McLaren MP4-12C
Encyclopedia
The McLaren MP4-12C is a sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....

 designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive
McLaren Automotive
McLaren Automotive, commonly referred to as McLaren, is a British automotive manufacturer of high-performance vehicles. The company was established as McLaren Cars in 1989 as a producer of road cars based on Formula One technology...

. It is the first production car wholly designed and built by McLaren since the McLaren F1
McLaren F1
The McLaren F1 is a supercar designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive. Originally a concept conceived by Gordon Murray, he convinced Ron Dennis to back the project and engaged Peter Stevens to design the exterior of the car...

. The car's final design was unveiled on 8 September 2009, and it is set to be launched in 2011. The MP4-12C features a carbon fibre composite chassis, and is powered by a mid-mounted McLaren M838T 3.8-litre V8
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....

, twin-turbo
Twin-turbo
Twin-turbo refers to a turbocharged engine, in which two turbochargers compress the intake charge. There are two commonly used twin turbo configurations: parallel twin-turbo and sequential twin-turbo...

 engine developing approximately 592 bhp and around 443 lbft of torque. The car will make use of Formula 1-sourced technologies such as "brake steer ", where the inside rear wheel is braked during fast cornering to reduce understeer
Understeer
Understeer and oversteer are vehicle dynamics terms used to describe the sensitivity of a vehicle to steering. Simply put, oversteer is what occurs when a car turns by more than the amount commanded by the driver...

. Power is transmitted to the wheels through a 7-speed Seamless Shift dual-clutch gearbox.

Design

As with the McLaren F1
McLaren F1
The McLaren F1 is a supercar designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive. Originally a concept conceived by Gordon Murray, he convinced Ron Dennis to back the project and engaged Peter Stevens to design the exterior of the car...

, carbon fibre is used extensively in the vehicle to minimise weight. The MP4-12C weighs 1301 kg (2,868 lb) dry.

The chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...

 is based around an F1 style one-piece carbon fibre tub, called the Carbon MonoCell, weighing only 80 kg (176 lb). The MonoCell is made in a single pressing by using a set of patented processes, using Bi-Axial and Tri-Axial carbon fibre weave produced by Toray Industries of Japan, with the MonoCell manufactured by Carbo Tech in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...

, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

. This has reduced the time required to produce a MonoCell from 3,000 hours for the F1 and 500 hours for the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is an Anglo-German grand tourer car jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive, built in Portsmouth and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England and sold from 2003 to 2009...

, to 4 hours for the MP4-12C.

The car has a conventional two side-by-side seating arrangement, unlike its predecessor the McLaren F1 which featured an irregular three seat formation (front center, two behind either side). To make up for this however, the car's central console is narrower than in other cars, seating the driver closer to the center. Interior trim and materials can be specified in asymmetric configuration - known as "Driver Zone".

Engine

The car is powered by the M838T 3.8 litre twin-turbo V8 engine, designed and developed by McLaren in partnership with Ricardo
Ricardo plc
Ricardo plc is a British publicly listed company named after its founder, Sir Harry Ricardo and founded on 30 June 1927 in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex. The company is a leading global multi-industry engineering provider of technology, product innovation and strategic consulting...

. The design of the engine was based on the Nissan VRH35
Nissan VRH35 engine
thumb|right|250px|VRH35Z Engine.The VRH35 is 3.5L V8 piston engine from Nissan.It was developed newly by Yoshimasa Hayashi.V=V engine configuration R=Racing H=The eighth of the alphabet = Eight cylinders-1987:...

 racing engine used in Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...

 in 1998
1998 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 66th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 6 and 7 1998.-Race:1998 saw a significant increase in manufacturer involvement. Porsche and Mercedes-Benz remained, with upgraded cars in both GT1 and LMP. Toyota sent three of their new, extremely fast...

. However, other than the 93 mm bore, little of that engine remains in the M838T. It produces 592 bhp and 443 lbft of torque. It has a redline of 8,500 rpm, with 80% of torque available at just 2,000 rpm. When first announced, McLaren claimed that it would have a higher horsepower to carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...

 emission ratio than any internal-combustion engine available at the time.

Transmission

The engine is connected to a seven-speed automatic dual-clutch gearbox made in Italy by Graziano
Graziano Trasmissioni
Graziano Trasmissioni is an Italian company manufacturing gearboxes, drivelines and their components.It makes the seven-speed, dual-clutch gearbox used in the McLaren MP4-12C-History:...

