McLaren MP4-12C News

None will ever challenge Jenson Button or Lewis Hamilton for a grand prix race place, but they will be wheeling one of the world's great supercars later this year. And they will have paid at least  $526,800 - drive away, no more to pay - for the privilege. They are the members of the waiting list for the McLaren MP4-12C, the grand prix company's first road car since the benchmark F1 of the 1990s, and they won't have too much longer to wait. "There are 14 cars on the way to us. Ten for customers, two for demonstrator work and two for showroom purposes," says Greg Duncan, executive chairman of McLaren Sydney. "We've got 10 customer cars in production. On top of that, we've got about 20 deposits from people who want to drive the car." That means more than $15 million in orders for a car that has not even reached the road in Australia, but has been very favourably compared with the Ferrari 458 Italia. Duncan admits the McLaren program is running a little late but says the Trivett group has just spent more than $5 million on the fit-out, alone, for the prestige dealership that will house the brand. It's on O'Riordan Street in Alexandria, close to Sydney airport, and will also house Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin and Bentley. "They are running late and for two reasons. They had some early problems that they decided to fix, and now the car is right they set up a new regional office in Singapore which has complicated things a little," says Duncan. "But now it is humming along. They are producing cars probably a bit quicker than they thought they would." The first two 12Cs are painted in McLaren's historic racing orange and plain white, although Duncan says customers are going first for black and the global preference is for a deep red. "They are flying two cars out for us. We wanted to make a bit of a statement. We've optioned them a little differently so people can see what's available. The orange car is a bit sporty and the white car is a bit GT or luxurious." The dealership is set to open on March 15, when McLaren chairman Ron Dennis will attend a function in Sydney just ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

The McLaren MP4-12C tops the list of Dad's dream cars.

The world's newest supercar company is moving fast on its plans for five models to rival Ferrari. The McLaren MP4-12C has only just been previewed in Australia and already Carparazzi has a clear picture of how the super-quick coupe will look as a convertible. It could be previewed as soon as the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, but with the 12C Coupe as the big mover for 2012 it could be a little further into the future. The second rival for Ferrari, the $500,000 MP4-12C convertible is due here early 2013.

The company was keen to downplay the incident, but witnesses initially reported seeing the car on the circuit at high speed, then hearing a crash followed by sightings of a lorry leaving with a damaged – but covered – car on its tray. Other unconfirmed reports detail MP4-12C hitting the guard rail hard during a high speed curve. McLaren has allegedly indicated the car has been badly damaged but that the driver escaped major injury. There has been speculation that the attendance of a medivac chopper suggests the situation was more serious, but it’s possible the helicopter was the one being used for a camera crew filming the car on the track.

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 $500,000Engine: 441kW/600Nm, 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8Transmission: 7-speed, dual-clutchWeight: 1434kgEconomy: 11.7 l/100kmCO2: 279g/kmMaximum speed: 330km/hAcceleration: 0-100 km/h 3.3 secsBraking: 100-0km/h in 30.3m MCLAREN F1 Price: over $1mEngine: 468kW 6.1-litre V12Transmission: 6-speed manualWeight: 1138kgAcceleration: 0-100 km/h 3 secsMaximum speed: 386km/h

