Contrary to several erroneous reports, McLaren has not halted production of its MP4-12C says Tony Joseph director for McLaren North America.

Joseph is speaking out after some unsourced news stories hit the net claiming a production stoppage at the McLaren factory due to safety concerns and other issues. Speaking with AutoGuide Joseph admits that deliveries of vehicles have been put on hold for a period of three weeks. “The reasons are related to some minor electrical issues that are causing battery drainage. We do not have nor have we had any performance or safety related issues,” he said. “We have not halted production.”

McLaren produces the MP4-12C at its facility in Woking in the UK. The British exotic makes 600-hp from a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 engine and is capable of a 0-60 time of less than 3.0 seconds. Pricing for the MP4-12C is set at $225,000.

GALLERY: McLaren MP4-12C

If you are among those who feel that your upcoming McLaren MP4-12C is not special enough, then the new catalog from McLaren Special Operations would be of interest to you.

As part of this program, you can have your new supercar painted in any hue you want, and garnish it with add-ons like a gloss black roof, diamond cut wheels, MP4-12C branded carbon door sills, carbon steering wheel and plenty of other carbon bits to have your car stand out from the crowd.

McLaren launched this program at the recent Pebble Beach Concours event, where a Volcano Orange example was on display.

Paul Mackenzie, Programme Director at McLaren Automotive, with responsibility for McLaren Special Operations said: “It was a pleasure to meet some of the first 12C customers in North America at Pebble Beach.  For nearly twenty years we have been closely managing relationships with owners of the McLaren F1, and understanding their needs is a great foundation on which to launch a service that will now include 12C customers. McLaren Automotive already offers 12C customers extensive options to personalise their car.  However we recognise some owners have specific tastes and we have the knowledge and capability to design, engineer and produce almost anything a customer may desire for their 12C.”

Gallery: McLaren Special Operations

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McLaren is planning to build a full model range of super car and sports cars for consumers. Currently, there are at least four more models in the design and development pipeline. The new cars include the current MP4-12C, a hypercar (codename P12), built to take on the new Lamborghini Aventador, and a successor to the famous McLaren F1. The P12 model is expected to produce around 800-hp and its weight will be similar to the MP4-12C. The British automaker will also be building a cheaper sports car (codename P13) to take on the non-turbo Porsche 911.

The full model lineup is part of a plan to sell 4,000 cars a year, with roughly 1300 MP4-12C models, 2,500 P13 cars and roughly 200 P12s.

All of the vehicles will, however, be “true McLarens,” said McLaren managing director Antony Sheriff. “Whatever we do will be based on carbon. It will have performance and handling that’s the best of its segment.”

All of the new models will receive the MP4-12C’s carbon-fiber monocell tub. This piece forms the central structure of the sports car including the front bulkhead, sills, floor, and rear bulkhead. The monocell tub is made of some 25 pieces of dry carbon fiber matting in single large tool while resin is injected.

McLaren is likely to unveil the P12 within a year and a half, and the P13 will be seen within two and a half years. The British automaker will also build a convertible version of the MP4-12C, but there is no confirmation on a release date.

GALLERY: MP4-12C

[Source: Motor Trend]

McLaren unveiled a customized MP4-12C at Pebble Beach, indicating the British automaker will offer a long line of individual options for customers. This particular McLaren features a host of new upgrades and modifications put together by the British automaker, most notable of which are the Satin Orange paint and aggressive new fenders. There are also carbon fiber bits all over the car including a windshield cowl, engine cover gilles along the outside of the glass, and a new carbon rear exhaust cover. The rims have a polished face with black painted centers and the roof panel has also been painted black. Standard options of the 12C include carbon mirrors, a carbon lower front spoiler and rear valence as well as a stealth package which blacks out the exhaust tips and wing supports.

Built on the chassis of an early validation prototype, this isn’t a oroduction car but merely a glimpse at what sort of custom options McLaren will be offering in the future to owners.

Priced at $229,000 for a standard model, the upgrades raise the asking price for this MP4-12C to around $270,000.

[Source: Team Speed]

German investment banker and millionaire, Stephen Korbach has started a new Gemballa racing team, which will be competing in the 2012 motor sport season with two McLaren MP4-12C GT3s. Korbach has asked Sascha Bert to act as team manager for the motor sport involvement.

“Sascha Bert is an absolute pro and is ideally qualified to manage our new racing team, said Korbach.  ”We deliberately went for the McClaren MP4-12C GT3 for our motor sport commitment, because we think the car has enormous potential to be among the season’s leaders. Together with a renowned deployment team that’s already won everything in sight and exceptional drivers, we obviously want to drive to win. Racing is in our blood.”

The Gemball MP4-12C features the M838T twin turbocharged 3.8-liter McLaren V8. Power has been detuned to 500-hp and limited to 7,500 rpm. The powertrain is mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox equipped with steering wheel mounted paddles.

