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Video: McLaren MP4-12C GT3 proves its a real flame thrower
During the qualifying session at the 2012 Blancpain Endurance Series at Monza Circuit, there were a few McLaren MP4-12C GT3 models that definitely earned the right to be called Hell on Wheels and Youtube user 19Bozzy92 was there to witness it. A few MP4-12C GT3 models were actually able to throw out flames during their high speed run. Check out the video to see what an MP4-12C can really do when pushed to its limit! As a reminder, McLaren has announced that a total of 25 new MP4-12C GT3 cars will race across Europe in the FIA GT1 World Championship in 2012. The GT3 version will be powered by the same 3.8-liter twin turbo V8 as found in the standard model, but tuned to racing specifications. The exterior was also provide with a new aerodynamic package in compliance with GT3 regulations, incorporating a new front splitter, door blade, rear wing, diffuser, and louvers in the front fenders. About 400 McLaren MP4-12C units will be coming to the U.S.
  McLaren has been facing some massive changes in the past few years with the MP4-12C re-energizing the British automaker after in excess of a decade with no new cars rolling into showrooms. Furthermore, McLaren has been furiously expanding its dealership network across the globe during this time, with one dealership even recently opening in Australia. However, it’s the U.S. which seems to be the most profitable market for McLaren with MotorTrend reporting that 40 percent of the 1000 MP4-12C’s currently ordered are heading to America and for those who don’t find mathematics their forte, that equates to 400 units. So it goes without saying that the MP4-12C is extremely appealing across the U.S. On one hand this is a huge shock, as the U.S. is already up there as one of Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s biggest markets, but on the other hand it shows that McLaren’s efforts to open up a network of dealers in the U.S. has paid off. It’s currently unclear if any private U.S. customers have had their MP4-12C’s delivered, after McLaren ‘recalled’ them due to various complaints from road-testers. Either way, McLaren sales in the U.S. are sighted to rise even higher in the coming years with the F1 successor currently being developed, while various variants of the MP4-12C will also be produced, possibly even an MP4-12C Shooting Brake.
2014 McLaren MP4-12C Shooting Brake
It seems as if the new Ferrari FF will soon have a serious competitor from McLaren. The British company has tried to keep their future models as much of a secret as possible, but now AutoExpress has obtained the first details on a future shooting brake model set to arrive in 2014. The new model will be based on the platform of the new MP4-12C supercar and will be similar in concept to the Ferrari FF. However, the British magazine reports that the Mclaren model will be significantly cheaper. While the FF is priced at about £230,000 ($366,000 at the current exchange rates) on the British market, the new McLaren model will be priced from about £150,000 (about $240,000). The new McLaren Shooting Brake (not its actual name, at least as far as we know) will be a two-seater model, but with more boot space than the MP4-12C. Under the hood, expect to see the same 592 HP 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine as the sports car, meaning the future model will deliver impressive performance numbers. Check out our rendering of what we’re calling the McLaren MP4-12C Shooting Brake and let us know what you think! Porsche 911 Hauls in the World Performance Car Award
Just hours ago, we reported the somber news that the Porsche 911’s designer passed away, but this time we have some good news to pass along. This news continues to add to the legend that is F.A. Porsche, as his creation has been announced the 2012 World Performance Car. The 911 S Coupe made it through a three-stage voting process, beating out some of the best vehicles in the world. In the final stage, the 911 faced off against two greats, the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 and the McLaren MP4-12C. The WPC judges specifically pointed out that the 911 combines pleasant driving, raw performance, and even fuel efficiency. Let’s crunch the numbers here. The 911 S Coupe pushes out 385 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque from a 3.8-liter flat-6, while getting 18 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. The Lamborghini has a 700-horsepower, 509 foot-pound producing V-12 engine that squeaks out 11 mpg city and 17 mpg highway. The McLaren gets 15 mpg city and 22 mpg highway – close to the Porsche – and pumps 592 horsepower along with 443 pound-feet from its 3.8-liter V-8. There are two other factors that would make us put the Porsche on top of the Lamborghini and McLaren. One is the fact that the Aventador is notoriously impossible to drive on even a freshly paved highway – yeah, it’s a little rough. The McLaren, on the other hand, has received some complaints that it tends to over-correct itself via its traction control system. Add in the fact that the Porsche 911 S Coupe is only one-third of the Aventador’s price and just about half the price of McLaren, you have one impressive hunk of machinery there. Hit the jump for the official press release. Full story Video: Gemballa Racing McLaren MP4-12C GT3 crashes at Nurburgring
