McLaren Automotive is expanding around the world, especially in markets where the demand for such high end super cars is in large supply, hence the release of this promo video, which solidifies the companies presence in the Middle East.
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For decades now, McLaren has secretly stored all of its Formula One race cars and same production models at a warehouse simply called ‘Unit 2′ out in England. But now, the British automaker is sending out almost half of the cars held there for display at its dealerships around the world.
Early speculation had the McLaren MP4-12C Spider set to make its debut this year, and now it’s been all but confirmed by the British automaker.
The McLaren MP4-12C arrived in America earlier this year as one of Englands finest supercars packing a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 engine with 592-hp and a base price of $229,000.
We know that McLaren is working on a successor to its F1 supercar, but now we’re getting word that McLaren is tooling away on another vehicle behind the scenes.
According to AutoExpress, the new McLaren will be a competitor to the Ferrari FF, meaning it will have shooting brake styling and more trunk space than the traditional supercar . Rumors of a lower price tag (than the Ferrari) are also reported, with the car likely slotting in as a close competitor to the high end Porsche 911.
Apparently the vehicle will borrow the platform and engine from the MP4-12C, which means a 592bhp 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8, that should hit 60 mph in around three seconds.
The new McLaren could arrive as early as 2014.
[Source: AutoExpress]
The Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren F1 GTR Longtail will be sold at the upcoming Pebble Beach Auction from August 16 through 17 at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, Calif.
As collectable cars go, the F1 is one of the most sought after cars in the world and this Longtail variant will undoubtedly fetch an astronomical amount at the auction. A similar car offered a year ago sold for $3,990,000 and chances are this one will be valued more given its classic Gulf livery.
Originally built as chassis number 27R, this Longtail was damaged in transport and ultimately became a spare car as number 28R for GTC Competition. It ended up racing in the 1997 FIA GT season and competed in races at the Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, Austria’s A1-Ring, Donington Park, Mugello, Sebring, and Laguna Seca.
The Longtail variant features a longer nose and tail to help reduce drag and increase aerodynamic downforce as much as possible.
GALLERY: Gulf McLaren F1 GTR Longtail
[Source: GT Spirit]
Earlier this month we caught a glimpse into the new GT3 MP4-12C race car from McLaren and the British automaker has finally announced its 2012 race plans.
In total, 25 MP4-12C GT3 race cars in total will be campaigned throughout Europe and in the 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship. The McLaren MP4-12C race car was also selected to be the safety car for FIA GT1 World Championship race at Nogaro on April 8 and 9.
After an intensive development program in 2011, prototype models of the MP4-12C race car covered more than 35,000 miles on real world and simulated test tracks last year. All that effort went into building a reliable and hopefully rewarding race car for the 2012 season.
There will be 10 MP4-12C GT3s entering the Blancpain Endurance Series while Gemballa Racing and Doerr Motorsport will be competing in the German VLN series, which includes the infamous 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Gemballa Racing will also be competing in ADAC GT Masters with Molitor Racing, while Hexis Racing will take part in the FIA GT1 World Championships.
Apex Motorsport will enter an MP4-12C GT3 in select rounds of this year’s British GT Championship, and Lapidus Racing Team will participate in the International GT Open series and the 24-hour races at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.
The MP4-12C GT3 race car shares the same V8 twin-turbo engine and carbon “MonoCell” chassis found in the road car counterpart.
Check out a video on the McLaren MP4-12C GT3 after the break.
McLaren is hard at work on its next supercar and Ron Dennis, the British automaker’s current boss has revealed several details of the spiritual successor to the F1.
First off, Dennis made it a point that McLaren has no plans of reclaiming the title of world’s fastest car. Trying to beat the F1′s top speed of 243-mph or the Bugatti Veyron’s new record of 267.81-mph, is not a goal for its new model. “Don’t get fixated by top speed. That’s the first thing you have to discard in today’s society,” Dennis said at the opening of a new dealership in Sydney, Australia.
What is a goal for McLaren’s next project is to be the world’s most technologically advanced supercar fit to take on the creations from Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini. Dennis hopes that the next supercar will have “many things on it that don’t exist at the moment.”
