If you have 340,000 euros to spare and claim to be a car expert, I just tested the supercar you need to buy

What is most valued in a sports car? The design? The engine? The speed? The acceleration? The quality? The brand? It's hard to believe that all these questions come into play when buying a car worth more than 340,000 euros. However, many times the decision is based on a single question: how can I outdo my neighbor? When we are dealing with millionaire terms, the "me too" plays a big role when buying a supercar.

Not many people have the opportunity to buy a McLaren 750S; theory says that only 1% of the world's population can. The richest 1%. It's not a car for everyone, but it's the car that most drivers in the world dream of. It's the car that decorates teenagers' school folders and the one that looks perfect parked on the streets of Monte Carlo. Another question that arises with the most powerful of McLaren's 'traditional' sports cars is why buy it instead of a Lamborghini or a Ferrari?

After testing it, I can think of a few reasons, although in no case do I have the money to buy any of the three. I wish! Let it be clear that this is not the first Woking model I have driven. A few years ago, I had the chance to test the McLaren GT - which didn't impress me much - and more recently the McLaren 720S, the predecessor of this 750S. Even back then, the only member of McLaren's Super Series seemed like a sensational car to us, but for some reason, the English believe it wasn't enough.

For the average person, yes, but not for those engineers who have developed the MCL39 that is currently dominating the Formula 1 championship. Choosing a McLaren over a Cavallino Rampante is a risky decision. I don't want to demystify those from Modena, but if you have any doubts when it comes to opening your wallet, I assure you that the 750S will not disappoint you at any moment. Honestly, I didn't expect to like it so much. I expected it to be different, not so spectacularly good.

Many times we find ourselves waiting a long time to test a car, and it ends up 'disappointing' us. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. And it especially happens with the most powerful, expensive, or exclusive cars in the market. Recently, I experienced this with the most expensive electric car I have ever driven, the Maybach EQS. A car that, within the electric spectrum, I found clumsy, excessive, and unnecessary. None of those adjectives will I mention when talking about the McLaren 750S. A sports car that has immediately secured one of the top spots on my list of favorite cars.

As I mentioned a bit earlier, the GT didn't impress me. In fact, I wouldn't buy it no matter how much money I had in the bank. Fortunately, the 750S is completely different. You immediately notice all of McLaren's heritage. It's a car, a supercar, designed, developed, and built to race. To show you what the English engineers are capable of doing both on and off the track. It's the evolution of humanity as a car manufacturer. The last step of a long journey that began more than 130 years ago.

The combustion engine seems to have its days numbered, at least that's what European politicians say, but nothing beats a piece of aluminum where controlled explosions occur to bring out the most visceral, ancestral, passionate, and fun side of a man. In this case, mine. Human evolution has been capable of controlling all the processes that lead gasoline to explode and move a sports car weighing 1,464 kilograms. A figure that the 750S announces when you step on a scale.

In perspective, it's impressive what engineers are capable of creating. At the heart of this 340,000 euro McLaren, right in the middle, beats a four-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that develops 750 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 800 Nm of torque at 5,500 rpm. An extremely precise piece of metal. So demanding is its level of performance that in Woking they have decided to double some elements like the turbo or the fuel pump. Counted in pairs, thanks to them, the 750S never runs out of breath.

In Woking, they have used 30% new or redesigned components compared to its predecessor. Generally speaking, the engine is the same, but it has been tweaked to offer that additional performance we didn't know we needed. This includes higher pressure in the supercharging system, lightened pistons, revised electronic management, the aforementioned pairs of duplicated elements, and the entire channel that evacuates combustion gases. The exhaust is the only part I would ask for a bit more vigor. It doesn't sound bad, but it could sound beefier.

McLaren claims to have worked on the carbon fiber chassis to improve the driving experience - it's true. More fun, more excitement, and more precision. The suspension features a new geometry with front springs 3% softer and rear springs 4% harder. The track width has increased in size by 6 millimeters, and other components like the electro-hydraulic steering or the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission have also been fine-tuned. We're talking about minimal percentages or millimeters, but as Formula 1 clearly shows, every little gain counts.

All the mechanical effort is sent to the asphalt through Pirelli PZero tires. The rear tires are responsible for controlling the engine with disproportionate measurements of 305/30 R20. Behind the forged aluminum and lightweight wheels are high-performance carbon-ceramic discs. In case this performance isn't enough, McLaren offers a reinforced and more precise system, the same one they mounted on the limited edition McLaren Senna that, by the way, we also tested at Motor.es a few years ago.