[Source: GT Spirit]

Singapore billionaire Peter Lim has made a “significant investment” in British sports car maker McLaren, the company said. With his contribution, Lim has joined McLaren Automotive’s board with immediat effect. Forbes ranked him the eighth richest person in Singapore, with an estimated fortune of 1.8 billion.

“Peter Lim’s track record in Asia as a highly respected business leader adds further quality to our board in this highly competitive business environment at an exciting time for the company,” Ron Dennis, executive chairman of McLaren Automotive and McLaren Group, said in a statement.

Part of the reason Lim invested in the company is because demand for its new MP4-12C sports car, is strong in the Asia Pacific region, with orders that will take eighteen months of production to fill.

Interestingly, Lim put in a bid of $525.5 million to buy the Liverpool Football Club, but later withdrew the offer after the club changed ownership.

[Source: Reuters]

Anyone who built model cars as a kid would appreciate should pay attention to an upcoming auction featuring an installation by artist Jay Burridge. Burridge has created a life-size “Airfix kit” out of a McLaren MP4/6, one of the greatest Formula 1 racing cars of its era.

The sculpture has some serious provenance behind it, as the MP4/6 was formerly raced by Formula 1 great Ayrton Senna.

Now this very piece can be yours if you have the highest bid at the COYS auction at the Nurburgring on August 13th. This sculpture was recently unveiled at Blenheim Palace in Oxforshire, England. Dennis Rushen, who was Senna’s manager was on hand to admire the sculpture.

“I was really impressed with the Senna sculpture. Such a clever idea and it really stands out as something really different. He was really into models and he would have appreciated the concept,” Rushen said.

COYS believes the sculpture will fetch over $50,000.

[Source: Road and Track]

If you’re like us then you can’t get enough of the McLaren MP4-12C GT3. While a bit too tame a design in production trim, the race car pops – thanks in part to the bright orange paint.

A trio of MP4-12Cs competed this past weekend in the first 24 hour endurance race for the company since the McLaren F1 GTR raced around Le Mans back in 1995. The results were less than victorious, with only one of the three vehicles (No. 60) completing the grueling test. Car No. 59 was involved in an accident and the chassis damaged, while car No. 58 was pulled after it caught fire.

McLaren GT executive and McLaren Automotive Chief Test Driver Chris Goodwin, commented that “the 12C GT3 is meeting its reliability and driveability targets.” The company will push ahead with the program, continuing to test the vehicles before building 20 similar cars for customer teams to compete with next year. McLaren has said the MP4-12C GT3 will compete at the Blancpain Endurance Series races at both Magny-Cours and Silverstone later this year.

GALLERY: McLaren MP4-12C GT3 at Spa

McLaren hasn’t competed in endurance sports car racing since the F1 GTR ran at Le Mans back in 1995. That, however, will all change on July 30th with the storied British marque announcing a three car team of MP4-12C GT3 race cars will attempt to endure the 24 Hours of Spa.

Two teams will compete in the GT class, while a third will hit the track in the Pro-Am Cup class, with a total of 10 drivers.

Earlier this year McLaren did run the MP4-12C GT3 in the British GT Championship, but this marks the first 24 hour race for the vehicles.

“I’m delighted with the quality of the drivers we have enlisted as we take the 12C GT3 to its first 24 hour race,” said McLaren Automotive Chief Test driver Chris Goodwin. “This level of endurance racing is a crucial test for the car technically, and we need the best possible team working with us to ensure we receive intelligent, objective feedback on the 12C GT3 driving experience. We will use this feedback as we continue to develop the car in readiness for customers to go racing next year.”

In total, McLaren is planning to deliver 20 MP4-12C GT3 race cars to customer teams to compete in motorsports in 2012.

GALLERY: McLaren MP4-12C GT3

Hit the jump for a run-down of the cars and drivers for the 24 Hours of Spa.

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Rule, Britannia, rule the waves! Britons never will be slaves! The boys of Top Gear recorded an impressive laptime around their famous test track with the McLaren MP4-12C, and if you haven’t seen the episode yet, you might want to skip ahead.

The homegrown MP4-12C beat out foreign contenders such as the Ferrari 458 Italia, the Bugatti Veyron, and the Gumpert Apollo, with a time of 1:16.2 around Dunsfold—the second fastest record on the power board.

Then again, the Top Gear folks have a thing for patriotic bias that makes Sean Hannity look like a Communist—even if Ferrari built a 10,000-horsepower Italia that shot cans of London Pride out the exhaust pipes, Jeremy And Company would still find a way to handicap it. Maybe if they stuffed the interior with gnocchetti filling, then dropped a piano on it.

If only the rest of the British car industry followed through on such spirit. We shall fight them on the beaches! We shall fight them on the test tracks!

Click the jump to see the full comparison.

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