Close4trac:
23 pages of thread... and still I can't find any test that tells me the most important thing -- how much luggage space the McLaren has...
Out of curiousity I asked McLaren this very question, but wasn't given an excact number for luggage space, just some undefined "big enough boot under the front hood" whatever this means. 
The secret of life is to admire without desiring.
WAY:
Anyway, I do like the way Button's 12C looks.
Out of the four propositions from the McLaren website Button's all-black version is nice. But Ron Dennis' dark grey still looks best to me.
The secret of life is to admire without desiring.
Rossi:
4trac:
23 pages of thread... and still I can't find any test that tells me the most important thing -- how much luggage space the McLaren has...
Out of curiousity I asked McLaren this very question, but wasn't given an excact number for luggage space, just some undefined "big enough boot under the front hood" whatever this means.
I was only partly joking....as it seems the car's combination of power, manners and smoothness would make long distance touring very pleasant... if you could take something with you other than a toothbrush and a credit card.
2010 Audi S5, 2009 Porsche 911S
4trac:
Rossi:
4trac:
23 pages of thread... and still I can't find any test that tells me the most important thing -- how much luggage space the McLaren has...
Out of curiousity I asked McLaren this very question, but wasn't given an excact number for luggage space, just some undefined "big enough boot under the front hood" whatever this means.I was only partly joking....as it seems the car's combination of power, manners and smoothness would make long distance touring very pleasant... if you could take something with you other than a toothbrush and a credit card.
I find this question to be important as well. Luggage space, both under the front hood and behind the seats, should be at least as big as in a F355 for example, even better if there was space like in a F430. R8 is very limited in this respect, as the Gallardo. Given that the 12C is roughly as big as a 458, there should be some space for luggage available, especially because McLaren advertises its touring capabilities, as you rightly say.
The secret of life is to admire without desiring.
That is much better than a Gallardo or an R8 but the short nose of the car doesn't allow much length in the trunk it would appear.
A fire extinguisher in the front trunk won't be much help either if the car goes on fire - does it's inclusion mean are they worried they have may have copied Ferrari in all areas then? 
Thats a very small fire extinguisher. It could barely take on a pack of matches.
Since the MP4 is made in Woking, Id be more concerned Walking when it doesnt start up.
Does anyone know why its called the MP4-12C rather than MP4-8C? Where are the other 4 cylinders hiding? 
Feb 20, 2011 8:20:18 PM
McLaren MP4-12C first-drive by Autocar...
It's quick - but at the same time approachable and friendly near the limit...
Date: 8 February 2011
What is it?
The MP4-12C is no less than McLaren Automotive’s brand new answer to the Ferrari 458 Italia, and quite some car it is too.
Priced to rival the 458 head on (it costs £168,500 whereas the 458 comes in at £169,545), yet toting more power, more performance and even greater technical sophistication than its nemesis from Maranello, the 12C is without question Britain’s most exciting new supercar.
It’s also one of the fastest cars ever to be offered for use on the public road, with a claimed 0-60mph time of 3.1sec, 0-100mph in 6.1sec and a top speed of 205mph.
At the centre of the 12C sits a full carbonfibre tub, and that alone makes it different from, and theoretically superior to, any other rival at similar money. But it’s the car’s suspension that’s perhaps the most ground breaking. It features double wishbones and coil springs but no traditional anti-roll bars as such, and instead uses hydraulics and active dampers to provide its control. This system, claims McLaren, provides the 12C with as much as 25 per cent more grip than conventionally suspended rivals.
The 12C’s 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 engine was developed jointly by McLaren and Worthing-based Riccardo Engineering, and it develops a thumping 592bhp at 7000rpm and an arguably even more impressive 442lb ft right the way from 3000-7000rpm. To this is mated a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox (made by Graziano), which features a 'Pre-Cog' selection mechanism that shifts gear faster and more smoothly than in rival systems.
All up the 12C weighs just 1301kg when dry and when specified with the lighter of the two alloy wheel designs. That gives it a kerb weight with a full tank of fuel and all its fluids of a whisker over 1400kg, which is at least 50kg lighter than the 458 (although in reality it’s nearer 100kg if you specify the two cars like for like). Braking is provided by huge steel ventilated discs front and rear, and also by an Air Brake system that deploys only when the car’s sensors detect that a really big stop is required. Carbon ceramic discs can be specified as an option.
