You Can Now Buy A McLaren 570S With Cayman GT4 Money

This week, we learned that a company in the Philippines attempted to dodge a £260k tax bill by declaring a McLaren 620R as a Porsche Cayman. I suppose a 718 Cayman is closer to a 620R than, say, a Ford Focus, but in the UK, you can indeed buy something that’s the same car underneath as McLaren‘s new track special for the price of a mid-engined Porsche.

OK, so we’re talking more specced-up GT4 money as opposed to boggo 2.0-litre territory, but - amazingly - it is now possible to bag a 570S for under £80,000.

Only a few weeks ago a 2016 example with a mere 13,763 miles on the clock went under the virtual hammer at Collecting Cars for £77,500, factoring in the buyer’s premium. We haven’t been able to find any quite that cheap in the classifieds right now, but this one is still an attention-grabbing £88,850, and it looks smashing in Ventura Orange Metallic. It has all sorts of extras fitted including an MSO exhaust, carbon fibre interior trim and a nose lift system. If you intend on ever going anywhere near a speed bump in your McLaren, trust us - you’re going to want that.

In all versions of the 570S, you get a mid-mounted 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8 that’s good for 562bhp. It’s a late bloomer for a turbo lump, with peak power coming in at 7400rpm, before a redline of 8500. 0-62mph takes just 3.2 seconds, and the top speed is 204mph.

Straight-line speed isn’t why you buy a 570S, though. It’s all about the driver feedback - all Sports Series cars, from the 540C to the weapons-grade 600LT, have steering feel like no other modern supercar. McLaren’s insistence on sticking with hydraulic power assistance has paid off, providing a linear, natural-feeling steering attitude that makes driving at any speed a joy.

Although the Audi R8 has always looked like the best choice for a ‘first’, attainable-ish supercar, the 570S may just take its place. However, there are some things you have to bear in mind.

Early Sports Series McLarens have a reputation for niggling issues, and as a 2016 car, this one falls into that category. Issues can be very expensive to fix, so a good warranty is essential, especially as the original three-year unlimited mileage policy on our classifieds pick will have lapsed.

With McLaren supercars of all kinds suffering from some particularly strong depreciation of late, it’s also worth bearing in mind that the value of your bargain 570S could drop quite a bit further before settling. Either factor that in, or hold off a little longer.

Would a 570S be your affordable-ish supercar of choice, or would your money go elsewhere?