McLaren MP4-12C News

The British pretender to the Italian crown of the Ferrari 458 Italia is going after just three years to clear production space in Britain for McLaren’s newest model, the 650S.It is being dumped as McLaren also builds its insanely fast P1 hybrid flagship and moves quickly on a plan for a cheaper sports car that will go head-to-head with the Porsche 911.The death of the oddly-named 12C is a surprising move as it was only introduced in 2011, although poor sales in Australia - and most other countries - led to a price cut of nearly $100,000 last year.But there is a farewell bonus for owners, with a free upgrade package that includes new active aero software to improve stability and cut high-speed drag, a improved infotainment system and external window switches. McLaren also promises discounted upgrades on 650S equipment including a reversing camera and satellite radio.“Yes, the 12C is going. In future, 100 per cent of production is being focussed on the 650S,” the brand operations manager for McLaren in Australia, Jay McCormack, says.“The only cars coming now will be bespoke build through McLaren Special Operations, but this will be less and less.”The death of the 12C is announced from Britain by McLaren’s chief executive, Mike Flewitt.“We have decided to cease in light of the success of 650S. We will focus all our capacity at the McLaren Production Centre on 650S.”There is already a six-month waiting list for the car - priced from $441,500 as a coupe, and an extra $44,750 for the Spider - and McLaren says there are forward orders from Australia until the end of 2014.“The first customer 650 gets here next month. We hope to fulfil all our existing orders by the end of this year,” says McCormack.There are also a handful of 12Cs, as the final sales total for Australia tops 50 cars thanks to the price cut.“We are still selling 12Cs for 2014, and I have my hands on a few of those. They are predominantly Spiders, but I have one coupe,” says McCormack.This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover

McLaren has collaborated with the creators of the upcoming driving simulator Forza Motorsport 5, to create a flipbook-style animation from a series of still images strung around the edge of a race circuit. Titled ‘FilmSpeed’, the footage was appropriately captured from the back of a McLaren MP4-12C supercar. It's hard to imagine a more impractical medium for highlighting the in-game action from Forza 5, but the result is certainly impressive.  The frames featuring the MP4-12C's big brother P1 supercar were attached to hundreds of carefully-spaced aluminium boards, and the MP4-12C was driven by stunt driver Tanner Foust at meticulously controlled speeds of up to 193km/h. The resulting zoetrope-effect gives an Alice in Wonderland-like view of Forza 5' gameplay, with the P1 lapping a virtual race circuit.    Watch the video here.       

Special-edition cars to mark anniversaries are nothing new, but for McLaren, having its own production car around to commemorate the occasion is. The brand borne from racing is capitalising on the opportunity, with the new McLaren 50 12C and McLaren 50 12C Spider, celebrating the brand's 50th anniversary.These special-edition models will be limited to a run of just 50 cars each for coupe and spider. Unique styling and specification elements by McLaren Special Operations (MSO) mark them apart from the normal versions.Upgrades for the McLaren 50 models include: a remodelled, CFD-optimised front bumper; new carbon fibre and Kevlar exterior elements; a black F1-inspired heritage badge; standard carbon ceramic brake discs; unique 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels that save 2kg total; and a full leather upgrade inside the cabin, with carbon fibre accents and floor mats. A special dedication plate numbers each of the limited-run cars.Three colours will be available for the McLaren 50 12C and 12C Spider: Carbon Black, Supernova Silver, and McLaren Orange.Each also gets its own monogrammed black and silver car cover, a limited-edition key in a carbon fibre presentation box, and a specially commissioned art print signed by McLaren Automotive's design director, Frank Stephenson.Global deliveries of the McLaren 50 12C should begin something after the official anniversary date of September 2. So far, only UK pricing has been announced, with the coupe priced from £196,000, and the spider from £215,500.www.motorauthority.com 

Luxury car buyers in Australia are paying too much, according to a British exotic brand that has just slashed a massive $100,000 from its local pricetags.

