McLaren 570S Spider

The McLaren 570S Spider takes the lightweight carbon fibre approach of the Sports Series and opens it to the sky. A 3.8 litre twin-turbocharged V8 sends 562 horsepower to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, good for 0 to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and a roof-up top speed of 328 km/h. The carbon fibre MonoCell tub is so rigid that McLaren added no extra bracing for the convertible, so it drives with the same precision as the coupe. The retractable hardtop folds in around 15 seconds and works on the move up to 40 km/h.

What makes it work in Dubai is the way it switches character. Leave it in Comfort and the adaptive dampers soak up the expansion joints on Sheikh Zayed Road, the cabin stays civil, and the front lift clears the speed bumps around Business Bay and DIFC. Drop the roof for an early evening run along JBR or out toward Al Qudra and the V8 fills the open cabin with sound the coupe keeps to itself. The dihedral doors draw a crowd at every valet from the Palm to Downtown, which is part of the appeal.

This suits the driver who wants genuine supercar pace without the harshness of a hardcore track car, and who values the theatre of an open roof on the right night. Renting makes sense when you want a McLaren for a long weekend or a special occasion rather than the cost and depreciation of owning one in the heat. It seats two with a useful 202 litres of luggage space split between the front compartment and the tonneau. We deliver it to your door, full of fuel and detailed, and collect it when you are done.