What’s it like?
In a word, incredible. And very, very fast indeed. There are all sorts of elements that define the 12C dynamically and elevate it above its already esteemed competition, but the ride, handling and above all else the performance are probably the stand-out features.
The first time I put my foot down and held it there properly, the level of thrust that was unleashed through the rear tyres came genuinely and sincerely as a shock. It starts from the moment you nail the throttle at anything beyond 1500rpm, even in fourth gear, and by 3000rpm you can already feel your organs being squeezed hard into the seat.
From there until the cut out at 8500rpm there is then just a vast, constant wave of energy that catapults the 12C forwards – with more conviction than any road car you can ever remember this side of a Bugatti Veyron. Including the legendary F1. And the numbers would appear to support this impression, too; in all three acceleration disciplines – 0-60mph, 0-100mph and standing quarter mile – the 12C is faster than the McLaren F1. Only on top speed does the legendary old timer have the measure of the new car.
And then there’s the noise it makes, which, at a steady 3000rpm/seventh gear cruise is virtually non-existent, but which at 8000rpm in third gear is brain-bendingly loud. Not quite in 458 Italia territory for sheer volume or quality of sound, perhaps, but not far off.
On the road you don’t need to go berserk in the 12C to realise how quick it really is, and it’s the torque that makes it feel so effortless. Even at half throttle it provides enough acceleration to leave most other cars reeling in its wake. And at full throttle it feels quite magical in the way it picks up and hurls itself down the road.
And that’s before you so much as mention the 12C’s handling, ride, steering and braking capabilities, all of which are perhaps more extraordinary still than the straight-line speed. There’s so much grip and such a high level of dynamic composure to the car that you really need to drive it on a circuit to get anywhere near its towering limits. Which is precisely what McLaren allowed us to do at Portimao in Portugal, albeit for a few brief laps.
What’s most spooky about the 12C’s chassis is the lack of inertia it suffers from. The nose snaps to attention and glues itself on to the apex of whichever kind of corner you aim it at (and at seemingly any speed). And the rest of the car then just seems to follow.
Yet despite the urgency of its responses there’s nothing remotely neurotic in the way the 12C behaves. There are no spikes in its behaviour, no sharp edges to its handling. So while it feels nailed to the ground through any given corner, it doesn’t feel nervous or scary to go with it.
And that, apparently, was one of the key remits when designing not just the chassis but the car’s whole dynamic personality; it had to be quick with a capital F in terms of response, but at the same time approachable and friendly near the limit, and supremely comfortable as well. It’s a job more than well done on this evidence.
Should I buy one?
If you’re in the fortunate position of being in the market for this kind of car then the choice has just become a whole lot broader, and the decision process has become harder to make at the same time. Yet there can be no doubt that what McLaren has produced in the 12C has taken the game so far forwards – dynamically if not aesthetically – that you’d be either foolish or very stubborn in your ways indeed not to at least give it a try.
And if you are seriously in the market, and you do then go for a proper drive in the 12C, you will be hooked. Instantly. And you’ll never look at the Ferrari 458 or Lamborghini Gallardo in the same light ever again. So don’t say you haven’t been warned...
McLaren MP4-12C
Price: £168,500; 0-60mph: 3.1sec (claimed); Top speed: 205mph (claimed); Economy: 24.1mpg (combined); CO2: 279g/km; Kerb weight: 1434kg; Engine: V8, 3799cc, twin turbo, petrol; Power: 592bhp at 7000rpm; Torque: 442lb ft at 3000-7000rpm; Gearbox: 7-speed dual clutch auto
ISUK:
That is much better than a Gallardo or an R8 but the short nose of the car doesn't allow much length in the trunk it would appear.
A fire extinguisher in the front trunk won't be much help either if the car goes on fire - does it's inclusion mean are they worried they have may have copied Ferrari in all areas then?
Iain, this car won't go on fire, it ain't no Ferrari.
The secret of life is to admire without desiring.
JimFlat6:
Does anyone know why its called the MP4-12C rather than MP4-8C? Where are the other 4 cylinders hiding?
12C is the result of McLaren's excellency equation ( taking into account, top speed, acceleration, weight etc..... ) To be short it stands for : this is the best car ever, according to the constructor 
997.2 C2S, PDK, -20mm
OK... Here it comes...
