I should really be more wary about flinging a $265,500 McLaren supercar around a racetrack, except for the fact that the 650S Coupe I’m driving is absolutely begging to go faster.  Hard on the carbon ceramic brakes, the active aerodynamics kick in, and the rear spoiler shoots skyward to keep the back of the car planted. I’m thrown forward, against the seatbelts, as the 650S’ carbon-fiber brakes decelerate the car with tremendous force. I grit my teeth, knowing I could have braked much harder…and much, much later!  In one particularly long double-apex right hand corner, the McLaren feels so alive, it’s just impossible to resist the temptation to roll onto the gas pedal and unleash all 641-horsepower from the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-8 that’s sitting behind me.  A quick wiggle from the rear tires alerts me that I’m getting in a little over my head, not to mention on the throttle too early. But it doesn’t stop the thrill of flicking the 650S through a nearly flat-out chicane, and hammering the gas pedal before the next corner looms ahead.  The McLaren 650S is like plugging into an automotive form of The Matrix, except it’s a lot more fun and without any menacing guys in dark suits chasing after you. The Daily News Autos visited Monticello, New York, to experience this British-built supercar on public roads and, as you’ve probably guessed, the challenging racing circuit owned by the Monticello Motor Club.  Introduced earlier this year at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, the McLaren 650S is a faster and more visceral take on the company’s current MP4-12C Coupe and Spider. According to McLaren, 25 percent of the 650S is completely new compared to the current MP4-12C it’s based upon.  Forming the core of both the Coupe and Spider is the “MonoCell,” a carbon-fiber tub that weighs a scant 165 lbs. This MonoCell is a major factor in the extremely taut and precise feel instilled in the 650S.  What catches your attention first, however, is the car’s composite body-work, particularly the curvaceous nose of the 650S. It’s a very close copy of McLaren’s own P1 ultra-exotic car that costs about $1.15 million and, we’re sorry to report, is completely sold out worldwide.  The swoopy front air intakes and boomerang-shaped headlights give the 650S an added dash of excitement compared to the more button-downed design of the MP4-12C. The side vents are also larger, to ram more cooling air into the mid-mounted engine.  McLaren has uncorked extra power from this gem of a motor, to the tune of 641-horsepower at 7,250 rpm and 500 lb.-ft. of torque at 6,000 rpm. Power is routed to the rear wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch SSG transmission which can be shifted by steering wheel-mounted paddles, or left to work completely as an automatic. It’s a superb gearbox, shifts are handled with lighteneing-quick speed, especially when Track or Sport modes are selected for the drivetrain controls. This sharpens everything from throttle response, to gearshifts, and the snarl of the exhaust note.  The MP4-12C has been criticized for being a little too tame, at least when it comes to engine acoustics. Unless you absolutely want to be ‘that guy’ everywhere you go, the 650S hits the mark when it comes to having an exhaust note that is thrilling without being annoying.  Where the 650S really scores an absolute knock-out punch is in the way it handles real driving situations, including some very gnarly asphalt on the winding roads surrounding the Monticello Motor Club. McLaren encouraged us to leave the car in the Normal setting – the Proactive Chassis Control (PCC), like the powertrain, has three modes (Normal, Sport, Track) – to see how this supercar fared outside the smooth racing circuit.  The 650S absorbed bumps and broken asphalt with the composure of a high-end luxury coupe. There were no creaks or groans from the chassis or body-work, and the 20-inch thin-spoke alloy wheels survived some nasty encounters with potholes.  Thanks to the large windshield, visibility is also very good, at least to the front and sides of the car. A rear-view camera is available, for a cool $1,400!  The expansive view outside helps make driving the McLaren 650S surprisingly comfortable, no matter if you’re rolling down a highway or tossing it around a racetrack.  A flat-bottomed steering wheel and copious amounts of faux suede (which is soft and grippy) or leather (which is optional, and something you could really live without) give the cabin a nice touch of sportiness and class. The center touch-screen is a little fiddly in operation, though more time and familiarity with the car would help matters.  McLaren has upgraded the double-wishbone suspension in the 650S with firmer spring and damper rates, sharper steering, and revised damper mounts to improve noise and vibration levels in the cabin. Some of the most notable additions to the 650S are best enjoyed back on the racetrack, however.  This includes a technology that is now banned in Formula One racing. The 650S includes Brake Steer, which judges steering input and overall speed, and then applies braking pressure to the inside rear wheel. This helps to limit understeer and oversteer, allowing the 650S to blast through corners without being bogged down by overly zealous traction or stability control systems – those are present too, of course, and function unobtrusively.  A larger front splitter, rear diffuser and the aforementioned Air Brake system increase aerodynamic grip and keep the 650S sucked to the pavement. It’s a tremendously powerful and involving experience, feeling the car slither its way around the track. Every bite and slip of those Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires can be felt through the steering and suspension system. Dial things back for the cool down lap, and you’d swear you can sense the McLaren wiping its brow, adjusting its necktie, and donning a pair of Ray-Bans.  McLaren estimates a 0 to 60 mph time of 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 207 mph for the 650S Coupe. The Spider posts the same acceleration time, but top speed is slightly lower at 203 mph. That drop-top is a pretty cool piece of engineering, by the way. The two piece system is fully automated, and a push of a button raises or lowers it in only 17 seconds, at speeds up to 19 mph.  We tried both models, Coupe and Spider, during our day with the McLaren 650S and, honestly, we’d take either one home – and trust us, we asked! While the MP4-12C has been more under-the-radar compared to many rivals (most of them Italian), the 650S is that extra bit faster, louder, and bolder. That all these changes add up to a better supercar, not simply one that’s brasher and more boisterous, is proof of McLaren’s engineering excellence.
Cool and totally composed, when you want it to be, the McLaren 650S hardwires itself into every automotive pleasure center on its way to a blistering 207 mph top speed.