They took us to Arizona for the launch of McLaren’s 720S Spider. This desert playground usually has decent weather in February – with the best part of 720bhp going to the rear wheels, Britain’s frozen, salted roads would have been no place for any sort of McLaren, let alone one with a convertible roof.

With an oxymoronic reputation as the sensible supercar, McLaren’s series of ever-faster mid-engined two seaters has done well for the Woking-based manufacturer, although critics point out that the cars look too similar and share too much of their drivetrains. There’s some truth in that, but McLaren has carefully managed its meagre disparities, enough to keep buyers interested and coming back.

Estimates are that more than 17,000 McLarens have sold since the first MP4-12C in 2011 and while the company says it is strictly limiting production to maintain exclusivity, every time I look the total has risen by 1,000 – the ceiling currently stands at 6,000 a year by 2024.

The two-year-old 720s fits into the Super Series, the mid-point of the three McLaren ranges, all of them mid-engined with carbon-fibre tubs, sharing similar hard points for the aluminum, carbon-fibre and Sheet-Moulded-Composite (SMC) coachwork. Likewise, all share the same basic Ricardo-designed and built V8 turbocharged engine and Oerlikon Graziano seven-speed twin-clutch transmission.