What’s it like to drive the £750,000 McLaren Senna?

789BHP, 211mph and £750,000 worth of McLaren Senna, just how good can it be? Ben Griffin jetted off to a very sunny Portugal to find out, as part of his first video review for the motoring website and YouTube channel, A Tribe Called Cars.

It is not every day do you get to jump into a £750,000 hypercar with 789bhp, nor is it common to put on full racing driver apparel. But then the McLaren Senna is no ordinary car and so launching it in a car park in Hull was never going to cut it.

Described by some motoring journalists as “the launch of the year,” there was certainly much fear on my part. The fear of crashing, the fear of disliking the car, the fear of it failing to live up to expectations. And yet, miraculously, not one of those outcomes happened. Much to McLaren’s relief. And mine.

In fact, apart from being given overly tight overalls and being unable to film using an open helmet (blame someone with a clipboard), it was a glorious day. One that highlighted just how far McLaren has come since it first started doing the road car thing in 2007.

Without spoiling the video, I will say that the McLaren Senna is unlike anything else. Compared to the 720S, which is no slouch, it is about seven hundred times more nimble, yet it is remarkably palatable. Easy to drive, too, to the point that maybe it is too easy and that it will take wrapping it round a tree to remember you aren’t Lewis Hamilton.

But the McLaren Senna also excites and encourages unlike anything else I have ever driven. Some track days are fun but more often than not you are happy giving the keys back. With the latest entry to the Ultimate Series, I wish I was still lapping Estoril. Learning to eke out every last drop of performance.

But unfortunately – and unlike Shmee150, who was at the same launch event as me – I lack the £750,000 to buy one. And it is fairly likely you do, too. So you will just have to live vicariously through my experience and read my full, largely glowing McLaren Senna review instead.

While I am here: There are a lot of videos in the pipeline for A Tribe Called Cars, including reviews of the Nissan GT-R, Hyundai i30 N, McLaren 570S, Jaguar XJR 575, Audi R8 V10 Plus Spyder and many more. Plus I will be reviewing gadgets, racing games and gaming accessories, and providing tips on how to photograph and video cars.

So if any of that sounds good, click that subscribe button. I would really appreciate it. Nearly as much as if you bought me a Senna.

A Tribe Called Cars is a motoring website and YouTube channel, founded by motoring journalist and Recombu editor, Ben Griffin.