What he did confirm about the new supercar is that it will share the same carbon fiber central structure of the MP4-12C, that will also be used on a cheaper model to slide in under the existing MP4-12C. Quantities will be low volume, between 300 to 500, with pricing set to be more expensive than the 12C. It’s clear that Dennis has very high hopes for this new model, saying that it will be “a big quantum leap and very different to this car [MP4-12C].”
The British automaker looks to modify their existing 3.8L twin-turbo V8 for the new vehicle, seeking more performance with the possibility of adding a hybrid system in order to boost performance and fuel efficiency. Inside, it will sport a conventional two-seater layout as opposed to the F1′s three-seater setup.
One thing is for sure, the exterior design of this new model will be drastically different than the existing MP4-12C. We can’t wait to see what they have in the works.
[Source: Drive - Sydney Morning Herald]
It’s the first, but it most certainly won’t be the last. Known for its wild aero kits, Swiss-tuner Fab Design has unveiled an excessively-styled version of the new McLaren MP4-12C supercar.
Scheduled to make its official reveal tomorrow during the opening press day of the Geneva Motor Show, we’ve obtained a selection of shots prior to the big day.
We’ll be the first to admit the McLaren, while an amazing super sports car, is less than super in the looks department. Still, it’s hard not to think Fab Design has taken the styling a step too far.
Modified McLarens are set to become a theme of this year’s Geneva show with two other tuners set to reveal their renditions as well. And if you don’t like the Fab Design car, be warned, these two companies aren’t known for being tame: Mansory and Gemballa.
Click here for complete 2012 Geneva Motor Show coverage.
GALLERY: Fab Design McLaren MP4-12C
In January, a very special and previously unknown McLaren MP4-12C was found inside a luxury car dealership in Miami without details or fanfare.
Known as the McLaren MP4-12C HS (for High Sport), it immediately grabbed our attention with its dramatic aero enhancements, rear wing, and wheels. McLaren also managed squeezed an additional 75-hp, bumping the performance of its 3.8-liter V8 engine. Unfortunately, McLaren only built 5 High Sport models and all have already been spoken for.
As small consolation, the official photographer of McLaren Special Operations just shared new images from a photo session with all five examples. Check it out!
GALLERY: MP4-12C HS
[Source: Autoblog]
Weeks ago, we mentioned Ayrton Senna’s original 1991 Championship season racing suit and racing helmet were placed for auction at the Race Retro Sale of the Silverstone Auction held in the UK.
Initial estimates for the rare racing memorabilia speculated a handsom $66,000 for the helmet and $31,000 for the suit.
Apparently, the figure wasn’t ambitious enough. By auction end, Senna’s helmet sold for $114,000, or nearly double the original estimate. Senna’s suit shattered the estimates as well, as final biding reached $53,000.
According to Race Retro Sale, the helmet and suit originally belonged to former McLaren Formula 1 Team Principal and current McLaren Executive Chairman Ron Dennis. Featuring the signature of the late racing legend as well as documents of authenticity, we aren’t surprised it commanded that final value.
GALLERY: Ayrton Senna Helmet and Racing Suit
[Source: Motor Authority]
While automakers around the world are readying for the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, McLaren is biding its time for what might be a very special unveiling at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix held in May.
According to GTspirit, McLaren may introduce an all-new successor to Gordon Murray’s legendary McLaren F1 in the coming months. Under the codename McLaren P12, this halo car will utilize a tuned version of the MP4-12C’s 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine producing approximately 800-hp as well as an F1 tech derived KERS (kinetic energy recovery system), capable of an additional 120-hp. Engineers will also be working with carbon fiber and light alloys even more extensively to keep the weight of the P12 down to a feather-weight target just over 2500 lbs.
An unconventional venue for a product launch, the tax haven for the world’s wealthiest might just be the perfect place for McLaren. A 15-time winner of the Monaco GP, McLaren hopes to take advantage of the many high profile clients that will attend the race. Production for the P12 isn’t expected to begin before 2014 and is likely to demand a starting price of €750,000.
[Source: GTSpirit]
World famous tuner Gemballa will be heading to this year’s Geneva Motor Show with three world premieres, one of which is a custom McLaren MP4-12C. Alongside the McLaren will be four Porsche projects, two of which are world premieres.