McLaren has sharpened the pricing pencil to slice massive amounts off the price of the 12C and 12C Spider, in what may be the biggest price cuts in car history.The hardtop 12C now carries an RRP of $398,000 (from $493,100), and the Spider drops to $441,780 (from $543,900), with the 19 per cent cut arriving exactly 12 months after the model’s local debut.Effective from today, McLaren says the new pricing brings transparency to the 12C’s segment, which it says is prone to premium-pricing policies, with vehicles being sold discretely beneath their advertised prices.The 12C’s nearest rival, Ferrari’s 458 Italia carries an RRP of $526,950 in hardtop guise, making the 12C somewhat of a value leader in the mid-engined V8 supercar echelon.The 460kW twin-turbo V8 12C and 12C Spider are the first road cars to be developed by the legendary British racing brand since the hallowed F1 of the 90s, and will be joined internationally by the 673kW hybrid P1 flagship by the end of the year.“McLaren (is) leading the way in the super luxury sports car segment by benchmarking its pricing against competitive international markets,” said Ian Gorsuch, Regional Director Asia Pacific at McLaren Automotive.Whilst subject to different tax structures, the new 12C and 12C Spider Australian prices are still over $150,000 greater than their US pricing, despite near parity between currencies.McLaren has sold a total of 30 12C models (to April 30) in Australia since it went on sale in May last year, with seven sold in the first four months of 2013.  But existing 12C owners won’t necessarily be short changed, with McLaren pledging to offer an unspecified ‘special trade-in allowance’ if they trade-up to a new McLaren in future.The new pricing applies to any new MP4-12C ordered from today, and includes all existing Australian stock.

If you’ve ever driven Colorado’s highway 6 across Loveland Pass, you know it can be a bit intimidating in the best of weather. With a maximum elevation of 11,990 feet, the road bears the distinction of being the highest mountain pass in the world to remain open year-round. Though the scenery is spectacular, the switchback corners and steep drops are more than a bit puckering for those unaccustomed to mountain driving. In short, it’s not a place to make an error behind the wheel, regardless of what you’re driving or when you’re driving it. When you add an icy road surface into the mix and want to film a race down the pass, pitting professional snowboarder (and Winter X Games medalist) Chanelle Sladics against the McLaren MP4-12C Spider, it’s best to hand the keys to someone with plenty of experience in mountain driving. Someone like Pikes Peak record holder Rhys Millen. For his part, Millen calls it "an honor" to drive the MP4-12C Spider in the video, especially in light of McLaren's 50th anniversary in 2013. Like the company's founder, the late Bruce McLaren, Rhys Millen is a native New Zealander with plenty of experience in hill climb competition. The stunt was filmed to promote the start of McLaren MP4-12C Spider deliveries in the United States. It also highlights the 12C Spider’s unique power-retractable hard top and superb handling balance, though we’d guess that Millen opted not to use the 12C Spider’s “Winter” driving mode for optimized traction on slippery surfaces. Even with all the electro-nannies turned on and winter tires mounted, piloting a mid-engine, rear-drive sports car with 616 horsepower on tap down an icy mountain pass requires a fair amount of skill and the driver’s complete attention. We'd have loved to give it a try, but our run wouldn't have been nearly as impressive as Millen's on video. www.motorauthority.com  

Driving simulators such as Forza Motorsport, Gran Turismo and Need for Speed are well-known--and well-loved--here at Motor Authority.However, there is a new title in the works that may upset these video game heavyweights, and that’s GRID 2 from Codemasters.The sequel to 2008’s GRID, the focus of the new game is having arcade-style fun rather than creating a totally realistic driving experience.Nevertheless, the graphics are still as realistic as that of any of the rival games and the lineup of cars looks promising.The list includes the likes of the Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, McLaren MP4-12C and the Pagani Huayra. The game’s creators say the total list of cars spans four decades and three continents.GRID 2 will be released early to mid-2013 and will be available for the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and PC.Motor Authority  

The gruelling 24-hour Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the headline event in the 2012 Blancpain Endurance Series, and one of the most demanding events on the motorsport calendar.McLaren GT 'works' driver Rob Bell gives his views on the challenging 7km circuit, its hurdles and highlights, and what makes the 24 hours of Spa so appealing.

That's the day the top comes off the MP4-12C coupe and McLaren unleashes its first convertible.

Named after the Circuit de la Sarthe where the famed 24 hours race is held, the brand says the supercar is inspired by Le Mans prototypes from the 1980s. But there’s a definite resemblance to the McLaren MP4-12C, especially around the gills.The Sarther’s 45 per cent front/55 per cent rear weight distribution is centred on mid-mounting the 380kW/650Nm GM-sourced V8.The engine is mated to a six-speed transaxle – combining transmission and differential into the rear axle – rather than the high-tech computerised transmission you might expect in today’s supercar.It’s a bit spare on electronic technology everywhere under the skin, with ABS brakes really the only departure from a thoroughly old-school approach that might appeal to purists.And with a light tubular steel frame, carbon fibre body and honeycomb aluminium floor keeping the weight down to an anorexic 1387kg, you can have some faith in Vencer’s claims of a 0-100km/h time of 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 328km/h.However it will still trail behind the Ferrari 458 Italia and McLaren MP4-12C who can do the distance in as little as 3.2.Vencer hasn’t released any details of when – or if – it will go into production, and at what price point they will pitch it.