Chapter 1 Like a Rocket Ship What do a spaceship and the McLaren 720S have in common A lot Ryan Conversano knows the answer too He’s a rocket scientist at NASA That means he knows a thing or two about space He also knows about speed The people at McLaren know speed too In fact Conversano says the 720S is like a spaceship on wheels
The 720S is fast It can fly down the road at 212 miles per hour 341 kph Why is the car so speedy Conversano says it has to do with how it moves through the air When the 720S is speeding down the road air hits the front of vehicle That generates friction Friction slows a car down McLaren drivers don’t let that stop them Conversano says The 720S has an aerodynamic body That means it cuts down on friction FUN FACT The 720S’s headlights are even shaped to make air flow more easily over the car
One big reason is the splitter in front of the car This car part forces air to flow above and below the vehicle The splitter also creates downforce Downforce allows the car to grip the road better The car’s design makes it more stable How do we know that It can stop in 4.6 seconds from a speed of 124 miles per hour 200 kph The 720S Spider is a convertible It has panels on the roof that can be taken out Drivers can feel the wind in their hair
That’s not all There’s a lot of force behind the 720S The 720S power plant spits out 710 horsepower That creates an incredible amount of force Much of it comes from the car’s electric thrusters just like on some spaceships FUN FACT The average American car only has about 200 horsepower
