McLaren gets creative with the 570S

The new McLaren 570S Design Edition 1 in Vermillion red is seen in this provided image. © McLaren Automotive

British supercar company McLaren has announced a new ‘Design Edition' take on its most compact model that should give the everyday supercar an added touch of exclusivity.

The standard McLaren 570S ticks nearly every box on the dream car checklist. It's constructed from carbon fiber. Its engine's in the middle, and it boasts eight cylinders in a V-formation. And crucially it can go from 0-100km/h in under three seconds and on to over 200mph.

However, by McLaren's own standards, at least, it's mass-produced -- several hundred a year -- so it falls down in terms of rarity.

To combat this shortcoming and to publicize its growing customization capabilities, McLaren on Tuesday revealed a new range of five ‘Design Editions' -- so called because their exterior and interior features have been put together by the very team that designed the 570S itself.

Design Edition 1, the first car for which complete specifications have been announced, will come with a special Vermillion red exterior paint finish and will sit on diamond-cut-finished five-spoke alloy wheels that envelop red brake calipers.

Inside the seats are dressed in carbon black Alcantara and Apex Red Nappa leather while the dashboard is wrapped in a combination of Jet Black and Apex Red Nappa leather with grey contrast stitching.

But, as the company is quick to point out, even a special edition can simply serve as the foundation for greater personalization, and clients will be free to add extra equipment or further external carbon fiber elements to any Design Edition model.

And for those that think red is a bit too strong a color, the other Design Editions models will offer Onyx Black, Storm Grey, Ventura Orange, or Silica White as their exterior finish.

And when it comes to optional extras such as contrast stitching, body color calipers or special paint finishes for a supercar, while, for example, a coat of McLaren Mantis Green exterior paint usually adds an extra $5,700 to the standard 570S asking price of nearly $240,000, even with the comparatively large list of extras that come on the Design Edition, the new models will only cost an extra $14,175

So now the 570S is more exclusive yet even more affordable.