For most of us, a beginner race car is a LeMons beater or possibly a spec Mazda Miata. For those who traipse between Manhattan loft and Miami penthouse, cars like the new McLaren 570S Sprint are how one gets a track fix.
Exotic-car manufacturers are only too happy these days to sell track-prepped specials, and given that the 570S Sprint is not street legal, it is truly a track-only machine?although it’s not eligible for any race series. Like the 570S GT4, which does compete in the FIA GT4 class in Europe, the Sprint is a single-seat, stripped-out version borrowing the GT4’s front splitter, rear wing, and underbody aerodynamics. Not one but two front dive planes are fixed to each fender.

The twin-turbo 3.8-liter V-8 and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission are unchanged from the standard 570S. With 562 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque moving less mass?how much less, McLaren won’t say?it should beat the 2.7-second run to 60 mph that we measured, especially on center-lock wheels shod with Pirelli slicks. The double wishbones and anti-roll bars also are carryover, although there’s some serious camber happening. McLaren did not specify if the Sprint includes the GT4’s two-way adjustable dampers, although a GT4 “compliance pack” is optional should the owner decide to officially campaign a race entry, as is an air-jacking system. A fire-extinguishing system and a roll cage are standard.
2016 McLaren 570S vs. 2016 Porsche 9...