It's not as sharp or fast as their F1 racers, but it has two seats, air-con and a sound system. And anyone in Australia with about $500,000 to splash on something special can join them, as the 12C is now officially on sale Down Under. The supercar brand introduced its MP4-12C to Australia this week, celebrating the appointment of Trivett as its Down Under representative. The MP4-12C the first of a range of machines from the world's most successful racing car company, is a carbon-cored, Formula One-inspired bespoke design that is not only rapid but boasts one of the lowest CO2 emissions in its class. The mid-engined MP4 doesn't share any components with other cars — even the engine is in-house — and is built in England at McLaren's factory. The car is built with a carbon MonoCell — a carbon-composite construction pioneered by McLaren in the 1981 Formula One MP4/1 model — but to reduce costs, is moulded as one piece. It is the first time a chassis has been made this way. McLaren claims that this design allows a much narrower structure overall which creates a more compact car that is easier to position on the road and more rewarding to drive. The engine is a bespoke McLaren 1M838T2 3.8-litre, V8 bi-turbo that produces about 450kW/600Nm and drives through a McLaren seven-speed Seamless Shift dual clutch gearbox (SSG). Sheriff says the engine delivers the highest horsepower to CO2 ratio of any car on the market with an internal combustion engine "and that includes petrol and diesel hybrids". There has been a very strong response to the car in Australia. Trivett was holding about 20 deposits before the unveiling this week – and five more when the launch night finished, Trivett executive chairman Greg Duncan says. “That doesn’t normally happen at the launch of a car,” Duncan points out. “People are usually more inclined to drive it first, touch and feel it. “But here’s a car where we can’t even tell them the firm price, they haven’t driven it, yet five more deposits were on the table at the end of the night.” Duncan happily acknowledges the demand is enough to outstrip the first quota of 12 to 15 cars, which will start arriving in November. So some will have to wait until next year, when the quota will be raised to 40. “I think by then we will be in a situation where it will be well-managed allocation and delivery process.” Duncan says the arrival of McLaren is an indication of the Australian economy’s strength. “We certainly didn’t escape the global financial crisis, but Australia didn’t feel the full impact other countries did,” he says. “In terms of people buying super-luxury cars, I think the reaction to the crisis is now largely past. Those people reacted by moving to consolidate and protect their situation, and now the economy is more stable and predictable they are turning to giving themselves some attention. “We’re finding that across all (Trivett) super-luxury brands, not just McLaren.”

Even without a price, but with a confirmed 0-100km/h sprint in 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 330km/h, they have been snapped up by keen drivers and collectors. Anyone who wants a car will be waiting until at least the start of 2012, or potentially longer, to park the Ferrari rival in their driveway. McLaren has now confirmed its Australia showroom will be in Alexandria in Sydney as part of the Trivett Group, as it races to satisfy customer demand from its base in Britain. Two other McLaren road rockets are also underway, while the British company - best known for the Formula One team currently headlined by world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button - is also developing a race-ready 12C coupe. "The allocation for this year, which is 15 cars, are all pre-sold, says McLaren's Asia-Pacific marketing chief, Ian Gorsuch. "We're already well into next year, with an allocation of 30-40 cars. And that's without the price." The first delivery will happen in October and it won't be a celebrity delivery like the ones for Shane Warne, Australia's most famous Lamborghini driver. "To be quite frank, I don't know who it is. If you're the first person on the list you will be the first person to get a car. We're being transparent about that," he says. The 12C is expected to cost more than $500,000 in Australia but, as McLaren works flat-out on a new factory at its base in Woking, it is already trailing demand. "Worldwide we're at about an 18-month or two-year order bank. The new factory comes online in May-June of next year," says Gorsuch. He refuses to name any of the Australia buyers but says they are not just Ferrari owners who want test the McLaren experience. "The very first ones are all the typical early adopters. They are the ones who have to have the car. They put a deposit down without even knowing the price. "The ones coming through now are less into drama, and have more of an understanding of the engineering. They are quite considered." Gorsuch says McLaren is already being hit with special requests that will be handled by a division called McLaren Owner Exclusive. It goes beyond such things as colour choice - McLaren says it can do anything short of the very special chrome silver on its F1 cars - and the Corsa tyre and lightweight package options already available. "We have people asking for the silver of the race cars, but we cannot supply it as it's only intended to endure for the race distance. Still, we're working on it." Gorsuch says McLaren has an aggressive plan for its road car division, starting with the GT3 race version just announced but yet to be made public. "The first unveiling of the 12C was a few months ago, so almost annually there will be something cropping up. We'll have a complete range of models and derivatives from the middle of the decade. And we want something new and fresh each year."

