Aussie queue for McLaren MP4-12C

The McLaren MP4-12C features technology banned by Formula One for being "unfair". The 330km/h McLaren MP4-12C will hit the Trivett Sydney showroom at about $500,000 in October. Trivett, which also deals in Rolls Royce, Aston and Bentley, will open a showroom in Melbourne next year and other capital cities "as the need arises", says boss Greg Duncan.

"We're still negotiating the exact price. McLaren is yet to determine a price for this region," he says.

The lightweight carbon-chassis supercar comes from the same garage that produces the McLaren F1 team race cars and fairly bristles with F1 technology and DNA. The 12C is powered by McLaren's 3.8-litre, V8 twin-turbo engine producing 441kW of power and 600Nm of torque.

It features "Brake Steer" technology which is a variation on McLaren's electronic driver aid used successfully in Formula 1 on the 1997 McLaren MP4-12. It was later banned as giving an unfair advantage. Basically it assists a brave or over-confident driver who has entered a corner too fast or has a lead foot and applies too much throttle on corner exit. The system applies brakes to the inside rear wheel on entering a corner to prevent understeer and reduces wheel spin on the inside rear so the driver can put power down more quickly when exiting a corner.

McLaren regional director Ian Gorusch says the 12C is more "exclusive" than its main rivals, the Ferrari 458 (from $526,500) and Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 (from $475,000).

"We want to produce less cars than our competitors," he says. "We will not be pushing volume. We will always have too few cars to meet demand."

The 12C was launched to the world in January as McLaren announced it would begin production of road cars with a separate plant opening last month and more road models to come.

"We plan to be around for many decades and for a viable business model we can't do it with one model," Gorusch says. "The other models will use the core element, but there will be no four seaters and no SUVs. We will stick at what we're good at."

And what McLaren is good at is making fast cars.

Their first car, the legendary McLaren F1 from 1992-98, was powered by a 468kW, 6.1-litre BMW V12 and was the world's fastest production car for many years. Mr Bean star Rowan Atkinson copped several speeding fines in his F1 which had a top speed of 386km/h and would launch to 100km/h in just 3 seconds.

The new C12 is no slouch either, being only 0.3 seconds slower to highway speed. But McLaren's road car is not just about uncompromised speed and power. There is luxury and refinement inside the two-seater with a host of leather and suede. This is no pretend Le Mans car like the McLaren F1 with a central driving position and race-based interior. It doesn't even come with a manual gearbox.

The C12 features an F1-style seven-speed, dual clutch transmission with different settings for normal driving, sport driving and track days. It has a nifty trick of blipping the throttle like a racing driver as it automatically changes down gears under heavy braking. As with the transmission, drivers can also select the ride and handling to match their mood.

Gorusch says "usability" is the key to the supercar.

"On the open road it's just fantastic and engaging; on the circuit the `oomph' is awesome and when you are in Sydney traffic jam it's totally relaxed with a new suspension system that's actually comfortable," he says.

Duncan confirms they will have a demo model available at their Alexandria showroom from October with deliveries starting in late November.

"We will build some in advance to what we think will be customer spec, but more often than not they will arrive 'specced' up to customer requirements," he says. "We won't need to fly people from interstate like casinos do with high-stakes gamblers. We have Rolls customers in Perth who are in Sydney from time to time and will have a look at a car and organise a test drive."

He says they will be allocated 10-15 cars this year.

"We're hoping for 40 next year as there's quite a lot of demand for the car."

MCLAREN MP4-12C

Price: about $500,000
Engine: 441kW/600Nm, 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: 7-speed, dual-clutch
Weight: 1434kg
Economy: 11.7 l/100km
CO2: 279g/km
Maximum speed: 330km/h
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h 3.3 secs
Braking: 100-0km/h in 30.3m

MCLAREN F1

Price: over $1m
Engine: 468kW 6.1-litre V12
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Weight: 1138kg
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h 3 secs
Maximum speed: 386km/h