Few details were revealed by Gemballa, but they did say the McLaren project would feature bespoke carbon fiber components with 20-inch wheels up front and 21-inch wheels in the rear. The McLaren MP4-12C race car pictured above might give us a sneak preview to what we can expect at the show.
The other two world premieres is a new 991 Porsche 911 model, and a new custom Cayenne. The 991 will feature new carbon fiber goodies, a unique six-pipe exhaust and 21-inch wheels. The Cayenne will have a new modular aerodynamic kit made from carbon fiber and a set of 22-inch wheels.
The other two vehicles that will be in attendance at the Gemballa booth will be model highlights. The Gemballa Mistrale with 721-hp along with the widebody Gemballa Tornado.
Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard is currently working on Rush, a movie depicting the fierce Formula 1 rivalry between racing driver James Hunt and Niki Lauda for the 1976 Driver’s Championship title. Starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor, The Avengers) as Hunt and Daniel Bruhl (Bourne Ultimatum, Inglourious Basterds) as Lauda, the film is currently being shot in Europe and is expected to reach theaters in 2013.
While a year is a long wait, thankfully Ron Howard has been sharing Rush‘s production progress via his Twitter account. Pictures tweeted include prep work on the set, Olivia Wilde in vintage Gucci, hospital sets, pit garage sets, shots of the Nürburgring, as well as the cars that will be used in the film. Among the movie cars is a gorgeous McLaren M23 replica.
Clearly enthusiastic about his new project, Ron Howard does not claim to be a Formula 1 fan. In fact, Howard only discovered its appeal from Peter Morgan’s script. “These are fascinating characters– ballsy, masculine guys. It was a very dangerous era in racing, and here are two absolute individuals at the height of their powers. It makes for great drama and very exciting action. I wasn’t a die-hard Formula 1 fan before I read Peter’s script, but I’ve been immersing myself in this world. I think the excitement I feel as a fresh convert may be infectious.”
Check out the many pictures Ron Howard has shared after the jump. Also, click on the video for an interview with Howard on Rush. Continue Reading…
Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson is paid to piss you off, it’s what he does best. Maybe someone should have forwarded the memo to Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk.
Musk probably should have taken Top Gear’s pot shots with a laugh and kept doing business, but it’s easy to understand why he might be feeling defensive. His company keeps hitting nasty potholes in the road to success, like the “bricking” problem that apparently compromises the battery system in Tesla vehicles, a costly repair.
This Top Gear drama started back to December 2008 when the show gave a mixed review to the Tesla Roadster. Their program said the car failed to meet its advertised 200-mile range, instead only achieving 55 miles. That figure came from running it on a track where any vehicle would have less than optimal range, electric or otherwise. They also bashed the Roadster for having deficient brakes.
Brakes and range aside, it’s essential to remember that Top Gear is first and foremost an entertainment program. The episode depicted crew members pushing a “dead” roadster into a hangar, though the facts emerged during Tesla’s lawsuit. Surprise, surprise, the car wasn’t dead and the shot was used for effect.
This isn’t terribly dissimilar to the infamous Bugatti Veyron versus McLaren F1 drag race episode, where the show managed to eek out a Veyron victory, only after several F1 first-place finishes. Again, Top Gear is for show first, reporting second.
British Justice Tugendhat threw Tesla’s claims out in October, 2011, saying the company’s lawyers needed to amend their malicious falsehood claims.
The final chapter, (one would assume), in this one-way pissing match closed today. Justice Tugendhat dismissed Tesla’s revised claim which said there were “reasonable grounds to suspect that each of the Claimants [Top Gear] had intentionally and significantly misrepresented the range of the Roadster by claiming that it had a range of about 200 miles in that its true range on the Top Gear track was only 55 miles”.
Hopefully Tesla can move past this cat fight and focus more on the bricking issue at hand. Small car startups have enough problems without taking British TV bullies to court.
Check out Tesla CEO Elon Musk discussing the Top Gear episode in the video after the jump.
[Source: The Truth About Cars]
The McLaren MP4-12C already feels like it’s been around for a few years, but only recently did customers across North America begin taking delivery of their British supercars.
To help celebrate the occasion, McLaren has produced a video, documenting the arrival of dozens of the exotics arriving at port in Baltimore, MD, and being delivered to key markets, and owners, across the U.S.