A number of 25 McLaren MP4-12C GT3 will be racing during the 2012 season, two of them coming from Gemballa Racing: one for VLN and one for ADAC GT Masters. However, Gemballa’s debut wasn’t as impressive as the company might have expected, because their car signed up for the VLN series during this past week-end had a tragic end. While the causes of the crash are still unknown a video taken after the crash reveal that the car is in a very bad situation. It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but for sure we won’t see it racing any time soon. For those of you who have forgotten, the GT3 features the same 3.8-liter twin turbo V8 as the standard model, a carbon fiber safety cell, a racing front-splitter, a large fixed rear wing and a rear diffuser that offers it better stability at high speeds. 2012 McLaren MP4-12C GT3
McLaren is making its way back into the GT sports car racing scene with a limited number of GT3 racing cars based on the MP4-12C sports car. These models will be designed and developed by McLaren and CRS Racing, and should make their first racing debut in the 2012 European FIA GT3 Series. "The 12C’s architecture and design was always aimed at high-performance and ease of maintenance - two key criteria for potential customers. Combine that with the vast amount of racing experience in our automotive team, and CRS Racing’s specialist development experience, and the 12C GT3 should be an exciting proposition for the top teams planning to race in GT3 from 2012." McLaren is confident that the MP4-12C’s revolutionary lightweight one-piece moulded carbon chassis, high levels of downforce and aerodynamic performance, and focus on form and function make it an obvious choice to bring back racing success to the McLaren name. The last win McLaren had was in the McLaren F1 GTR when it won the Lemans Series 15 years ago. The MP4-12C GT3 will be the first McLaren car built for FIA GT series racing since the McLaren F1 GTR finished production in 1997. UPDATE 08/02/2011:McLaren entered the 2011 24 Hours of Spa with three MP4-12C GT3 supercars, but only one of them - car number 60 - managed to end the race. The second vehicle - car number 58 - was retired by the team following a thermal incident. However, the most unlucky racer was car number 59. The #59 was hit by a competitor - a black BMW E92 M3 GT4 - which forced the carbon chassis-based 12C GT3 off its trajectory and into the wall at turn 1. Driver, Andrew Kirkaldy, was cleared of any serious injury at a nearby hospital following a precautionary scan. The car was subsequently placed in Parc Ferme at the circuit and awaits inspection by the McLaren GT team engineers. Kirkaldy said: "I was obviously disappointed that one of our cars was forced out of the race so early. Our performance has been strong in development tests and our debut race at Spa in the British GT Championship showed the car is technically reliable." Check out a slide show of the crash after the jump. UPDATE 08/17/2011: The McLaren MP4-12C GT3’s mixed results at the 24 Hours of Spa hasn’t stopped the apparent popularity of the race car amongst its growing list of customers. Though it’s being produced in limited quantities, the MP4-12C GT3 already has a list of clients that include Gulf Racing, Apex Motorsport, Doerr Motorsport, J.A.S. Motorsport, and Von Ryan Racing. The teams are expected to receive their race car some time next year. UPDATE 03/29/2012: McLaren has announced that a total of 25 new MP4-12C GT3 cars will race across Europe and in FIA GT1 World Championship in 2012. Race debut will be made as a safety car in the FIA GT1 World Championship race at the Nogaro circuit in France on April 8-9, 2012. The announcement came with a series of new images and a new video of the race car. Full story 2012 Geneva Motor Show: The Tuner Cars
One of our favorite parts of any auto show is seeing what the aftermarket industry has done to some of the finest vehicles in the world. At the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, we were completely floored by all the programs being displayed. Whether it was the Lamborghini Aventador, the McLaren MP4-12C, or even a model like the BMW 3-Series, the tuning world was definitely well-represented in Geneva. The list below highlights some of the most impressive programs we saw. Some came from some of the best tuners in the world and some came from some surprising tuners. Nevertheless, it all amounted to some pretty impressive sights. You can check out the list of vehicles that were given tuning programs and let us know which of these works you consider your favorites. Check out the list of tuner cars from the 2012 Geneva Motor Show after the jump. Full story 2012 McLaren MP4-12C Gemballa GT by Gemballa
