09 September 2009 - 09:00
McLaren's all-new Ferrari killer
The McLaren F1 was the greatest road car of all time - just look what happened when Hammond and the Stig raced one against the Bugatti Veyron. Now its successor, the MP4-12C, has arrived. You should be excited.
Let's
start with some numbers. The mid-engined 12C is powered by an all-new
3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 with a dry sump and flat-plane crank. It
produces 600bhp and 443lb ft of torque, 80 per cent of which is
available from less than 2,000rpm. It will weigh just under 1,400kg.
Though
McLaren hasn't released any performance figures, a 0-60mph time near
three seconds and a top speed in excess of 200mph would seem highly
likely. So, yeah, it's going to be fast. Not quite as insanely quick as
the original F1, but still... fast.
The 12C is underpinned by a
revolutionary new one-piece carbon fibre tub, a brand new piece of
technology that weighs in at just 81kg. There's more clever tech on
board, too - an all-new seven-speed dual clutch transmission (called
SSG) and innovative suspension that does without a conventional
anti-roll bar, featuring instead hydraulically inter-connected dampers.
Oh, and - just like the original F1 - there's a rear air brake.
What
do you think of the looks? True, it's much more... slow-burning than
most 600bhp mid-engined sports cars, but McLaren MD Anthony Sheriff
says that was exactly the point.
"The structure, layout and
packaging were all defined before we put pen to paper," says Sheriff.
"We started with an aerodynamic proportions model to see if we could
meet the targets we'd set, and created a shape around that."
Designer
Frank Stephenson - who joined McLaren in 2008 after a long stint at BMW and a shorter one at Ferrari, Fiat and Alfa Romeo, agrees.
"There's
an efficiency to the design of the 12C," says Stephenson. "The shape is
not overpowered by styling tricks or elements that don't need to be
there. With McLaren it's more technological - there's no styling for
styling's sake."
McLaren plans to build around 1000 12Cs each
year, with prices expected to start at just under £150,000 - right on
Ferrari 458 money. That's a virtual bargain compared to the original
F1, which weighed it at over half a million quid even back in 1992.
So... thoughts, please. A worthy successor to the McLaren F1?
Need more convincing? Have a look at this BBC News video.
For even more info, and a raft of exclusive pictures, get hold of this month's Top Gear magazine.
For a heads up on more stories like this on the McLaren, follow us on Twitter.
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^ i agree, bet lewis will get one, he can then get rid of his Merc GL 420 lol u can see a bit of the old car in the styling. Best british car in ages!!
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It's weird how the 458 Italia and this look quite alike, isn't it?
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Looks like a Cayman Carrera GT Evora R8... Hm... Optically, not quite the stuff of my dreams. But it'll be great to drive, no doubt.
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Looks like another sub-zero effort from McClaren (that is unless Clarkson gets one...). When can I test drive...
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i liked the old one because it has alot of history and the new car has alot of work to do if it wonts to get to the legendary staus that the old one has !! lee jenkinson
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I was hoping to see the old three-seat layout of the original F1. The old central driving position is one of the things that really set the McLaren F1 apart from the rest.
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I was hoping to see the old three-seat layout of the original F1. The old central driving position is one of the things that really set the McLaren F1 apart from the rest.
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Only 3.8 litres? That must be a concentrated, racy engine then! Not really a successor to the F1, which was all about non-compromise going-as-fast-as-possible-ness, but I reckon a group test against Italy's offerings - and maybe the Audi R'10 - would be very competitive indeed. It looks fast, but not overly sexy or anything. Very purposeful. Not the prettiest name, but I get the F1 car reference. Sort of...
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When I saw the picture for the first time I thought someone tuned 458 before it was relesed. Did McLareren pull another fast one on Ferrari? Since Big Ron is the boss of their supercar division... I feel dissapointed. It is so Ferrari influenced that it is hard to be convinced by tech-gysmos. I expected something radicall in looks as well as in technology and that looks like another supercar. Yes, it is a bit sexy but in a chav kind of way. You would not take her to theatre, but for a stroll in a dark alley. And to finish of my rant. Who would spend Ferrari kind of money on car that looks like Ferrari, and always will be mistaken for Ferrari, but isn't Ferrari. Would you spend eight years worth of average wage in this country for beeing forever embarased by people asking you why did you change the badge on your Ferrari. You'd think they learned their lesson two years ago.
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The F1 was inspired by the Ferrari 365P. This looks like it has been inspired by Ferrari, Lotus, Ascari, Lambo, Audi, Koenigsegg - but not Gumpert. It's all very nice and I'm sure it will be technically brilliant, but I'd get fed up of people squinting at the badge to see what it is. Is it just me, or is it just a bit disappointing?
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Looks awesome but this is named after the 1998 Mclaren F1 Car this must like a celebratory edition cos it was when Mika Hakkinen won his 1st world title
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I think it looks very nice indeed. Only one bit I don't really like in the looks which is the little louvered bit between the rear window & spoiler - that seems a bit out of place for me but as hypercars go I think it's rather understated, which is nice and unlike Ferrari, McLarens suit the whole futuristic space-age sci-fi look inside and out. It has the look of a Lotus Evora which has been pumped up a bit - no bad thing that. A successor to the F1? Well...no, at least not at the moment. To really be a successor to the F1 it needs to get close to, match or even exceed its predecessor's performance and while it should certainly be a match for most hypercars it doesn't sound like it'll be in the same league as the F1 or Veyron, though time will tell......
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It looks enough like the original to feel related, but it;s a whole new shape at the same time. I'm glad its priced ( sort of ) sensibly, so it will actually be seen on the roads from time to time. Hamilton must be very pleased with his new company car. You can't help thinking that coming from Mclaren, it will be very close to the top of the Top Gear track times.
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i want one~!
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For some reason at a very quick first glance I thought it was another Ferrari or a tuned version... Its not another 'three-seater', is it?
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looks like a half ferrari half lambo
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Front of a Renault Megane, rest is a messed up Ferrari copy. Original F1 was the best by far.
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it is not that fast, not that expensive, not that light and looks like a hybrid of 3-6 other cars. 2 words: identity crisis.
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Theres loads of pictures of it on this site: http://cars.uk.msn.com/news/photos.aspx?cp-documentid=149588948&page=1 I want one!!!!
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Ferrari 458, Ascari KZ1, Audi R8, Lambo Gallardo and some Lotus Evora plus its actually a McLaren which makes it PERFECT!
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I definatly want one, but I want the old one More! This will be a great car and I love the looks, but at the same time its sad that its not as exceptional as its predecessor.
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It just looks too generic to be a true pin up super car, never mind the spec sheet, give us AUTOPORN!!
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it's so average looking as far super cars go i guess it'll have better performance as to whether it is not just another super car with an expensive badge on it. looks like they mixed the Ferrari 360 with the new scuda-whatcha-me-call-it did a bit of tuning and chucked a new badge on to it.
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it doesnt really look all that special..personally i think it looks like a more sorted out gumpert!
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zonda-lover commented on this article
09 September 2009
of course it'll be great! its a mclaren people! n they just dont disapoint! p.s, iv got the 1st post in!
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