Returning from the recent launch of the McLaren MP4-12C CAR journalist Juliet McGuire was struck by only one emotion, excitement. Not only did she get to see this gorgeous piece of machinery in all its glory but also managed to chat to some of the people involved in turning this prototype into reality.
With its latest supercar, McLaren has shifted its focus from outright power to more focused driving characteristics and an almost-fanatical approach to weight reduction. Speaking with McLaren’s regional after-sales manager for the Middle-East and Africa, Duncan Hill, we found out that the attention to weight saving during the MP4-12C’s development included such measures as a brake set-up comprising a steel brake with an aluminium bell, which is lighter than a carbon brake system, and even going as far as favouring an engraved Mclaren detail over raised lettering on the aluminium facia cross structure to eke out a 2 g weight saving!
The MP4-12C is powered by a mid-mounted twin-turbocharged V8 displacing 3,8-litres. This unit, dubbed M838T, produces 447 kW and 600 N.m of torque. It is mated with a seven-speed SSG (Seamless Shift Gearbox) dual-clutch automated manual transmission which features a Pre-Cog system that allows the driver to preselect the next gear via one of the paddle-shifters. The engine can spin up to a dizzying 8 500 r/min. Even so, 80 percent of its peak torque is available below 2 000 r/min.
McLaren has not yet released official performance figures for the MP4-12C, but with an overall kerb of just 1300 kg (which is lighter than the already sylph-like Porsche 911 Turbo S) and the grunt served up by aforementioned MT838T powerplant, the MP4-12C looks set to ruffle a few feathers in the performance stakes.
At this car’s core lies a Mclaren-developed carbon monocoque that weighs just 80 kg. McLaren’s intention to build the MP4-12C in significant (by supercar standards) volumes has meant that the construction methods behind the monocoque has been optimized, with each unit taking just four hours to put together – astounding when you think that the McLaren F1’s unit took 600 hours per unit. Even so, the MP4-12C has been designed, developed and engineered to the same standards as that of the firm’s Formula 1 racing cars.
The McLaren MP4-12C will be available in South Africa from the second half of 2011 but the Daytona Group is only releasing 1 000 units in its first year of production. By the end of the decade, production is expected to increase to 4 000 units annually. The price is still to be confirmed but you can expect to pay between R3 million and R3.5 million. This places it in the market segment currently occupied by the likes of such high-performance exotica as Ferrari’s new 458 Italia and the Lamborghini Gallardo.