It has taken hundreds, possibly thousands, of hours of work to create a car that can stand up to Italy, Germany, and the whole world. After all, Ferrari is the brand everyone dreams of. Lamborghini is what the newly rich buy, but McLaren is for drivers who understand. Although the customer profile is very similar to that of its rivals, those from Woking attract buyers with experience, wisdom, and, above all, a love for the world of four wheels. People who want to invest their money in something special and not just a decorative object and/or a means of attention.

Despite this, I was surprised that in England they have managed to combine the qualities of a supercar with the abilities of an ordinary car so well. I want to make it clear that the 750S is not a normal car, nor is it a car that is driven normally, but within its qualities, it is indeed a car suitable 'for all audiences'. It shows a civilized and calm side that makes you doubt whether it is really a good 'daily', but just pressing the accelerator pedal to the floor reveals that it hides the bad temper of a troubled hooligan.

Aside from attracting the same attention as a flying donkey, the 750S moves well in real-world traffic. Its visibility is good all around, and it's easy to locate all four corners of the car. Measuring the ground clearance is more complicated, although it has helpful resources like a hydraulic front lift that separates the carbon fiber from the threatening asphalt to avoid scraping on bumps, curbs, or overly tight angles. As I said, it's a well-made car and even relatively comfortable, despite its seats perfectly compressing 'the chubby'.

You will need them because when the horizon of the McLaren 750S clears, the car demands war. Without realizing it, with just 5 or 10% of the pedal pressed, you find yourself cruising at speeds that would make even Pere Navarro (the controversial director of the DGT) cry. The 150 or 160 km/h of the 750S are the 80-90 km/h of an ordinary car. I'm not saying that these types of cars should have more speed margin, but I do guarantee that they can go very fast without putting their occupants at risk. Let's not forget that their only purpose in this life is to race.

And it's something it will do as soon as you set your mind to it. It quickly goes from being a refined English lord to a madman with a hammer hitting you in the back as you cross the 5,000 rpm barrier. It's then that the second turbo, the high-pressure one, comes into play, and all its colossal power pushes you to the next level of speed. It's then that the speedometer starts eating up the tens, and the 750S is capable of leaving behind almost 99% of the cars that inhabit the world.

If you don't believe me, take a look at its performance chart. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, after 7.2 seconds it has already surpassed the 200 km/h barrier, and in less than 20 seconds, the 300. In fact, it can reach, if your courage and the length of the road allow it, a top speed of 332 km/h. Some electric cars may surpass those figures, but none of them can match the sensations that the 750S transmits to its passengers.

At first, it's a car that intimidates. The first times you floor the accelerator, the rear warns you that you are not in front of the typical all-wheel-drive sports car with controlled reactions. It intimidates, but soon you begin to understand its response. Especially, you understand that from 5,000 rpm, you will get an exaggerated kick when the second turbo activates. Once you understand how the 750S has been designed to deliver its power, it's easy to feel comfortable and want to explore its limits. On open roads, you will never find it, unless you are a true lunatic.

When the road twists, you reconnect with a world of lightness, a lot of noise, and great speed. Every horsepower is responsible for moving 2 kilograms of aluminum, carbon, and other components that are as expensive as they are lightweight. McLaren has distributed the driving management through Handling and Powertrain modes. You can modify the engine's aggressiveness without having to touch the controls and electric assists. Another thing you shouldn't do unless you have the same or similar capabilities as Lando Norris.

The different degrees: Comfort, Sport, and Track, allow you to unleash the beast that resides within it, but honestly, it's not necessary to explore these options given the excellent tuning executed by the English engineers. It's obvious that each program modifies the car's components, but for the real world, for real roads, there's no need to change anything. You might set everything to Sport mode, but nothing more. At least I don't think it's wise to remove the controls when sharing the road with cyclists, motorcycles, and other cars.

Although its engine can be considered a masterpiece of engineering, I feel obliged to make a special mention of the brakes. Carbon-ceramic discs of 390 and 380 millimeters allow the car to stop on a dime. If we are traveling at 100 km/h, it will come to a complete stop after covering 30 meters. That's a third less than what an ordinary car takes to stop if it hits the brakes at maximum at 90 km/h. If the 750S reaches 200 km/h, it will come to a complete stop in just 113 meters after hitting the brakes.

These figures are accompanied by a hard pedal with immediate response that bites the discs instantly. When you are traveling at such speed, this is what is required. No soft pedals or erratic feel like we see more and more due to electrification. As if the discs weren't enough, McLaren has also integrated an aerodynamic brake. The rear wing not only sticks the car to the asphalt but also helps to stop it. It activates in less than half a second and by itself generates more braking power than that of an ordinary utility vehicle.