2012 McLaren MP4-12C

Let’s see now. You’ve got your Ferrari 458 Italia, your Porsche 911 GT2 RS and 911 Turbo S and Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera 570-4. After all, if we’re setting the scene properly on the most important supersports car inauguration in quite some time – the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C – we should, in this first privileged go, at least be keeping our minds on sub-12-cylinder mid- and rear-engine road beasts. For now, that is. So if anyone brings up the 2012 Nissan GT-R or Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, that’ll be us snapping your back side with a wet towel at the health club. You’ve been warned.

Before we’ve dropped into the Recaro support-o-rama seats of the MP4-12C, one of the Queen’s lairds of the realm announces, “Be prepared to drive the best handling sports car in history.” What do you say to Sir Ron Dennis, boss of the newly formed McLaren Automotive Company (a.k.a. the MAC daddy), when he puts pressure on like that? It’s like Bill Gates looking at us and asking enthusiastically, “So, don’t you just love that Windows 7?” What happens if you don’t?

But as luck would have it, the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C is quite possibly the best handling supersports road and weekend track car in history. Yes, this will certainly take some ‘splainin’, but bear with us. We’re just pleased that no royal beheadings will now be called for, as Sir Ron is not renowned for his merciful treatment of dissenters.

McLaren MP4-12C enters production, Hamilton and Button celebrate

The very first McLaren MP4-12C built for public consumption has begun to make its way through the production process. Chassis 01 isn’t quite finished yet, as you can see by our high-res image gallery below, but it will be soon enough and McLaren plans to build up to 999 more in 2011.

Starting at $229,000, the MP4-12C is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 that produces 600 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. Prototype versions have been out running at various locations and events, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed and a very snowy Top Gear Test Track.

To celebrate Chassis 01 entering production, McLaren has put together a short clip that highlights its past year of testing. Click past the jump to watch Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button put the McLaren MP4-12C through a set of workouts.

 

 Source:Autoblog

McLaren brings back the SLR for a limited-edition swan song

It’s been a year since the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was discontinued. 2,000 examples of five different variants of the extravagant supercar were made over the course of five years of production. And in its wake,Mercedes-Benz and McLaren have gone their separate ways, both on the track and off. Both have been keeping plenty busy since the divorce, but they’ve apparently gotten back together for one last hurrah.

Apparently created by McLaren as an aftermarket kit for existing models and unveiled at the Essen Motor Show (think of it as Germany’s SEMA), this McLaren Edition SLR packs revised aerodyanamics, steering, suspension and interior. The result is an exclusive swan-song for the exotic McMerc (only 25 examples will be offered), and it looks like it’s mated with a MG SV. Take a closer look with the images below and the video after the jump, where you may notice that the Mercedes part of the equation has been decidedly de-emphasized.

McLaren New Edition

You heard right; McLaren has officially priced its MP4-12C at €200,000 in Germany and £168,500 in the UK. So far, there’s no word on U.S. pricing. For that low price, buyers can expect to slide into a carbon-fiber body structure with a 592-horsepower, twin-turbocharged, 3.8-liter V8 nestled in just the right spot. 

As you might have guessed, those with the means will be allowed to a certain level of customization, especially in the cabin. McLaren says that it will offer a total of 14 different trim variations indoors along with a host of performance upgrades. You know, in case that kind of power in a 2,866-pound chassis just isn’t enough for you.

The go-faster tricks include a sports exhaust system, carbon-ceramic brakes and a slew of lightweight wheels. McLaren is only planning on cranking out 1,000 MP4-12C models in the first year of production, each of which will be turned out of the company’s new manufacturing facility that’s expected to be up and running by the middle of next year. That gives us just over six months to start sticking away our lunch money for one of these beasts. Hit the jump for the full press release.

McLaren MP4-12C priced from €200,000

You heard right; McLaren has officially priced its MP4-12C at €200,000 in Germany and £168,500 in the UK. So far, there’s no word on U.S. pricing. For that low price, buyers can expect to slide into a carbon-fiber body structure with a 592-horsepower, twin-turbocharged, 3.8-liter V8 nestled in just the right spot. 

