McLaren News

1 Jay Leno: Duesenbergs What a Doosey of a way to start this top 10 star cars feature! One of the world's most expensive cars and most sought after by Hollywood legends over the years is the American luxury Duesenberg. Talk show host Jay Leno has one of the biggest stables of exotic cars in the world, including six Deusenbergs, each worth more than $1.5m. They are so luxurious, they gave birth to the expression "What a duesy/doosey"! They have been owned by celebs such as Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Greta Garbo, and Mae West. they have also been owned by millionaires Howard Hughes and William Randolph Hearst, criminal Al Capone and royalty. 2 Simon Cowell: Bugatti Veyron They cost about $2m and are one of the fastest production cars on the planet with a top speed of 431km/h. The Veyron also launches to 100km/h in 2.5 seconds. The TV talent show judge is a good judge of a car with a garage that also includes a Ferrari F430 and Rolls Royce Phantom. He has also paid a deposit for the Rolls-Royce 100EX Cabriolet which is still just a concept. 3 David Beckham: Custom Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead The V12-powered Roller is worth about $1.3m in "standard" trim. But there is nothing standard about this Roller for the soccer superstar and husband of Posh Spice. For a start, it has custom-made 24-inch Savini forged wheels which cost several thousand dollars each. Beckham's number 23 is embroidered on to the leather seats. 4 Jerry Seinfield: Porsche 959 The reclusive comedian built a $1.4m multi-storey garage in New York just to house his 46-car collection, most of which are Porsches. The most expensive is his rare 959. Only 337 were built and only 200 of those were street legal. A 959 is estimated to cost more than $1m. Bill Gates also owns one, but neither he nor Seinfeld can drive them on the streets as they don't pass US emissions tests. 5 Jay Z and Beyonce: Maybach Exelero Rapper Shawn Corey Carter (Jay Z) and Beyonce Knowles paid about $8m for this one-off German luxury sports car. It was commissioned by Fulda Tyres to test their widest tyres, but now Maybach is building the Batmobile-esque cars for general sale. The 350km/h two-seaters are powered by a 522kW twin-turbo V12 engine. The Exelero features in Jay Z's Lost One video. 6 Kim Kardashian: Ferrari 458 Italia Now that she has filed for divorce from her husband of 10 weeks, Kris Humphries, her collection of cars could also be split up. The reality TV star has several cars, including a Bentley Continental GT, Rolls-Royce Ghost, Range Rover and Ferrari F430, to which she has added the F430's successor, the 458 Italia. In Australia they cost more than $500,000, but Kim's has apparently been specially pimped. 7 Paris Hilton: Bentley GT Continental Of course, it's pink! The body, the grille, wheels, seats and interior trim. If that's not bling enough, it features a diamond-encrusted dashboard that is reported to be worth more than $250,000. In Australia, they cost about $400,000, but with a diamond-encrusted "PH" badge on the front, this one cost a whole lot more. The heiress bought it as a Christmas gift to herself in 2008. 8 Nicolas Cage: Ferrari Enzo The Hollywood actor's addiction to cars caused his financial ruin. At one stage he owned nine Rolls-Royces. But his most valuable and valued car was the legendary Ferrari Enzo which was gone in less than 60 seconds at auction for a bargain price. The V12 sports car, named after Ferrari's founder, had a top speed of 350km/h. Only 399 were built. They can sell for up to $20m. 9 Ralph Lauren: McLaren F1 LM The American fashion designer owns a huge collection of classic cars including the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe, Porsche 550 Spyder, a Bugatti Veyron, two Ferrari 250 Testa Rossas and a rare 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, of which 39 were made. While some might consider the 250 GTO the greatest Ferrari of all time, fetching up to $15m at auction, it's not as rare as the McLaren. Only five were built to honour the five McLaren F1 GTRs that finished and won the 1995 Le Mans 24-hour race. 10 Patrick Dempsey: Jaguar XK120 The hunky actor from Grey's Anatomy has great taste in cars, especially race cars. The aspiring racer has driven the pace car in Indy 500 and has raced sports car and off-road buggies. He is a co-owner of an IndyCar team and also owns a classic Jaguar XK120. They were built between 1948-1954 and successfully raced at Le Mans.  