German tuner Gemballa is returning to the auto show scene with a specially designed McLaren MP4-12C. Called the Gemballa GT, this British super car is different from the Gemballa GT3 that they previewed late last year and also the first non-Porsche model to be badged with the ’GT’ monicker. It was given a noticeable aesthetic upheaval that Gemballa CEO Andreas Schwarz says will improve on the MP4-12C’s otherwise "generic look" and "imbue some of the missing emotion" that the supercar should have possessed in the first place. "Our starting point is an aerodynamic styling kit and ultra-light forged alloy wheels, and we are developing an engine upgrade programme as well," Schwarz said. For now, the Gemballa GT possesses a new aero kit that consists of a new front bumper and spoiler, new side skirts, a new rear apron, and a small rear wing, all of which are proudly German made and were built with the purpose of improving the MP4-12C’s high-speed stability. They are fitted to the factory mounting points so the original bodywork is not compromised. Rounding out the exterior changes are a new set of 20" forged alloy wheels at the front and 21" sets at the rear, both of which were designed to fill the arches and give the supercar a more muscular stance, while further increasing mechanical grip. According to Gemballa, the performance modifications done on the MP4-12C are still under development, but rest assured, it’s going to be something akin to what we expect these guys are capable of. 2012 McLaren MP4-1C Terso by FAB Design
The McLaren MP4-12C has become a tuning favorite at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Now it appears that FAB Design is joining in on the MP4-12C love. The Swiss tuner has prepared their very first program for the McLaren supercar and to their credit, it’s mighty impressive. Called the MP4-12C Terso, the supercar comes with plenty of new digs, particularly on the aerodynamic and performance ends. FAB Design’s MP4-12C aero kit is made up of a new front skirt with larger air intakes, new side skirts, redesigned side air intakes, a new rear bumper and diffuser, and a new rear spoiler that goes over the top of the stock spoiler McLaren fitted into the MP4-12C. Rounding out the exterior enhancements are a new set of 20" FAB-Design Evolution three-part forged wheels wrapped in Dunlop SP SportMaxx tires. Interior modifications are entirely up to the customer’s preference to which they can choose from a variety of high-end materials, including leather, Alcantara, carbon, or aluminum. Under the hood of the MP4-12C lies an impressive performance upgrade. Thanks to a new in-house stainless steel sports exhaust and a three-chamber carbon tail pipe, FAB Design was able to boost the MP4-12C’s output from 592 horsepower and 443 lb/ft of torque all the way up to 680 horsepower and 527 lb/ft of torque. These output improvements allow the MP4-12C Terso to hit 0-62 mph in just 3 seconds to go with a new top speed of 213 mph. 2012 McLaren MP4-12C memoR by Hamann
Out of all the tuning packages that have graced the Geneva Auto Show’s floor, the packages for the McLaren MP4-12C seem to be the ones that are stealing the spotlight in Geneva. One of the more impressive packages is being offered by Mansory, but the "memoR" package from Hamann looks even better than that. While the new MP4-12C has been criticized very often of having a design that is "too arbitrary and too little on its own," Hamann decided to get the car back to its F1 roots. For this, the front air intakes, the cross section of the hood, the rear side panel, and the sill area were all redesigned. Then, the company added a large front splitter, upper and side wheel arch forced vents, door sills, and an extended rear diffuser. A large rear wing ensures the necessary aerodynamic balance, while the rear end gets a triple exhaust system for a more menacing sound from the vehicle’s 3.8-liter V8 engine. Speaking of the sports car’s engine, it received absolutely zero updates, leaving it with its standard 592 horsepower @ 7,000 rpm and 443 lb/ft of torque between 3,000 to 6,500 rpm. This is, of course, the area where we would prefer the tuning kit by Mansory which bumped up the engine’s output significantly. UPDATE 05/24/12: Hamann has released a new set of photos for the McLaren MP4-12C memoR, which you can check out in the gallery! | featured reviews:McLaren MP4-12C latest reviews:
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