The new beauty of McLaren, the MP4-12C

One week before the opening of the Frankfurt Motor Show, Mercedes Benz reveals details of its new sports car, which is designed to compete fiercely with the Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo, Porsche 911 Turbo, Bentley Continental GT, and the DB9 from Aston Martin.

However, according to the information provided by the manufacturer, the technology and performance of the car can easily be compared with the Mercedes-McLaren SLR, Porsche Carrera GT, Ferrari Enzo, and there is even a reference to the Bugatti Veyron.

The McLaren MP4-12C is equipped with a 3.8L twin-turbo V8 engine, whose 600 horsepower is sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. As expected, most of the technology used in the car’s mechanics comes from the company’s experience in F1.

An interesting fact we should mention is the sports car’s ability to deliver up to 80% of its torque at 2,000 rpm, which guarantees a pleasant drive and remarkable performance without needing to press the accelerator hard.

The car’s name comes from three roots: “MP4”, because all the sports cars competing in McLaren Formula 1 have used this designation since 1981; “12”, because it is the car’s efficiency coefficient (according to the manufacturer’s performance scale); and finally “C”, because most of its structure is based on carbon fiber.

If the exterior stands out for its design, the interior is no less impressive, as it comes with an impressive number of luxury features including a sophisticated multimedia system, dual-zone automatic climate control, a trip computer, electric seats with position memory, parking sensors, and a complete set of airbags.

On the other hand, nobody imagined that Ron Dennis’s new project would be linked to a mid-engined sports car, essentially because of his long history in F1. However, after he resigned from his post as Team Principal of McLaren five months ago, it was expected that he would take part in the company’s new division called McLaren Racing.

In short, we will soon get to know the German manufacturer’s new baby in full; a car that stands out for its sporting pedigree and for being the first of a new era of cars set to increase the German company’s market share.

Source | Motor Trend