Powered by a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 engine, the MP4-12C makes 592 hp and thanks to a light weight carbon fiber “MonoCell” chassis is capable of hitting 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds.
“This film is exciting as it represents the arrival of McLaren Automotive in North America,” said Tony Joseph, McLaren Automotive North America Regional Director. “We are thrilled to be launching with the 12C, which is such a tremendously innovative car, and we look forward to building a long term future.”
McLaren current has 10 dealerships in North America in cities such as Beverly Hills, Greenwish, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, Newport Beach, San Francisco and Toronto. The base price for the 12C is listed at $229,000.
Watch the video below:
Last December, an auction provided a rare opportunity for racing fans and cinema buffs to bid on Steve McQueen’s original Gulf livery racing suit worn in the movie “Le Mans.” In case you missed out or couldn’t afford the $800,000 price tag, a new opportunity to own a piece of motorsport history has arisen.
Thanks to Asif Kapadia’s successful documentary that revived Ayrton Senna awareness, and even mania, there’s a growing market for Senna related racing memorabilia. Up for auction at the Race Retro Sale of the Silverstone Auction in the UK are Ayrton Senna’s original 1991 Championship season Shoei full face helmet and racing suit.
The racing helmet bears Senna’s signature and is instantly recognizable by the Brazilian color theme adorned with Nacional, Boss, Marlboro, and Honda stickers, as well as a McLaren International authentication certificate. This special championship season Senna helmet is projected to sell for a staggering $66,000.
Senna’s race suit features the Brazilian flag as well as his name embroidered along the belt. Experts estimate that the race suit will sell for more than $31,000.
Despite the astronomical price tags, wealthy bidders may consider the helmet and suit a bargain considering Steve McQueen’s “Le Mans” racing suit went for more than $800,000.
The auction will take place on February 25th in the U.K.
GALLERY: Ayrton Senna Racing Helmet and Race Suit
When tuning company Hennessey Performance out of Sealy, Texas makes an announcement, it’s usually something fantastic. In this case, they posted details on their site about a new McLaren MP4-12C concept that wrings an extra 208 horsepower out of the car’s 3.8-liter V8.
They manage the incredible feat by performing major surgery on the drivetrain, dropping in everything from a better intercooler, exhaust, air intake and much more into the mix. Of course, the company backs all its tweaking with a warranty. Click here for the full specs.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Hennessey without a wickedly redefined look. As per ususal, that philosophy is alive and well. The car will get a new set of wheels, a CarbonAero body upgrade that compliments the wheel color and delivers a two-tone look and a redesigned custom interior.
Normally such an awesome machine wouldn’t be a laughing matter, but we have to make fun of the Texan lads a little. They claim on their site to have taken the MP4-12C from “mild to wild.”
While we don’t doubt the concept’s capacity for rambunctious hoonage, calling anything bearing the McLaren badge “mild” is a little like saying habanero peppers are tangy. Sorry Hennessey.
There aren’t price details listed yet, but this is just a concept car. In case you hadn’t already figured it out, this is one of those cases where having to ask the price means you can’t afford to play. If this one makes it to market, expect a healthy margin on top of the $229,000 base price for the mild version.
When the McLaren MP4-12C debuted, it was seen as a disappointment by many. Certainly the car’s performance was amazing, but not the Bugatti-beating numbers some had expected. That’s because it was never built as a Veyron rival but rather a Ferrari 458 killer. A proper successor to the McLaren F1 would come, however, and according to a new report by CAR Magazine, it will launch some time this year.
Powering the car, code named the P12, will be an up-rated version of the twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8 used in the MP4-12C, with one important change – KERS. Yes, the newest McLAren machine will utilize a kinetic energy recovery system, generating power under baking and then making that energy available in the form of electric boost on demand.
As for the chassis, it will reportedly be a similar structure to the MP4-12C as well, but with an even higher use of carbon for minimum weight.
Styling for the vehicle is said to be vastly more dramatic than the 12C (we certainly hope so), but with a conventional side-by-side cockpit, rather than a three-seat layout like the F1.
Pricing is said to be around $1.2 million.
[Source: CAR]
A bit of a surprise has appeared on the Internet, with a McLaren MP4-12C High Sport model making an appearance at The Collection in Miami, Florida. The McLaren MP4-12C HS features improved aerodynamics inspired by their GT3 racecar which allows the MP4-12C to benefit from extra boost safely, increasing horsepower by 75 from the factory’s 592-hp.
