Mclaren cars

2012 McLaren MP4-12C by Taylor Lynn

Luxury4Play and the Gold Rush Rally have joined forces and have created a very special McLaren MP4-12C for their 2012 charity event. This special McLaren will be raced during the rally and the company hopes it will raise the profile of the event and the charity.

Every time somebody donates $100 or more for the charity, a ’Heart of Gold" sticker will be added to the supercar, so lets hope we will see as many stickers as possible. All the money raised during the event will go to the Taylor Lynn Foundation and will be used to save the lives of many children.

This year’s Gold Rush Rally will start at the West Coast in Los Angeles on June 9th and will end on the East Coast in Miami on June 16th. This year’s event theme is "Rise Against the Sun" and it has been promised it will feature some of the most exotic cars you have ever seen.

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.

Video: How Not to Drive a Brabus Mercedes-McLaren SLR Roadster Through a Parking Garage

Let’s begin here by saying that the Brabus Mercedes-McLaren SLR Roadster is one of the most awesome cars ever manufactured. A 5.5-liter supercharged V-8 engine pumps out 650 horses gets this machine up to a top speed of 211 mph. Toss in just the sheer awesomness that it’s a Mercedes too, and few can compete.

As much as we love these cars, some of their owners take the privileged to drive one a little too far. We understand and even agree that these cars need their legs stretched out every now and again, but there is a time and place for it. The very last place to stretch out the legs on a 650-horsepower monster is a parking garage.

Well, this outstanding citizen decides to take his (or someone’s) $1 million Mercedes in excess of 90 mph through a parking garage. That’s right, I wouldn’t do half of the top speed of a Geo Metro through a parking garage and this guy is halfway there on a 650-horsepower supercar.

What’s worse is the annoying chucklehead in the passenger’s seat is just laughin’ away like he’s watching a young Jim Carrey movie. Then adding insult to injury, a dinging alarm goes off. What’s that, the a-hole alarm maybe? No, that’s the seatbelt alarm; these guys are doing this idiotic stuff without seatbelts on…

Didn’t these guys think that maybe a kid could come running out from between a few cars? Maybe a person might decide he wants to pull his car out of one of the parking spaces. Really, what exactly goes through the heads of these people before they do things like this?

Ugh, okay enough of my fatherly ranting. Check out the above video to see for yourself. We can say that the in-car audio from the 5.5-liter V-8 is phenomenal, but the idiocy of the two squash-for-brains guys in the car seriously outweighs the impressiveness of the car.

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!

1997 Gulf McLaren F1 GTR Longtail

It’s a car that will more than likely just take up some space in someone’s garage, but it could still fetch millions at an auction the same way one of its contemporaries did just over a year ago.

The piece of automotive racing history that we’re talking about is the Gulf Team Davidoff McLaren F1 GTR Longtail, and should you have millions of dollars in your piggy bank, you’ll be happy to know that the car is headed to the upcoming Pebble Beach Auction in August 2012 in Carmel Valley, California.

Judging by the level of interest surrounding this car, the sky is really the limit on how much it’s going to go for at the auction. Combine that with the fact that a similar make and model was sold last year for $3.9 million, and you have a rare racing car that’s going to sell for a lot of zeroes.

This particular F1 GTR Longtail also happens to have an interesting history behind it. It was originally built as chassis number 027R, but ultimately ended up as a spare car - chassis 028R - after sustaining damage during one of its transports. In the end, the car wound racing in a number of racing events, highlighted by its participation during the 1997 FIA GT season.

Should you be interested in owning a true hard-to-find racer, you better break open that piggy bank because you’re going to have to pay a fortune for the chance to show off the car to your buddies.

Find out more about the 1997 Gulf McLaren F1 GTR ’028R’ Longtail after the jump.

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.

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.

McLaren Boss admits the McLaren F1 successor won’t be fixated on top speed

Now that all the problems with the MP4-12C supercar have been solved and the car is officially on sale, McLaren is focusing on their next major debut: the successor of the legendary F1. In a recent interview, McLaren boss, Ron Dennis, offered new details on the MP4-27 supercar (code-named P12).

He confirmed that the new model will be unveiled in May 2012 and that it won’t try to break any existing speed record. In fact, he says, "“Don’t get fixated by top speed. That’s the first thing you have to discard in today’s society.” The new P12 will, however, be "the world’s most technologically advanced supercar."

The car will be built on the same carbon fiber central structure (monocell) as the MP4-12C and will use the same twin turbo V8 engine, with an increased capacity and output. It will feature a conventional two-seater layout and completely different styling when compared to the Mp4-12C.

"What you’ve got to have is a complete package of performance," he says. "You’ve got to embrace technologies that are out there that are accepted, and some that don’t even exist. I can tell you our next car has many things on it that don’t exist at the moment."

The McLaren MP4-27 will be built in a limited number of 300-500 units and will be more expensive than previous models. Dennis says the company hopes it "will be hailed as the most innovative, creative supercar of its time."

Are you the new McLaren F1 successor?

The press days for the 2012 Geneva Motor Show are now over and in the midst of the McLaren MP4-12C stealing the show in terms of tuning packages, McLaren is already working on another supercar: the replacement for the legendary McLaren F1.

Known as the MP4-27, or the Mega-Mac, the new supercar was revealed by a Thai edition of CAR magazine. This is surely just a rendering of the car, but it will definitely help get a good picture of what’s to come. The new MP4-27 was designed by McLaren;s Design Chief, Frank Stephenson, and is believed to feature a very futuristic appearance. Under the hood, McLaren will be placing an upgraded version of the MP4-12C’s 3.8 liter twin-turbo V8 engine which will have its output pushed closer to 800 HP.

The official debut for the new McLaren MP4-27 will be made this May at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix, but sales won’t begin until later in 2014.