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. 

A desolate desert backdrop sets the scene for a ride in a McLaren MP4-12C, eventually giving way to the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, where we get to see the car perform on the track. The spot is put together well, with high production value, adding more allure to the already beautiful car.

The Middle Eastern market’s need for expensive bespoke cars is higher than ever before, and a super car such as this will fit in nicely with the typical demographic of middle eastern car buyers. The promo even goes as far to list exactly where the dealers are located, just in case you didn’t know.

Watch the video below.

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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.

Unit 2 has been storing all of McLaren’s F1 cars since 1981, when Ron Dennis first took control of the team. At one point, it had around 75 of McLaren’s F1 cars with plenty of racing heritage and prestige all packed in one location. But with the MP4-12C becoming a resounding success worldwide, McLaren has decided to share some of that racing history with the general public.

The British automaker plans to open 35 dealerships by the end of 2012 and each one will have a Unit 2 car for display. The first was Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 championship-winning MP4-23, which can now be seen at the London showroom in One Hyde Park. Each car heading out has been specially prepared to be put on display, all of which have been properly maintained over the years in storage.

McLaren also didn’t just blindly pick and choose which cars went where. In most cases, the car each dealership is receiving has some relevance to its location. The Brussels dealership for example, will be the new home for Kimi Raikonnen’s 2004 Belgian Grand Prix MP4-19 winner. The Philadelphia dealership over in America will feature James Hunt’s McLaren M26 which won the 1976 U.S. Grand Prix.

[Source: Motor Authority]

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 roadster variant of the MP4-12C will sport a fully-retractable hard top made from carbon fiber and no other changes will be made. In more important news however, McLaren is focused on utilizing its potent 3.8-liter V8 with 593-hp in various McLaren models in the near future. Co-designed with Ricardo, a British automotive engineering firm, the V8 was designed to be used in “more than one car” according to Geoff Grose, head of vehicle development at McLaren. This all makes sense since we already knew that the F1 successor would be utilizing the powerplant from the MP4-12C.

But don’t expect it to push out the same 593-hp seen in the MP4-12C model. The engineering team at McLaren should have no difficulty in pushing more performance out of its V8 especially since the 3.8-liter was developed to be flexible with longevity in mind.

It’s still unknown when the F1 successor will make its official debut, but speculation has it pegged for 2013 even though McLaren would like a concept version out before the end of this year.

[Source: Car and Driver]

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.

At first, even the British automaker was unsure on how Americans would receive the MP4-12C, wondering if it had enough to compete against the Ferrari and Lamborghini fanatics on this soil. But now all doubts have been put to rest when McLaren’s Antony Sheriff confirmed 40 percent of the MP4-12C’s orders were coming from America. “We underestimated — I underestimated — the level of knowledge and enthusiasm,” Sheriff said in an interview with Motor Trend.

The figure comes as McLaren built its 1,000th MP4-12C back in late February, which means 400 or so have made it to America, which is a resounding success in the British automaker’s eyes. Given its success with its newest model, McLaren is already hard at work on at least four more variants or completely new models. Sheriff also disclosed that McLaren will debut a full model lineup at next year’s Geneva Motor Show.

Chances are, we’ll see the convertible MP4-12C and a stripped-down, track-oriented variant. No doubt the spiritual successor of the F1 will also make its debut next year.

The future is clearly bright for McLaren and it appears that sports car enthusiasts in America will be benefiting for years to come.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Most car enthusiasts would argue that the best supercar ever made was the McLaren F1. Since it’s launch back in 1994, many rivals had seen it as a benchmark for performance, but few have been able to best it.

Then the Bugatti Veyron came along and replaced all of the F1′s record, leaving Mclaren with a new performance bar to best.

Now the company looks poised to return to the ultra supercar game, to take the performance crowns it had lost. Rumors about a mega-McLaren have been circling the news since the MP4-12C was launched last year.

The new car, which is often referred to by its code name P12, is expected to be powered by a heavily revised version of the engine found in the MP4-12C, but running a larger displacement of 5.0-liters. This engine, which is being built in conjunction with Ricardo is expected to have an output of 799 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. It will also have a derivative of the KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) system found in modern Formula-One cars. Power is expected to be fed to only the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox by Graziano.

So far, much about this car has been speculation, but now for the first time, a test mule has been spotted. This mule, which is heavily camouflaged, does reveal a few interesting details. It shows that this new car is bigger and more aggressive than the MP4-12C, and unlike the original F1, it won’t have a central driving position.

There are already rumors that McLaren will be offering this mega-Mc in two body shells, standard and long-tail, just like the original F1(very few long-tail versions of the F1 exist, the extra body-work was developed mainly for providing extra high-speed stability for the racing version, but a few road cars were also made to satisfy FIA regulations).

This new supercar will be built at the McLaren Technology Center, not at the Woking factory that currently builds the MP4-12C. McLaren is expected to make a public debut of this $1.2-milion car later this year, production will start sometime next year and the models will be designated 2014MY.

So if you want one, better start saving up now.

[Source: Autocar]

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.

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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.

GALLERY: Ayrton Senna Helmet and Racing Suit