It's hard to believe that McLaren->ke284 has already built 3,000 examples of its MP4-12C->ke3514 supercar, especially when you consider that the exotic has only been around in the past few years.

But the 12C's popularity is unmistakable and undeniable, and in time for its 50th anniversary celebration, the British automaker built the 3,000th 12C supercar->ke177.

The 3,000th car is actually a Volcano Yellow 12C Spider, which was paraded around the company headquarters by McLaren Mercedes F1 driver Sergio Perez. It's a tremendous achievement for such a young model, but it also proves that in the 50 years since Bruce McLaren first incorporated Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Limited on September 2, 1963, the company has risen to heights that very few of its contemporaries can brag about.

It's been a pillar of Formula One->ke190 since 1966, having won 182 races together with 43 wins in the North American CanAm series, three Indy 500 championships, and a 24 Hours of Le Mans win on its first attempt in 1995.

Since 1993, McLaren has also been credited with building some of the fastest and most powerful road cars in the world. Beginning with the F1, all the way to the MP4-12C, and the P1, the British company has become one of the standard bearers in the supercar market.

Not too shabby for a brand that's younger than most of its competitors.

Click past the jump to read about the McLaren MP4-12C

2011-2013 McLaren MP4-12C

First introduced in 2011, the McLaren MP4-12C has become one of the most popular supercars in the world. With the heritage of the iconic F1 in its blood, the MP4-12C is a serious exotic monster, complete with a 3.8-liter V-8 engine that produces 616 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. All that power translates to performance figures that includes a 0-to-60 mph time of 3.1 seconds with a top speed of 207 mph.

The popularity of the model is made more staggering by the fact that it only took a little over two years for the MP4-12C to reach 3,000 units. That deserves a round of applause in itself.