Today I spoke with my german friend who attended MP4-12C intro in Portugal. In short-in his opinion it is by far the best sportscar currently on the market. Very serious verdict since it is coming for the guy who owns 997.1 GT3RS and 458 Italia as sportscars. He driver X5 4.0d as daily driver.
His advice to me-get one on second production year.
Mar 5, 2011 11:37:19 PM
Jenson Button takes evo's Chris Harris for a ride in the new McLaren MP4-12C...
New McLaren MP4-12C review
Rating: ***** (5 stars)
We drive the new McLaren supercar, the MP4-12C, for the first time. Road test, video and pictures here...
-- by Chris Harris
(February 2011)
What is it?
The new McLaren MP4-12C, rival to the Ferrari 458 Italia, offspring of Ron Dennis. It costs £168,500, so is cheaper than the Ferrari, too.
Technical highlights?
No roll bars, no LSD, hydraulically supported and connected suspension, adaptive dampers, a little under 600bhp, 1301kg dry, carbon tub, optional ceramic brakes, brake assist, twin turbochargers. More technology than we’ve ever seen in a sports car before.
What’s it like to drive?
Unlike any other sports car because it separates the roles of ride and roll-stiffness. On a straight, bumpy road, it’s more comfortable than a Merc E-Class, change direction and it’s sharper than a GT3. There are 3 chassis modes: comfort, sport and track which bring increased roll-stiffness and more relaxed intervention from the ESP. The powertrain is remarkable in its strength and ease-of-use: the MP4 is noticeably quicker than a 458, doesn’t feel that turbocharged and makes a great noise. Crucially, you can separate the chassis functions from the powertrain (again, comfort, sport and track) so it’s possible to have sharp throttle response and faster gearshifts, with supple suspension. It is the most talented machine I have ever driven.
How does it compare?
To what? I mean can you think of an obvious rival? Only kidding – it’s faster than a Ferrari 458 Italia, has more useable performance, rides better, has more mechanical grip and is much, much more useable.
Anything else I should know?
Yes - that no one understands the emotional side to these machines like Ferrari does, and the MP4-12C, for all its brilliance, serves as a reminder. It’s not unemotional, it sounds great in ‘track’ mode, it steers beautifully and its engineering is intriguing – but it is a car you admire deeply rather than one you sell your family to own. As you can tell, I need more space to tell this story...
McLaren-MP4-12C_Chris-Harris_Evo-link
Chris Harris drives the McLaren MP4-12C in the first UK video road test...
...in glorious High Definition!
Mar 6, 2011 4:24:25 AM
McLaren Automotive brought out an MP4-12C prototype to Cars&Coffee in Irvine, California this morning. They also brought along a 12C bare chassis and so it was great to be able to pour over all the details for those of us not able to attend one of the dealer intros.
It was wonderful to finally see the car in person. I was a little iffy on it from the initial studio shots released back in September 2009, but it has definitely grown on me and 'in the metal' it is a sharp looking car with a lot of presence. It's not wild like some prefer their supercars to be but I think that suits McLaren's style, that the design will age well and it is a good building block for future products while still carrying over a few elements from McLaren's past.
The people who are lucky enough to put their names on the list for this car should have no regrets. 
Here are some of my pics:
The other 140 or so photos I took can be found here in my Flickr Gallery:
McLaren MP4-12C visits Cars&Coffee
>8^)
ER
I realize you're kidding around, but wanted to mention that this is one of the Validation Prototypes McLaren built back in the middle of last year. There are a few pieces on it that were not completely finalized and it was lacking some functionality.
The funniest part was there was a string hanging out of the other corner of this wheel arch where it meets the door that they were having to use to open the hood. 
Also the power in this one was being limited and it was only capable of a maximum of 15 mph so there was no sense in trying to drive off with it while no one was looking (like that was even going to happen 
)
Lynne from McLaren said that they'll have Production Prototypes - a step up from the Validation cars - coming to the USA in the next couple of months to give those with deposits a chance to drive one.
>8^)
ER
Mar 15, 2011 10:51:41 PM
Mar 16, 2011 3:25:39 AM
Enmanuel:
Atzporsche:
haha, i love this car. Looks so good in silver, very understated.
+1, white will look amazing as well.
Sort of white..
- "I see dead pixels..."
- “When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
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