As you might have guessed, those with the means will be allowed to a certain level of customization, especially in the cabin. McLaren says that it will offer a total of 14 different trim variations indoors along with a host of performance upgrades. You know, in case that kind of power in a 2,866-pound chassis just isn’t enough for you.

The go-faster tricks include a sports exhaust system, carbon-ceramic brakes and a slew of lightweight wheels. McLaren is only planning on cranking out 1,000 MP4-12C models in the first year of production, each of which will be turned out of the company’s new manufacturing facility that’s expected to be up and running by the middle of next year. That gives us just over six months to start sticking away our lunch money for one of these beasts. Hit the jump for the full press release.

McLaren MP4-12C Price Confirmed

McLaren has announced the pricing for the McLaren MP4-12C, which starts at €200,000 in Germany and £168,500 in the UK.

Power for the 2011 McLaren MP4-12C comes from a 3.8L V8 twin-turbo engine producing around 600-hp mated to a 7-speed Seamless Shift dual-clutch gearbox (SSG). 0 to 60 mph is expected to come in the low 3 second range with a top speed of more than 200 mph. Sales in the United States begin in the summer of 2011 with prices to range between $225,000 and $250,000.

The McLaren MP4-12C can sprint from 0 to 200 Km/h (124 mph) in 10 seconds, (0 to 62 mpg in 2.8 seconds) while CO2 emissions are under 300 grams per Km.

The MP4-12C is expected to go on sale in the U.S. next summer at an estimated $245,000, after a spring launch in Europe. McLaren Automotive said that pricing for North America, Canada, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and South Africa will be confirmed at a later date.






Press Release

McLAREN AUTOMOTIVE ANNOUNCES MP4-12C PRICING FOR UK AND EUROPE

• McLaren MP4-12C priced at £168,500* and from €200,000 in EU

• McLaren-designed one-piece carbon chassis (the carbon MonoCell) introduces new performance, safety, and weight standards to the ‘core' sports car segment

• 'Pure' McLaren concept offers unique innovation and service to high-performance sports car buyers

WOKING, UK (24 November, 2010) - The McLaren MP4-12C, the first in a range of high-performance sports cars from McLaren Automotive, goes on sale in the UK and Europe in spring 2011 at a groundbreaking price for a carbon chassis-based car. At £168,500* in the UK, and from €200,000 in the EU, it will be the only car in its competitor set to:

• offer a carbon chassis (the MonoCell)

• be conceived, designed and developed within a Formula 1 factory

• offer the heady combination of 600PS, from a 3.8-litre engine producing less than 300g/km CO2 in a car with a dry weight of around 1300kgs

Antony Sheriff, Managing Director of McLaren Automotive said: "When we embarked on this challenge to design, develop, build, sell, and service the world's most exciting and high-quality high-performance sports cars - from a brand new factory at our Formula One headquarters - we knew expectations would be high. To deliver a true McLaren sports car, and, frankly, a reason to exist amongst great competition, it was clear we needed a unique concept that offered tangible advantages. With a unique carbon chassis as the foundation, and a powerful, but highly efficient McLaren engine at its heart, the 12C offers staggering value: no other carbon-based car can compete at this price-point, or with the 12C's technology and performance.

"Add to that a focus on ensuring that our customers will be offered spectacular care by a focused, financially strong global dealer network, and I believe we have launched a new type of car company, not just a new car. Announcing such competitive prices is a major step for us and another milestone achieved," Sheriff concluded.

The 12C's MonoCell introduces genuine innovation to the automotive industry and new performance standards below £200,000. It is ‘pure' McLaren, with all parts, from engine to switchgear, designed by McLaren.

12C prices in UK and European markets, inc. VAT:
United Kingdom £168,500*
Germany €200,000
France/Monaco €201,000
Italy €201,680
Belgium €203,360

*RRP includes VAT at 20%: on-the-road price adds road fund licence (£950) and first registration fee (£55)

The 12C can be specified with a wide range of personalisation options, pricing for which will be confirmed at launch. There are 17 high-grade exterior paint finishes, including ‘McLaren Orange' - a solid hue that was made famous by the McLaren racing cars of the 1960s and ?70s.