The same fight that has put the fire into Formula One for more than two decades will ignite on Australian roads this year when McLaren goes up against Ferrari. The British grand prix company is close to rolling its first in-house supercar onto the road, starting a new era in McLaren's history and severing its last ties to Mercedes-Benz and the ill-fated Mercedes- McLaren SLR project.McLaren already has more than a dozen orders for its all-new MP4-12C coupe from Australia despite an unknown pedigree and a $500,000-ish pricetag. The super-quick 12C coupe is into final testing in Europe and, with a global sales rollout set for the second half of 2011, it has partnered with Trivett Prestige to handle its business in Australia.Trivett already holds the local agencies for Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin in a diverse portfolio that includes everything from Harley- Davidson motorcycles to the 400km/h Bugatti Veyron. The McLaren plans begins this year in Sydney but, as the British lineup grows, Trivett expects to grow everything in the operation."The first showroom in Sydney will be opening around July, to be followed next year in Melbourne and then in other capital cities as appropriate," says Greg Duncan, executive chairman of Trivett.He reports strong interest in the car with firm orders for a number of cars, with the first deliveries in November. "There are approximately 15 and growing. There's very strong interest in the car," Duncan says. "The Australian price has not yet been confirmed but I anticipate it will be around $500,000 RRP, drive away."He admits the McLaren will be shopped against the Ferrari 458 but is not worried by any comparisons with the benchmark Italian beauty. "I don't see this as a battle. The MP4-12C is an amazing car. It's already exciting everyone who loves cars, especially high performance sports cars," says Duncan. "This car is more for enthusiasts than extroverts. Also, it is McLaren's business plan to produce less cars than Ferrari so not only will it perform better but it will be more exclusive."Even so, McLaren intends to grow quickly. It is finishing construction of a purpose-built manufacturing operation at its headquarters outside London and is working on two additional models to follow the MP4-12C."McLaren has announced that it will build up to 1000 12Cs in its first full year and this will increase to around 4000 McLarens of all models annually. So the long term looks very bright for the Australian market."

