wind deflector when the 12C Spider is driven 'al fresco'. Should impending rain force you to raise the roof this can be lowered to allow the noise of the twin-turbo V8 to flood the cabin. With the roof raised the area under the tonneau cover acts as additional storage space and all 12C Spiders will be supplied with bespoke luggage designed specifically for this.

Mechanicals

The 12C Spider uses the same 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 as the recently updated coupé. Power remains at 616hp and it is transmitted through the same seven-speed SSG dual-clutch transmission. Despite being largely the same as the coupé though the Spider model is a little slower; it will 'only' do 204mph instead of 207mph...

Anything else?

The 12C Spider is now available to order, priced from £195,500. First deliveries to customers are planned for early next year.