Flip open the door on one of these new McLaren 720S MSO Apex Collection cars - of which there will be just 15 made for the entire planet, at a cost of £288,813 each - and you'll see exposed carbon fibre, as well as a speed in miles per hour. Want to know what that speed denotes? Well, it's the apex velocity that a McLaren professional driver has hit, in a 720S, through a given corner on one of five European Grand Prix circuits; so the 15 cars will be split into five groups of three machines, all themed to the country in question. Right then, the rundown: the Apex Great Britain wears 110mph, the speed a McLaren driver got through the Abbey corner at the Silverstone GP circuit; the Apex Germany is 85mph, this attained in the Mobil 1 Kurve that leads back into the stadium section of the Hockenheimring; the Apex France clocked up 104mph in the Signes curve that follows the long Mistral straight of the Paul Ricard GP track; the Apex Belgium is, of course, referring to Spa-Francorchamps and arguably the most famous corner sequence in the world, Eau Rouge-Raidillon, with a 103mph bar to clear; and finally, the Apex Italy sports 90mph, which was achieved in the Ascari chicane of Monza - this precedes the back straight, which in turn leads into the excellent Parabolica. Buyers of the 720S Apex Collection cars (each 'country' gets one RHD and two LHD versions, whereas the Apex GB is split one LHD and two RHD machines) get a 720S Coupe fitted with the optional Track Pack, while they will also receive an FIA Formula 1 Paddock Pass, allowing them to experience the Pirelli Hot Laps with a high-speed passenger circuit - with one of those McLaren professional drivers at the wheels, showing them how the apex speed of the car in question is achieved. Additionally, the unspoken challenge seems to be to take the 720S Apex to a Pure McLaren track day and then get expert tuition from the pro drivers to see if you can match those apex speeds. Think you've got the gumption to buy a near-£300,000 hypercar and then fling it into Eau Rouge at 103mph? Off you pop to your nearest McLaren Retailer, then, for a 720S MSO Apex Collection Belgium...
Matt Robinson - 26 Sep 2019