The aero package includes a new front bumper, rear bumper, enlarged vents, bigger diffuser and a modified rear wing to go along with its new wheels. As a result, the intercoolers get plenty more cool air allowing McLaren the ability to safely turn up the boost for the extra horsepower. Only five HS models will be built according to McLaren and two have already been spoken for: one to the crown prince of Bahrain and one to McLaren chairman Ron Dennis.
We wish we knew what the MP4-12C HS retails for, but we’re guessing if you have to ask, you can’t afford it. With its extremely limited availability and the fact that it’s even more radically tuned than the standard MP4-12C, they’ll be hard to come across and will be a true collector’s item. Hopefully we’ll see one end up on the track to see just how it fares compared to the standard model.
Check out the video after the break.
[Source: Autoblog]
McLaren is set to have their 2013 MP4-12C Spider debut sometime later this year and reports are coming in that the exotic convertible will get a fully-retractable hard top constructed from carbon fiber.
A carbon fiber hard top further adds to the sportiness of the MP4-12C, and helps save some weight from the convertible variant of McLaren’s newest sports car. It’s anticipated that the MP4-12C Spider will have the same powerplant of its Coupe variant, a 3.8L twin-turbocharged V8 with 600-hp and 440 lb-ft of torque. It’ll be mated to the same seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox that’s seen in the standard MP4-12C.
[Source: GT Spirit]
We may know McLaren for their exotic sports cars and race cars, but company founder and CEO Ron Dennis recently told the Wall Street Journal that McLaren is looking to expand its $1.5 billion company into other fields – including drugs (the legal kind of course).
As a technology company “first and foremost”, McLaren is looking to ”applying the technological savvy evident in decades of Formula One podium finishes to fields like pharmaceuticals and transport management.” And it looks like companies are already interested and are using McLaren’s services.
GlaxoSmithKline is looking into McLaren’s Mission Control center, what McLaren uses to monitor all their F1 races. GlaxoSmithKline believes that McLaren could assist in developing a similar control center for data modeling and high-speed process control.
Currently the United Kingdom’s National Air Traffic Services and California’s rail system utilizes McLaren’s telemetry and predictive ability. Ultimately though, McLaren wants to offer custom solutions in various fields including electronics, pneumatics, kinematics, fluid dynamics, material sciences and to implement their telemetry systems to monitor hospital patients in real time.
Us? Well, we just want to see what McLaren’s second vehicle is going to be in their new lineup.
[Source: Inside Line]
One of the most successful partnerships in the history of Formula 1 has to be the combination of a Honda engine in a McLaren chassis and body, with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost behind the wheel. It was the perfect partnership which saw the team win many races and championships.
Over the last 16-years, McLaren has found much success by giving their driver’s Mercedes-Benz power. However, for the last two-years, Mercedes-Benz has been running its own F1 team and rumors started circulating that this will lead to an end to their relationship with McLaren, especially since Mercedes-Benz sold all its shares in McLaren back to the parent company.
With McLaren’s contract coming to an end in 2015 with Mercedes-Benz, much speculation has been circulating on the web and in the paddock as to who will supply engines to the Woking-based team in the future.
This has lead many to speculate that the McLaren-Honda relationship will once again be born, especially since turbo-charged engines are making their way back in Formula 1, and Honda was dominant in the last turbo-era in this sport.
However, McLaren’s managing director Jonathan Neale denies that there has been any contact with Honda. He stresses that McLaren is very well married to Mercedes-Benz for their engines and he sees this partnership continuing into the future.
As for rumors suggesting that Mercedes-Benz might not be giving McLaren its latest motors to give itself an advantage on the track, Neale says he doesn’t think “that’s a concern. ” He goes on to say, “Of course, Mercedes have their own GP team and it’s right and proper that a degree of focus is going to go in that direction, but I was just talking this morning with Thomas Fuhr at Mercedes-Benz – we speak frequently – and we want the same things. It’s in our interest to have consistent engines together because that’s how we get the highest quality.”
The last race of the 2011 F1 season takes place this weekend in Brazil at the Interlagos circuit.
[Source: ESPN]