On Day 2, given we were still on East Coast time, we were up quite early and on the road shortly after 8AM.  The 765LT Spider frunk was stuffed to the extent that not even another toothbrush would fit.  With the car fully loaded, the top down, and iPhone connected to the last of the pre ApplePlay Infotainment systems, we were off and headed north on I 25 towards Fort Collins. 

Exiting Denver in rush hour was a fairly painless task and within about twenty minutes we had broken free of rush hour traffic.  The run up to Fort Collins is dead straight and about as uninteresting as a highway can be.  However, it is heavily policed, so I kept one eye on the speedometer as we headed north.  About 10 miles north of Fort Collins we turned off I25, topped off the tank, put the roof up as the outside temperature was now north of 90F, and then headed cross country towards RT287.  As soon as the roof was up, Mrs. SSO had the air-conditioner turned all the way down to low.  She grew up in Toronto and believes any temperature north of 70F is far too hot.  As a result, there is a greater chance of getting frostbite in one of our cars in the summer than heat stroke.  We would spend about an hour on RT 287, looping up and west into Wyoming to intersect with I80.  RT 287 is a very lightly trafficked divided highway that meanders through the foothills of the Rockies.  It’s a great place to let the McLaren 765LT Spider just run.  With long sweeping corners and numerous elevation changes, its mostly 5^th and 6^th gear territory with rarely a touch of the brake pedal.  As you near a bend in the road, drop a gear, balance on the throttle, and then use the throttle to pull you through the exit before changing back up a gear.  Steering inputs are minimal as the 765LT Spider is both incredible easy to place on the road, completely planted, and lets you know exactly what’s going on.  The feedback it provides is best in class while delivering a very high level of ride comfort.  For a track focused light weight supercar, the 765LT Spider is a remarkably comfortable place to be for long distance trips.

As RT 287 turned into I80, the scenery got less interesting, but the speed limit moved up to a very reasonable 80 mph.  On the day we traversed it, I80 seemed to be a major truck transit route and the semis certainly were flying down the very lightly policed interstate.  They had to be the most polite truck convoy I have ever run into as almost all moved out of our way as soon as we approached and we made great time.  Lunch was a quick stop in Rock Springs at JoGees for a lamb wrap which was excellent.  I did get a kick out of their sign which stated that there food was all prepared fresh and to order, if you were in a rush, there was a McDonald’s down the street. 

After a few more hours on I80, we were finally crossed the state line into Utah and began the climb up into Park City.  The stretch of highway from where I84 and I80 intersect to the Park City exit has to be one of the more challenging drives and reminded me of going through the Bozeman Pass on I90 in Montana.  You have major elevation changes, high speed corners, slow moving truck traffic, and striking scenery.  Its plenty to navigate but the 765LT Spider made it ridiculous easy.  With its enormous power and torque, it made uphill climbs feel like downhill sprints, while feeling like it was mounted on rails.  Never once did the back end even hint it was planning on moving regardless of the speed or tightness of the corner.  To give you an idea of the level of drama inside the car, while I was enjoying a fairly spirited drive, Mrs. SSO enjoyed a short nap.

Once off I80, the drive up to the Pendry Park City Hotel was easy and only took a few minutes.  The valet let me leave the car in front of the hotel for a couple of hours before we agreed it would be best if I drove it down and parked it in the underground valet parking garage for the evening.  We had spent a bit over 7 hours in the 765LT Spider, covered a bit over 500 miles, and yet I was neither tired nor sore.  The car rides incredibly well for a supercar and the P1 seats we spec’ed for the 765LT Spider are both very comfortable and highly supportive.