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

When it comes to used dream cars, the Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III takes the cake.

The airfield, a former military base hidden in lush green countryside about an hour south-east of central London, is best described as shabby.Yet there is no denying the magic in the place, thanks to Top Gear. Dunsfold is the place where the world's favourite motoring show is filmed and also houses the test track where The Stig - whoever or whatever he is this week - does his stuff.Hitting the Top Gear track in the McLaren MP4-12C, with a British touring car race winner along to point the corners, is a win-win-win in anyone's book. Best of all, there are no limits. So long as the car comes back undamaged, the McLaren men are happy to have their car pushed right to the edge. After watching the Stig-ring for years on the television I think I knew it well.But the first surprise is discovering that it's actually a figure-of-eight layout, with a crossover where Chicago corner goes right and the 'tyres' take you left.The second surprise is the runway surface, which is bumpy, broken in places, skittery across some painted markings, and gives you almost zero marker points for braking and turning.So it's not an easy place to drive. It's a giant challenge in a car that cranks the speedo round past 230km/h in places and corners at well over 160.But the McLaren at Dunsfold is F-U-N. We're not playing with Top Gear slides and burnouts, just trying to learn the car and get the maximum speed and grip over every lap, and my adrenalin is pumping.Anything that gets into the 1 minute 20-second bracket on the Power Wall is quick at Dunsfold, and the McLaren settles there easily thanks to its twin-turbo V8, track-tuned adjustable suspension, giant carbon brakes and lightweight race-style construction.It whacks out of corners with a big surge of turbo thrust, brakes incredibly late, and gives you metre-by-metre feedback and grip in every corner. The back slides wide on me a couple of times, once under power and once when I misjudge my braking, and there is some turbo lag, but the 12C is basically a thoroughbred racing car with the comforts of a luxury limo.I get my last big surprise during a full-on race launch when the car rockets to 100km/h in less than four seconds before pushing me over the blind brow that hides the left-handed first corner at more than 200km/h. It is spooky fast.Just when I think it cannot get any better, Jackson chimes in from the passenger seat. "One-nineteen point four. Not bad," he says. At that point we park. Job done.

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 McLaren MP4-12C will be presented to Australia today in Sydney – check back here later to see all the photos and video – and the McLaren MP4-12C GT3 team and racing program is unveiled in the UK.The GT3 will be the first McLaren car built for FIA GT series racing since the F1 GTR’s last days in1997.Based on the carbon chassis-based MP4-12C, the GT3 has been adapted for the track with F1 technology, with 20 cars homologated for GT3 racing next year.Privateer buyers of the car will also be given access to the McLaren simulator programs.McLaren Group CEO Martin Whitmarsh says turning the MP4-12C into a race car was a logical move.“McLaren has racing in its blood and it was a natural step to take our MP4-12C road car and turn it into the most reliable, efficient and easy to drive GT3 car,” Whitmarsh says.“Every car on the grid will have its performance balanced by race rules, meaning our objective must be to select a technical specification that ensures any driver is able to access the 12C GT3’s performance limit with ease.“We have worked with CRS Racing to ensure the 12C’s design and development program is as close as possible to one McLaren Racing would employ in developing a Formula 1 car.“The 12C GT3 will be supplied with the 12C’s carbon MonoCell and the same steering wheel design employed by Lewis Hamilton in his MP4-24 Formula 1 car.“Plus, we are working closely with Formula 1 suppliers past and present: Akebono, Mobil 1, McLaren Electronic Systems, Ricardo and Michelin for example. This blend of road car and Formula 1 technology and experience will be a great advantage to anyone racing a 12C GT3 in 2012.”