#16: 2015 McLaren 650S
Maybe you prefer some traditional British racing pedigree to all that Japanese precision and “value”. Well, things start getting wildly expensive at #20. The 2015 McLaren 650S came to market with a base price of $265,000 and plenty of other insane figures: 641 HP. 500 lb-ft of torque. 1.07G’s of lateral grip. A 10-second quarter mile. All-wheel-drive. Null to 60 in 2.7 seconds. Two whole cupholders. The McLaren 650S is largely based on the existing MP4-12C, McLaren’s first ever production car built in-house. Introduced in 2011, the 12C was the automakers first new vehicle since the legendary F1 of the 90’s.
Unsurprisingly, the 650S sticks to the winning formula of forced induction strapped to a fast-revving motor, a featherweight chassis, a lightning-quick transmission, and carbon fiber bumper to bumper. Though heavier than our non-electric cars thus far (the 650S breaks the 3,000-lb mark), it compensates with high displacement, engine speed, and sheer power. With a power-to-weight ratio of 4.85 lbs, the 650S’ 3.8L twin-turbo V8 transfers all 641 torques to the wheels through a 7-speed dual clutch gearbox. And the 650S gets that 0-60 time in no time thanks to a flat plane crank screaming at up to 8,500 RPM. To be sure, the 650S’ traditional V8 is anything but. It’s so efficient, in fact, that it reaches 95% peak torque and holds that power band between 3,000 and 7,000 RPM.
The real magic trick of the 650S, though, is its chassis. Although similar in appearance to, well, most other mid-engine supercars, the structure of the 650S is space-age. Strip away all the panels and bits, and you’ll find a MonoCell tub that contains the entire cabin. Weighing just 165 pounds, the carbon fiber cell takes 4,000 hours of production to fabricate. Coupled with wind tunnel testing and refined splitters, diffusers and side vents, the 650S isn’t just one of the fastest-accelerating cars on this list, but one of the most well-performing at the track. It’s one of few cars to break the post-Hauyra record on Top Gear’s test track in just 1:13.7.
