While all the hype surrounding the McLaren MP4-12C that has been doing the rounds on the interwebs may have led us to believe that we know everything there is to know about the latest supercar from McLaren, little did we realise that it was just smoke and mirrors with not much of the actual details being leaked out, until now that is.
McLaren have finally released the full specs on the supercar and the digits seem to match up with the dreams that McLaren instilled in us about their latest machine.
Sitting under the rear hatch is the M838T engine, a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that pumps out an impressive 592hp and 600Nm of torque to the rear wheels, enabling a century sprint time of 3.3-seconds and a top speed of 330km/h. Just for the scorekeepers, 0-200km/h takes just 9.1-seconds. Optional Pirelli Corsa racing tyres are also available and fitted with them, the MP4-12C will do the century sprint in 3.1-seconds and the 0-200km/h run in 8.9-seconds.
Transferring all that power to the rear wheels is a seven-speed SSG gearbox that can be adjusted to suit the driving style, offering three modes, Normal, Sport and Track.
The MonoCell carbon fiber chassis that forms the base of the car weighs in a scant 75kg, helping it weigh in to the fight at just 1,301kg with further weight reduction a possibility as McLaren will surely throw in some lard-trimming options once the car is launched.
Suspension wise, the MP4-12C features adjustable roll control that replaces the mechanical anti-roll bars. As for the ride and handling, the suspension can also be adjusted to three different modes, Normal, Sport and Track. Bear in mind though that the suspension settings act independently of the gearbox even though they share the same mode designations.
“I am immensely proud of the 12C development team. I don't believe any car company in the world has put as much effort, innovation, passion and sheer determination into launching a car as McLaren has with the 12C. Both in simulation, and in the real world on road and track, we have gone to extremes to ensure the 12C stands up to the performance and quality we know our prospective customers demand," said McLaren Automotive's Managing Director. Antony Sheriff.
While all the details have been spilt, McLaren are still testing the car with four prototypes on the road in Portugal and Spain. It will be officially launched later this year and will be sold through a network of 35 dealers in 19 countries.
The videos below show some of the journalists that were privileged enough to have a go at the MP4-12C already, amongst them Evo’s Chris Harris. The collective agreement from them is that the MP4-12C is the most complete supercar on the market right now. There’s also a sneak peek at McLaren’s advanced simulator.
Lastly, the MP4-12C goes head-to-head with the Ferrari 458 Italia and Porsche 911 Turbo. It’s no surprise who the winner is as the McLaren has a 92hp advantage over the 911 and weighs more than 45kg less than the 458, which it also out-muscles.
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Source: WorldCarFans, Autoblog and YouTube
