The 788HS is McLaren’s send-off for the supercar generation that started with the 720S in 2017. It carries the same twin-turbo V8 platform through the 765LT and 750S, and McLaren is billing it as the final and most powerful road car this architecture will produce before a new supercar generation replaces it.
Powertrain: The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 M840T gets forged pistons and is tuned to 788 hp at 7,500 rpm and 800 Nm at 5,500 rpm, up from the 750S’s 750 hp. Dry weight drops to 1,265 kg, giving a power-to-weight ratio of 623 hp per tonne. McLaren quotes 0-100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 7.0 seconds, and a top speed of 330 km/h.
Chassis: Proactive Chassis Control III, McLaren’s hydraulically interlinked adaptive suspension, has been retuned specifically for the 788HS. Center-lock wheels appear on this model line for the first time, and brakes are carbon-ceramic with six-piston monoblock calipers derived from the Senna. A titanium exhaust with four exit pipes cuts weight over the standard system.
Aerodynamics: A new S-Duct routes air through the bonnet, working with a carbon-fibre front splitter, an active rear wing, and an F1-style diffuser. McLaren says the package generates 10% more downforce than the 765LT, the previous aero benchmark in the line.
Production is capped at 200 cars, split evenly between Coupe and Spider body styles. Pricing has not been disclosed.