A choice of 14 interior trims can be specified inside the cabin. Performance upgrades include a sports exhaust system, carbon ceramic brake discs, polished-finish callipers and two lightweight forged wheel options. The ‘standard' 12C features just one piece of carbon - the MonoCell - but carbon fibre options will include mirror casings, engine bay panels and engine cover.

McLaren continues carbon innovation; 30 years since McLaren MP4/1 introduced carbon monocoque to motor racing; carbon MonoCell contributes to performance, efficiency, cabin space and driveability

McLaren introduced a carbon monocoque to motorsport in the 1981 MP4/1 Formula 1 car. In 1993, the McLaren F1 debuted a carbon chassis on a road car. In 2009, the last of over 2,200 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLarens was produced at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC); the best-selling carbon-based car ever. Now McLaren's expertise in working with this lightweight and strong material has led to the industrialisation of carbon chassis construction: where production of one McLaren F1 carbon chassis took thousands of man hours, each 12C MonoCell will be moulded in less than four hours. This step-change in manufacturing makes this technology available to sports car buyers in a new segment, and McLaren Automotive is committed to building all of its future cars around a carbon chassis.

The 12C is the first ‘pure McLaren' road car, with every one of its components designed specifically for the 12C. No compromise has been taken in developing the 12C. An intelligent design philosophy means performance is delivered in abundance, but not at the expense of efficiency: nearly 600 hp at less than 300 g/km CO2 are unprecedented statistics. The MonoCell also contributes to a spacious driver-focused interior that defies the 12C's compact exterior dimensions.

Designed, engineered, developed and manufactured by a team featuring extensive experience in McLaren's racing successes, up to 1,000 12Cs will be built in the car's first full year. A £40m manufacturing plant, the McLaren Production Centre (MPC), is currently under construction on a site adjacent to the MTC and will be fully operational by the middle of 2011. The future range of around 4,000 high-performance McLaren sports cars will all be built annually at MPC.

An initial network of 35 retailers with a passion for McLaren's plans, and a reputation for excellent customer service, will be appointed to represent McLaren across 19 countries worldwide. In the UK, McLaren will be represented initially in Birmingham, London, and Manchester, with details of all retailers on the McLaren Automotive website:

http://www.mclarenautomotive.com/uk/insider/archive/2010/11/09/RetailerContactDe

McLaren MP4-12C Price Confirmed

McLaren has announced the pricing for the McLaren MP4-12C, which starts at €200,000 in Germany and £168,500 in the UK.

Power for the 2011 McLaren MP4-12C comes from a 3.8L V8 twin-turbo engine producing around 600-hp mated to a 7-speed Seamless Shift dual-clutch gearbox (SSG). 0 to 60 mph is expected to come in the low 3 second range with a top speed of more than 200 mph. Sales in the United States begin in the summer of 2011 with prices to range between $225,000 and $250,000.

The McLaren MP4-12C can sprint from 0 to 200 Km/h (124 mph) in 10 seconds, (0 to 62 mpg in 2.8 seconds) while CO2 emissions are under 300 grams per Km.

The MP4-12C is expected to go on sale in the U.S. next summer at an estimated $245,000, after a spring launch in Europe. McLaren Automotive said that pricing for North America, Canada, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and South Africa will be confirmed at a later date.






Press Release

McLAREN AUTOMOTIVE ANNOUNCES MP4-12C PRICING FOR UK AND EUROPE

• McLaren MP4-12C priced at £168,500* and from €200,000 in EU

• McLaren-designed one-piece carbon chassis (the carbon MonoCell) introduces new performance, safety, and weight standards to the ‘core' sports car segment

• 'Pure' McLaren concept offers unique innovation and service to high-performance sports car buyers

WOKING, UK (24 November, 2010) - The McLaren MP4-12C, the first in a range of high-performance sports cars from McLaren Automotive, goes on sale in the UK and Europe in spring 2011 at a groundbreaking price for a carbon chassis-based car. At £168,500* in the UK, and from €200,000 in the EU, it will be the only car in its competitor set to:

