Novitec’s tuned McLaren 720S is nearly as extreme as a Senna

By topgear, 29 November 2018
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Since it’s been, ooh, about twenty-five minutes since McLaren revealed a new extremely fast car with controversial styling, the folks at German supercar tuning firm Novitec have stepped in while Woking has a coffee break. Meet the Novitec 720S N-Largo.

Based on McLaren’s 720S Super Series model, but featuring inspiration from the McLaren Senna, desert attack aircraft and hearing aids (not really) the 720S N-Largo is one heck of a comprehensive makeover for the rightly-lauded 720S. Every single body panel has been, um, lovingly changed. Please note the deeper splitter, a roof scoop, new intakes on the rear haunches and a longer double-decker active spoiler. Different wheels, too. Luckily, they’re not painted the colour of school dinner mashed potato.

So, the N-Largo rides 35mm lower than the standard £220k 720S, and it’s a massive 60mm wider – at the front. Walk to the rump and you’re talking 130mm of extra width.

To justify this obnoxious girth, it’s got even more power to punt its owners along a Gumball rally. Power from the 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 is up from 711bhp (which felt like enough, last time we checked) to 795bhp, while torque rises from 770Nm (again, that’s plenty thanks) to a staggering 879Nm. This is still channelled to just the rear wheels.

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Besides a custom exhaust system, there’s no information whatsoever concerning how Novitec ramped up the 720S’s fury. Nor what it did to the seven-speed gearbox or differential to handle the extra poke. Perhaps they’re confident the standard McLaren pieces are tough enough…

If the claimed figures are accurate, the N-Largo will indeed blitz a standard 720S in a drag race. Novitec says the wideboy, sorry, widebody version is 0.2sec quicker from 0-100kph – taking just 2.7sec – and arrives at 200kph in 7.5sec. That’s three tenths up on the standard 720S. Top speed? 346kph. You’ll need a Speedtail to go faster, then.

Want one? No, really? Oh, okay then. Well if you must, you’ll need to own a McLaren 720S and be one of the first 15 people to give Novitec a call, as they’re only converting 15 to N-Largo lout spec.