In April 2018, a little-known company called McFarren Supercars took over the distributorship of legendary British supercar marque McLaren in Malaysia. Fast forward 16 months and the same outfit, operating under the McLaren Kuala Lumpur banner, is flying high with 45 brand new McLarens sold locally to date. 

Boosting its sales prospects for months to come is the arrival of the new 720S Spider, the topless version of Woking's series production flagship. Like the 720S Coupe, the Spider is built around a carbon fibre "Monocage" chassis, just without the central spine that runs above the cabin. Despite the structral change, the Spider is only 49kg heavier than the coupe, with a dry weight of just 1,332kg. 

Naturally, the bigger highlight is the Spider's retractable hard top, which can be completely raised or lowered in just 11 seconds, at speeds of up to 50kph. This is a massive improvement over the RHT in the 650S Spider, which required 16 seconds to fold and could only operate within 30kph of movement. 

Performance-wise, the 720S Spider is propelled by a 720PS four-litre twin-turbo V8 from which its name is derived. With power, along with 770Nm of twist, delivered to the rear wheels via a seven-speed DCT, the Spider hits 100kph from a standstill in just 2.9 seconds, all the way to a top speed of 341kph. Zero to 200kph takes just 7.9 seconds. The 720S Spider will even do 325kph with its roof down if you need a quick blow-dry on the way to your next big-money appointment. 

Other highlights include hydraulic suspension (McLaren ProActive Chassis Control II), 10-spoke lightweight forged alloys wrapped in Pirelli P Zeros (track-specific P Zero Corsas can be had at no extra cost), an eight-inch Cnetral Infotainment Screen and 23 colours to choose from, including a new shade called Belize Blue pictured here. 

As for prices, McLaren Kuala Lumpur quotes a starting figure of RM1,218,000 before duties and options, but you'll easily need at least twice that amount to have a decently-specced unit registered on Malaysian roads. Want one yet?