• offer a carbon chassis (the MonoCell)

• be conceived, designed and developed within a Formula 1 factory

• offer the heady combination of 600PS, from a 3.8-litre engine producing less than 300g/km CO2 in a car with a dry weight of around 1300kgs

Antony Sheriff, Managing Director of McLaren Automotive said: "When we embarked on this challenge to design, develop, build, sell, and service the world's most exciting and high-quality high-performance sports cars - from a brand new factory at our Formula One headquarters - we knew expectations would be high. To deliver a true McLaren sports car, and, frankly, a reason to exist amongst great competition, it was clear we needed a unique concept that offered tangible advantages. With a unique carbon chassis as the foundation, and a powerful, but highly efficient McLaren engine at its heart, the 12C offers staggering value: no other carbon-based car can compete at this price-point, or with the 12C's technology and performance.

"Add to that a focus on ensuring that our customers will be offered spectacular care by a focused, financially strong global dealer network, and I believe we have launched a new type of car company, not just a new car. Announcing such competitive prices is a major step for us and another milestone achieved," Sheriff concluded.

The 12C's MonoCell introduces genuine innovation to the automotive industry and new performance standards below £200,000. It is ‘pure' McLaren, with all parts, from engine to switchgear, designed by McLaren.

12C prices in UK and European markets, inc. VAT:
United Kingdom £168,500*
Germany €200,000
France/Monaco €201,000
Italy €201,680
Belgium €203,360

*RRP includes VAT at 20%: on-the-road price adds road fund licence (£950) and first registration fee (£55)

The 12C can be specified with a wide range of personalisation options, pricing for which will be confirmed at launch. There are 17 high-grade exterior paint finishes, including ‘McLaren Orange' - a solid hue that was made famous by the McLaren racing cars of the 1960s and ?70s.

A choice of 14 interior trims can be specified inside the cabin. Performance upgrades include a sports exhaust system, carbon ceramic brake discs, polished-finish callipers and two lightweight forged wheel options. The ‘standard' 12C features just one piece of carbon - the MonoCell - but carbon fibre options will include mirror casings, engine bay panels and engine cover.

McLaren continues carbon innovation; 30 years since McLaren MP4/1 introduced carbon monocoque to motor racing; carbon MonoCell contributes to performance, efficiency, cabin space and driveability

McLaren introduced a carbon monocoque to motorsport in the 1981 MP4/1 Formula 1 car. In 1993, the McLaren F1 debuted a carbon chassis on a road car. In 2009, the last of over 2,200 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLarens was produced at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC); the best-selling carbon-based car ever. Now McLaren's expertise in working with this lightweight and strong material has led to the industrialisation of carbon chassis construction: where production of one McLaren F1 carbon chassis took thousands of man hours, each 12C MonoCell will be moulded in less than four hours. This step-change in manufacturing makes this technology available to sports car buyers in a new segment, and McLaren Automotive is committed to building all of its future cars around a carbon chassis.

The 12C is the first ‘pure McLaren' road car, with every one of its components designed specifically for the 12C. No compromise has been taken in developing the 12C. An intelligent design philosophy means performance is delivered in abundance, but not at the expense of efficiency: nearly 600 hp at less than 300 g/km CO2 are unprecedented statistics. The MonoCell also contributes to a spacious driver-focused interior that defies the 12C's compact exterior dimensions.

Designed, engineered, developed and manufactured by a team featuring extensive experience in McLaren's racing successes, up to 1,000 12Cs will be built in the car's first full year. A £40m manufacturing plant, the McLaren Production Centre (MPC), is currently under construction on a site adjacent to the MTC and will be fully operational by the middle of 2011. The future range of around 4,000 high-performance McLaren sports cars will all be built annually at MPC.

