Last week’s Festival of Speed saw the world’s motoring-mad population descend on the Goodwood estate near Chichester, West Sussex.
The Festival of Speed is a celebration of all things petrol, diesel and electric, but it’s the supercar paddock which is full of expensive and exotic metal to get the hearts racing for those who love cars. But for me, the adrenaline was even more prominent as I got the chance to be a passenger of the new McLaren 750s up the famous hillclimb.
I’d never been in a McLaren, so the 750S marked my first encounter with the Woking-based brand. But, hopefully, it wouldn’t be my last, though the whole experience is pretty much unforgettable.
When you jump inside, you sit very low and are gripped by the bolstered bucket seats. There is a lot of leather, carbon fibre and Alcantara as well as a touch screen infotainment system that uses Apple CarPlay. Everything is angled towards the driver and the gear selectors are like little toggle switches which give me aeronautical vibes. The front boot was big enough to cater for a couple of bags, including mine, too.
Driving the supercar was McLaren employee and car stunt driver Andre D-Cruz who was very familiar with all of the firm’s products, meaning he wasn’t shy from showing me the 750S’ capabilities on the course.
My first impression of the McLaren 750s is that it’s a very raw and exciting experience that also has a bit of practicality on its side, which makes it a more usable supercar in the real world and for my first supercar experience – it was certainly a good one.
