If there is one color I could get on-board with for a new dream McLaren — beyond my preference for white paint/dark wheels — it would either be McLaren Orange or Talocca Orange, which is a new and slightly lighter shade than the current MO color.

But when presented with Mantis Green, who could say no?

It is an outlandish color, and one that truly comes alive in the sun.

The rest of the options for the McLaren 650S are actually pretty easy – especially versus the Ferrari configurator for the F12, which is a long process of interior selections.

Mind you, the price jumps for both McLaren and Ferrari car configurators are not noted in the build process. This is not a Chevy Malibu, after all.

But you should expect the price to jump an average of $5000 for every special selection you make. Some will be less, but some will be much more.

A few interesting tidbits come to light in the McLaren 650S Spider builder — which is new for the 650S, we believe, and not online or public for the P1 — are the lovely brown leather seats. These look amazing. Were I not on-board with Mantis Green for the exterior, I would definitely go for the brown shade.

But brown and green is not a good match, so black leather seats it is. A few other hardcore options took precedence outside, including various carbon-fiber elements for the front/rear bumpers, side strakes, side intake and rear spoiler.

2014 McLaren 650S Spider – WHEELS, CALIPERS, BRAKE DISCS and TIRES ANIMATION

2014 McLaren 650S Spider in Mantis Green at Pebble Beach

 

The stealth pack is a must for blacked-out exhausts, and all the wheel styles are offered in silver, charcoal or charcoal with a diamond-cut edge finish. Go with Diamond Cut.

Inside, pretty wimpy choices. Avoided the racing seats and even the acantara, because leather is more comfy and easier to clean. Much easier. The racing seats also look very tiny and my ass has never been called ‘very tiny.’

INTERIORS

 

Last big wimp-out options? Regular P-Zero Pirelli tires versus the P-Zero Corsa’s, which evaporate and wear down just from looking or thinking about them.

I also chose the regular iron brakes versus carbon-fiber ones – which can be a little snatchy, noisy or not-responsive in urban driving. They work best on tracks when they have reached optimum temps, but the iron brakes will suit me just fine for 95-percent street use.

One final cool option with all these soft spec choices? The sport exhaust, of course.

Do not forget the front-end lift kit and the upgraded stereo option!

The McLaren 650S is available to order now from McLaren centres nationwide.

http://configure.mclaren.com/spider650s

EXTERIOR OPTIONS

 

• Paint

  Special Mantis Green

• 

• WHEELS

• Wheels & Brakes

  Wheels

  ---

  Finishes	Sports Wheels Diamond Cut
  Brakes & Calipers	Iron
  Calipers	Standard Black With Silver Logo (STD)
  Tyres	Pirelli P Zero

• Exterior

  Mirror Casings	Carbon Fibre
  Diffuser	Standard
  Engine Covers	Carbon Fibre
  Wheel Arch	Standard
  Sill Panels	Carbon Fibre Model Logo
  Stealth Pack	Stealth Pack
  Exhaust	Sport
  McLaren Badge	Stealth
  Oil And Coolant Caps	Alloy
  Front Splitter	Carbon Fibre
  Rear Bumper	Carbon Fibre
  Side Intake	Carbon Fibre
  Door Blades	Carbon Fibre
  Airbrake	Carbon Fibre
  Carbon Fibre Exterior Upgrade Pack	Carbon Fibre Exterior Upgrade Pack
  Model Designation	Model Designation

 

• Interior

  Leather & Carbon
  Mcl Orange Contrasts

• Accessories

  Audio	Meridian Surround Sound
  SIRIUS	SIRIUS
  Protection	Parking Sensors
  	Parking Camera
  	Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
  	Vehicle Lift Upgrade
  Practical	Lithium-Ion Battery Charger
  	Branded Floor Mat Set
  Driver Position	Left Hand Drive
  Owner Manual Language	Owners Manual USA English
  System Language	System Language – English (USA)