McLaren Artura Spider is 700hp supercar that can run as an EV and has two special features when you put your foot down

YOU might think an open-top McLaren supercar that’s  also an EV sounds expensive.

Wait until you hear about the Louis Vuitton jewellery party going on down the road in St Tropez.

One necklace was worth £13.6MILLION.

You could buy 61 McLaren Artura Spiders for that kind of money, and I probably would, except I don’t know 60 people that I  like. How about you?

We’ve already tried the 205mph Artura coupe and it’s really rather good.

 This is the topless version.

Cut the roof off with a tin opener and charge the rich kids another £15k?

Actually, no.

There’s way more to it than that — and the upgrades  are being reverse engineered into the coupe. Let me talk you through the headlines.

Power is up 20hp to 700hp. Gearshifts are quicker. Damping control is faster. New cooling ducts = sticky brakes. You need them. Stiffer engine mounts improve stability and steering feel. The redesigned exhaust   system is louder and sounds  the nuts.

Sucks up the horizon

Then there’s the new “Spinning Wheel Pull Away” feature that, as the name suggests, allows more wheelspin when you bury your foot in the carpet.

24/7 11s if you get my drift.

Of course, McLaren is obsessed with lightness and Artura Spider is a bantamweight compared to Ferrari’s 296 GTB coupe, let alone the rag top.

Drive sensibly and this V6 plug-in hybrid is smooth and sophisticated and beautifully composed.

Drive it fast and it sucks up the horizon like a giant Henry the hoover on drugs. 

Here’s the rub.

Pull the bottom left stalk on the steering wheel towards you — or simply select Track mode — and you get rewarded for . . . er . . . spirited driving as it maximises battery recharge through the engine.

Then, when you arrive in a built-up area, pop it in e-mode and you’ve got 21 miles of silent, emission-free driving like a Tesla.

McMissile and McMilkfloat. Engineers decided against the usual braking regeneration tech because they didn’t want to interfere with the pedal.

You can also top up the battery via a plug in your air-conditioned garage. 

I averaged 35mpg on test, using the petrol engine 95 per cent of the time and five per cent in pure e-mode. I’m nothing if not thorough. You’ll do well to beat that in a Ford Fiesta.

The cabin is a masterpiece of design. Simple, fuss-free steering wheel, not littered with buttons like most cars today. 

Rocker switches on the driver’s cluster put the main controls at your fingertips — handling on the left, powertrain on the right.

There’s a pocket to stop your smartphone flying out.

There’s a button to turn off the dastardly lane departure warning.

Another button to lift the front of the car and avoid bruises from speed bumps.

The start/stop button is papaya orange, like Lando’s F1 car, not red. All things that please.

There’s an additional central speaker between the seats to  listen to Spotify when you’re roof down in the sunshine burning your bonce.

No doubt McLaren’s playlist, which started with Coldplay’s A Head Full Of Dreams, was meticulously planned.

It’s good to see that McLaren has finally got its ducks in  a line.

The F1 team is flying and the car side of the business is now fully owned by Mumtalakat, the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Next up is a 1,000hp V8 hybrid continuing the bloodline of the legendary F1 and P1. 

You could probably buy eight for the price of that Louis  Vuitton necklace.

Artura sparkles like Ana

HERE’S Bond girl Ana de Armas wearing the £13.6million Louis Vuitton “Coeur de Paris” necklace.

The 55-carat brown-pink diamond is said to be inspired  by  the upwards view of the Eiffel Tower and was bought by a  Chinese billionaire.  The stone sits in a detachable motif that can be worn as a brooch. 

Louis Vuitton guests were partying in St Tropez as we tested the McLaren Artura Spider.

Save me a goody bag.