Mclaren MP4-12C simply amazing
Last Wednesday, Pinstripe Magazine got a chance to get up close and personal with this awesome lady, the Mclaren MP4-12C at the NY Auto Show. She is powered by a twin-turbocharged, 3.8-liter bespoke V8 with 592 hp at 7000 rpm and 443 ft. lbs of torque at 3000 rpm and the max boost is 17.4 psi. The MP4-12C can achieve a 0-60 just 3.0 seconds flat with a quarter mile run in 10.4 seconds. She comes in with a curb weight of 3200 lbs. and a top speed of 205 mph.
The mid-engine beauty is a rear-drive intercooled DOHC coupe, 32-valve v8 with port fuel injection and aluminum block and heads. The intake manifold and cam shaft covers are constructed of composite plastic to save on weight.
If your nearby NYC you can go see the McLaren MP4-12C in person too at the NY International Auto Show until April 15th, 2012!
McLaren has not used anything BUT a carbon fiber chassis for 30 years, race car or road car alike and the MP4-12C has kept to that tradition. McLaren Automotive’s MP4-12C is engineered with a new, unique one-piece molded carbon fiber chassis and utilizes a 7-speed Seamless Shift transmission. McLaren’s Seamless Shift Gearbox or SSG, is a dual-clutch transmission used to avoid turbo loss when upshifting. Early forms of the dual-clutch were first developed by Porsche in the 1980’s.
The McLaren is the perfect intermingling of aesthetics, performance and efficiency. Efficiency ultimately means less heat generated and that equals performance. The two should go hand in hand, at least that is the way McLaren sees it. They have created one of the sexiest high-performance driving machines available and it’s efficient. It is so efficient that even at this performance level, the United States EPA has confirmed that the McLaren MP4-12C will NOT be subject to a gas guzzler tax! The MP4-12C does about 14 miles city and 22 mpg for the highway.
Building a precision high-performance driving machine is never an easy job, but with a factory floor that you could probably eat off of, like the McLaren Technology Center, the company creates an environment that breeds innovation and excellence for the R & D team. I bet you wouldn’t have any problems finding that screw or bolt you dropped in there. With the rising costs of gas/petrol, McLaren has engineered the MP4-12C around not only achieving high-performance which they are known for, but also fuel efficiency.
“Class-leading fuel economy and low emissions are additional aspects of vehicle performance that we have worked hard to develop. Developing our own engine and transmission, together with pioneering lightweight technologies across the whole vehicle, has helped us achieve good results at the EPA and gives us a platform to develop for the future,” said Geoff Grose, the Head of Vehicle Development at Mclaren.
About 1300 MP4-12C’s will enter the U.S. by the end of 2012. McLaren, was originally founded by Bruce McLaren. McLaren Automotive is chaired by Ron Dennis, based in Surrey England.
The McLaren MP4-12C is available for about $229,000, with a destination and port charge of $2,400.
Money Well Spent.
www.mclarenautomotive.com
Photos by Ronald Lee