An initial network of 35 retailers with a passion for McLaren's plans, and a reputation for excellent customer service, will be appointed to represent McLaren across 19 countries worldwide. In the UK, McLaren will be represented initially in Birmingham, London, and Manchester, with details of all retailers on the McLaren Automotive website:

http://www.mclarenautomotive.com/uk/insider/archive/2010/11/09/RetailerContactDe

McLaren MP4-12C

The super cool McLaren MP4-12C super car features the latest advances in automotive technology taken straight from the Formula 1 circuit. The McLaren MP4-12C is built around an extremely light and rigid carbon fiber tub. But rather than the heavier multi-piece tubs used by its competitors and predecessors, the MP4's is made from a single piece, weighing a spritely 176 pounds).




The body panels are all carbon fiber and composites, making the new McLaren more expensive to build than its competitors and resulting in an expected £160,000 ($265k) price tag – higher than either the new Ferrari 458 Italia or the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, but lighter in weight, too.


Behind the tub sits a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 engine producing around 600 horsepower and 433 lb-ft of torque, offering what McLaren claims is the highest horsepower to CO2 ratio of any internal combustion engine on the market – gasoline, diesel or even hybrid. Contrary to earlier speculation that suggested Mercedes could continue furnishing its erstwhile partner with at least the engine blocks while producing its own SLS supercar and furnishing Pagani as well, McLaren says the unit was developed entirely in house. The bespoke mill features a flat-plane crank, dry sump and can rev up to 8,500 rpm, though 80% of the torque is said to be available from as low as 2,000 rpm. That ought to be good for a 0-60 time in the low threes and a 200+ mph top end.

While you might have expected carbon ceramic brakes to keep all that power and speed in check, McLaren says its conventional discs actually weigh less. They're aided by a Brake Steer system that brakes the inside rear wheel to combat understeer. But the real trick system is in the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, where Pre-Cog lets the driver load up the next gear by half-squeezing the paddle and then engaging with gunshot speed.

McLaren MP4-12C Interior Pictures

With the new MP4-12C, McLaren's betting the economy will bounce back soon. It's planning on building 1000 units in 2011, a quarter of which will go each to the domestic UK market and over here to the United States. The C designation also suggests that they're planning a roadster version to join the coupe. But for now, we'll just enjoy this first batch of images in the gallery below and peruse the lengthy press release after the jump.

McLaren MP4-12C

The super cool McLaren MP4-12C super car features the latest advances in automotive technology taken straight from the Formula 1 circuit. The McLaren MP4-12C is built around an extremely light and rigid carbon fiber tub. But rather than the heavier multi-piece tubs used by its competitors and predecessors, the MP4's is made from a single piece, weighing a spritely 176 pounds).




The body panels are all carbon fiber and composites, making the new McLaren more expensive to build than its competitors and resulting in an expected £160,000 ($265k) price tag – higher than either the new Ferrari 458 Italia or the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, but lighter in weight, too.


Behind the tub sits a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 engine producing around 600 horsepower and 433 lb-ft of torque, offering what McLaren claims is the highest horsepower to CO2 ratio of any internal combustion engine on the market – gasoline, diesel or even hybrid. Contrary to earlier speculation that suggested Mercedes could continue furnishing its erstwhile partner with at least the engine blocks while producing its own SLS supercar and furnishing Pagani as well, McLaren says the unit was developed entirely in house. The bespoke mill features a flat-plane crank, dry sump and can rev up to 8,500 rpm, though 80% of the torque is said to be available from as low as 2,000 rpm. That ought to be good for a 0-60 time in the low threes and a 200+ mph top end.

While you might have expected carbon ceramic brakes to keep all that power and speed in check, McLaren says its conventional discs actually weigh less. They're aided by a Brake Steer system that brakes the inside rear wheel to combat understeer. But the real trick system is in the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, where Pre-Cog lets the driver load up the next gear by half-squeezing the paddle and then engaging with gunshot speed.

McLaren MP4-12C Interior Pictures

With the new MP4-12C, McLaren's betting the economy will bounce back soon. It's planning on building 1000 units in 2011, a quarter of which will go each to the domestic UK market and over here to the United States. The C designation also suggests that they're planning a roadster version to join the coupe. But for now, we'll just enjoy this first batch of images in the gallery below and peruse the lengthy press release after the jump.