The British company is ready to go with its all-new MP4-12C two- seater, a car aimed directly at the Ferrari F458.  But the battle will not stop there as McLaren aims for more than 4000 top-shelf sports car sales a year by 2015, all developed from the same fast-track technology base outside London that is responsible for the Formula One cars raced this weekend by Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.Up close, the 12C is much more impressive than it looks in pictures.  Every tiny detail has been considered and the overall result is a car which looks fast, but also has top-drawer quality. It is a jewel.The only thing missing - so far - is emotion. The twin-turbo engine guarantees 450 kiloWatts of power, a 0-100km/h sprint in less than four seconds and a top-speed of more than 300km/h, the carbonfibre monocell chassis is best in class, and there is everything from a seven-speed DSG gearbox to active aerodynamics."It's very difficult to create a car that feels alive at 200km/h and also at low speed. I won't lie," says Antony Sheriff, the boss of McLaren Automotive.  "It does not feel as viscerally raw as some competition. But you can drive it and not feel like you've been to hell and back. It's incredibly easy to drive."For now, I have to trust him on this stuff.  The only 'outsiders' beyond the development team who have driven the 12C are Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, and they are hardly impartial as they race for McLaren's F1 team.But, walking through the creative process for the 12C - from the choice of its name to plans for an all-new factory in 2011 - it is impossible not to be impressed by the effort. Still, when you're spending more than $500 million..."The success of this company is not going to be measured by how many cars we sell. The key word is exclusivity," says Sheriff.  "We think we can be successful. We are a company that's debt free. All of the people in this company feel incredibly lucky and incredibly challenged."That's why the company has still to settle on a final design for its corporate logo. It has to be absolutely right.Frank Stephenson, the design director at McLaren, explains in minute detail the approach to styling a car which has to be a McLaren flagship, but also cut through the air at more than 300km/h. And he explains the materials for the indicator stalks, and the way the seats are shaped, and the choice of paint and leather.Everything is new and everything has to be right.  "Everything in this car is bespoke. We even had to design our own heating-ventilation system," says Sheriff, explaining that a system from another brand would have made the car an unacceptable 10 centimetres wider.And so it goes. On and on. Visiting McLaren Automotive is a trip into a dream world where the right answer is always about excellence, not compromise or cost.  The first 12Cs are already built and look good, but they are only for testing. Including the car that went through three - yes, three - front-end crash tests without even cracking the windscreen.But why does McLaren need to build a road car? It created the massively costly F1 road car and lost money on the project, and was Mercedes-Benz's supercar partner until the marriage broke up."It's about launching a car company from nothing. There are a lot of good things for us to build on," says Mark Vinnels, program director.  "We need a business to support Formula One, as much as anything. We will have a range of cars. It's a massive project for us."More details will emerge from McLaren as the MP4-12C gets closer to production, including the final performance figures, specifications and pricetag. And, eventually, there will be cars to drive.Right now, the 12C has to be taken on what you can see and hear and touch. And it's impressive, but nothing will be certain until the car is ready for a test drive.  "We just have to nail it. That's an attitude that comes from Formula One. We've ended up with a car that is a McLaren and only a McLaren," says Vinnels.The home of the MP4-12C is massively impressive.  It's a $1 billion technology centre in the green belt outside London that is already home to the McLaren grand prix team and has been the production base for the Mercedes-McLaren SLR.Things are so organised that no-one eats at their desk, and the company canteen - overlooking a giant artificial lake - has a one-way traffic flow. There is also a jaw-dropping lineup of historic McLaren racecars - every one immaculate and ready to go - that cannot be ignored as you come in the front door.More than 200 engineers work in the development centre for the 12C project, which will also spawn two other models within two years, there is a giant 'reality wall' to check virtual development of the cars, and the assembly area is more like an operating theatre than an old-school production line.The price for the MP4-12C will be around $450,000 when it gets to Australia.  It is being set against the Ferrari F458 and will be sold through a single local dealer, although that is not a word in the McLaren vocabulary."We've got a revolutionary process. We're actually going to trust our partners," says Antony Sheriff."We want to create a sense of community. It doesn't matter how good the car is if you're treated badly.  We're not asking them for Taj Mahals . . . but a unique investment in customer service."McLaren has had more than 500 applications for agencies, including calls from two of the leading upscale dealer groups in Australia, Trivetts and Ateco.  "We've got about five or six candidates. We'll have an appointment made in July or August," says Ian Gorsuch, who is responsible for the McLaren business in Australia.The first cars are likely to be delivered early in 2011, but the order books will not even open until a dealer is appointed.

The world champions from the past two years were called up by McLaren Automotive to rip the covers off the company's production-ready MP4-12C sports car.The 12C is the British company's upcoming rival to Ferrari and the start of a plan to build more than 4000 high-priced, exotic sports cars within five years. It is has a top speed of more than 300km/h, is powered by a twin-turbo V8 engine, and is built around an F1-style carbonfibre monocoque chassis.The first production cars will be ready for customers later this year but Button and Hamilton have already had seat time during testing of 12C prototypes in Britain, lapping at the classic Goodwood circuit across the road from the Rolls-Royce factory.Not surprisingly, since both dream teamers are tied to McLaren, they have glowing praise for the car."The 12C is so easy to drive," says Button. "Its cockpit is a nice place to be and really makes you feel at one with the car. The driving seat is very comfortable and the layout of the controls is completely logical. The car’s dynamic capability is fantastic at both high and low speeds. Within just a few seconds, I felt really comfortable with the car – and after only a couple of laps I was able to begin to push it hard through the corners. Yet, even though I was pushing, I was amazed by the car’s great stability at high speeds. It’s very quick in a straight line, too. In fact, the biggest problem with driving this car on a circuit is that sometimes you forget it’s a road car."Hamilton is also an early fan.“The 12C is a real driver’s car; it delivered on all my expectations," he says. “It was clear when meeting the test team that they share the same competitive focus as our race team. We’re obsessed with winning and we’ll do all we can to make sure that happens. If the 12C team say they're aiming to make the best performance car on the market, then I’m convinced that's what they'll do."