McLaren released film on Tuesday of two versions of the new testers, called the XP8 and the XP10, which it says are in the "beta phase" of development. They move the project closer to production guise with a new version of the M838T twin-turbo engine, transmission with new gear ratios, an improved cooling package, new suspension geometry and upgraded electrical architecture. The 3.8-liter V8 is expected to make about 600 hp and work in tandem with a seven-speed, dual-clutch gearbox. The weight should come in at less than 3,000 pounds. Look for a sticker of about $230,000 when the car goes on sale in 2011.
In addition to the technological developments, the cars are clad in a black plastic vinyl, in contrast with the black-and-white camouflage of the 2009 prototypes.
Testing is being conducted around the world, and McLaren's video shows the cars on a Spanish proving grounds and hitting public roads.
First revealed last year, the two-seat, mid-engine MP4-12C will be positioned to fight the Lamborghini Gallardo and Ferrari's F430 and 458 Italia.
First McLaren since the F1, the MP4-12C supercar, officially revealed. Faster than a Ferrari 458 Italia
Its 600bhp, 443lb ft twin-turbo V8 will take the 1300kg MP4 (dry weight) to 124mph in sub-10sec: the Porsche, Ferrari and Lambo take 10.8, 10.4 and 10.2 respectively. The McLaren will brake from 124mph to standstill in just 5sec, from 60-0mph in less than 30 metres and complete an 11sec quarter mile sprint.
The MP4’s top speed is north of the magic 200mph, too. And its target
Seeing as how everyone from Techart and Brabus to Ford and the holy Lamborghini have created awesome police concepts or actual cars, how about McLaren spends a little of its hard-earned cash and builds an MP4-12C patrol car. Can we say crowd-pleaser?
Grainy as they may be, these spy photos give us our first glimpse at the race-prepped McLaren MP4-12C GT3 – a high-performance version of the automaker's stunning new two-door. The GT3 aims to recapture the racing success of the original McLaren F1, and though details are slim on power enhancements, the revised visual cues of this prototype show that this MP4 is ready to do serious battle out on the track.
Just the Facts:
* McLaren MP4-12C will start at the U.S. equivalent of $265,723 in the United Kingdom and the U.S. equivalent of $236,593 in Germany.
* 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.
* Option prices will be announced in the spring.
McLaren has announced it will be building a GT racing car, based on the McLaren MP4-12C, with Leicestershire-based racing team CRS Racing.
The two companies will supply and support a limited number of GT3 racing cars based for European-based privateers in 2012. A development programme will come first in 2011, with a limited number of European GT races.
So this is the McLaren MP4-12C GT3 you scooped last month?
Yep. It's been a badly kept secret that Woking wanted to go racing with its new 12C. One fan online even doctored the official shots of the 12C in a variety of race colours which have proved popular in chatrooms across the web.
The initial plan is for a limited run of 12Cs to be developed for the 2012 European FIA GT3 Series, but McLaren has said that it may consider more in the future.
McLaren says the 12C’s one-piece moulded carbon chassis and the car’s high levels of downforce and aerodynamic performance make it a good platform for a racing car.
If you’re in the fortunate position of being in the market for this kind of car then the choice has just become a whole lot broader, and the decision process has become harder to make at the same time. Yet there can be no doubt that what McLaren has produced in the 12C has taken the game so far forwards – dynamically if not aesthetically – that you’d be either foolish or very stubborn in your ways indeed not to at least give it a try.
And if you are seriously in the market, and you do then go for a proper drive in the 12C, you will be hooked. Instantly. And you’ll never look at the Ferrari 458 or Lamborghini Gallardo in the same light ever again. So don’t say you haven’t been warned…
Our only criticism is that it’s a little lacking in character, in the way it looks and sounds. Still, never before has so much performance been so accessible. This is a worthy successor to the original F1, and a fantastic way to launch a new company.
McLaren MP4-12C: the road test verdict
Quite simply, this is the most complete supercar the world has ever seen. Quicker than a McLaren F1, easier to live with than an Audi R8 and more economical than a BMW M3, it rides like an executive saloon when you’re not in the mood but thrills like any supercar should when you are.
The 12C is, in fact, lighter, lower, shorter, and narrower than the 458 Italia. Perfectly tractable around town and not at all painful to pass hours in, it could be a daily driver like an Audi R8 or a Porsche 911, and it's certainly up to long-distance road trips, although I doubt my license could withstand any of these scenarios. All I know is that McLaren has won. The MP4-12C does everything, which, in any language, is the only thing.
However, the MP4 earns A’s for inspiration and execution. Early adopters have dibs on the 300 or so cars planned for U.S. delivery this year (beginning in August), but they’ll be followed by 1000 or more cars in 2012. And where the MP4 goes, other *McLarens will follow. Count on a convertible, a less-expensive model, and a successor to the legendary McLaren F1 before the clock strikes 2016.
We need and will get more time with a production MP4-12C to determine how it stacks up against the Italia, but one thing is for sure: McLaren is ready to battle Ferrari, and this one is going to be a street fight.
A road and track drive of the 592-bhp twin-turbo V-8 successor to the McLaren F1.
The MP4-12C has achieved all its performance targets in the same calculated fashion of its winning F1 team. It appeals to “in-the-know” car enthusiasts who prefer their supercars understated, a different path than Ferrari, which wows its customers with more emotional appeal. With a U.S. list price of $229,000, the 12C (arriving late summer) is nearly comparable to the Ferrari 458 Italia. This is the beginning of another rivalry between two giants, but this time it’s not just on the track but also the road.
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