. Dubbed the "Seamless Shift Gearbox" or SSG, the gearbox features a system dubbed "Pre-Cog" that allows the driver to preselect the next gear by lightly tapping the paddle.

Performance

McLaren have stated the MP4-12C can accelerate from 0 to 200 kilometre per hour in 8.9 seconds. The car will have a top speed in excess of 322 kilometre per hour and will be able to brake from 200 kilometre per hour to a complete stop in under 5 seconds. Braking from 100 kilometre per hour to zero can be done in under 30 metres (98.4 ft), around seven car lengths.

Nomenclature

The name of the new McLaren sports car is MP4-12C.
'MP4' has been the chassis designation for all McLaren Formula 1 cars since 1981. Since 1997, 'MP4' has stood for McLaren Project 4 (from 1981 to 1996, when McLaren's title sponsor was Marlboro, the "M" stood for this), resulting from the merger of Ron Dennis
Ron Dennis
Ronald "Ron" Dennis CBE is the executive chairman of McLaren Automotive and McLaren Group, and is also a significant shareholder in both companies...

' Project 4 organisation with McLaren. The '12' refers to McLaren's internal Vehicle Performance Index through which it rates key performance criteria both for competitors and for its own cars. The criteria combine power, weight, emissions, and aerodynamic efficiency. The coalition of all these values delivers an overall performance index that has been used as a benchmark throughout the car's development. The 'C' refers to Carbon, highlighting the application of carbon fibre technology to the future range of McLaren sports cars.

MP4-12C shares its name with the MP4/12
McLaren MP4/12
The McLaren MP4/12 was the car with which the McLaren Formula One team contested the 1997 Formula One season. It was driven by Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard....

 Formula 1 car that raced in the 1997 season. This car featured a second brake pedal discovered by photographers to counter understeer on the exit of the corners by selecting the inside rear wheel, similar to the computer controlled "brake steer" system of the MP4-12C.

Production

Produced at the new £50M McLaren Production Centre, which is located next to the existing award winning McLaren Technology Centre
McLaren Technology Centre
The McLaren Technology Centre is the headquarters of the McLaren Group, located on a 500,000 m² site in Woking, Surrey, England. It is a large, roughly semi-circular, glass-walled building, designed by the architect Norman Foster and his company, Foster and Partners. The building was short-listed...

 in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

, the building is desiged to serve as the future production site of McLaren Automotive
McLaren Automotive
McLaren Automotive, commonly referred to as McLaren, is a British automotive manufacturer of high-performance vehicles. The company was established as McLaren Cars in 1989 as a producer of road cars based on Formula One technology...

's road cars. British Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

 David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....

 officially opened the building on 18 November, 2011.

All of the major components are produced by external contractors, with only final assembley, paint and inspection/shipping occuring at the McLaren Production Centre. Final assembley starts with the MonoCell, around which all components are then placed and fitted.

Comparison

On 10 July 2011, on the BBC programme Top Gear, the MP4-12C set the second fastest lap around the Top Gear Track, posting a time of 1:16.2. The car was developed and tested by McLaren on the Top Gear test track as part of their product development, long before its appearance on the show. This was 1.1 seconds slower than the Ariel Atom 500, and 2.9 seconds faster than its key performance rival, the Ferrari 458 Italia.

The MP4-12C finished second behind the Ferrari 458 Italia in Car Magazine
Car Magazine
Car Magazine is a British automotive enthusiast magazine published monthly by Bauer Automotive. International editions are published by Bauer Automotive in Brazil, China, Greece, India, Mexico, the Middle East, Poland , Romania, Russia, South Africa , Spain, Thailand and Turkey...

s July 2011 group test. It was also beaten into third by the Porsche 911 GT2 RS in the lap times set at Rockingham Speedway by racing driver Ben Collins. At an EVO magazine test it was over a second slower than the Ferrari around the Bedford Autodrome West track, it was also slower in Fifth Gear
Fifth Gear
Fifth Gear is a motoring television magazine show from the United Kingdom. Originally shown on Channel 5, the show is currently presented by Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Plato, Jonny Smith and Ben Collins...

 and Car Magazine.

Convertible

In addition to the coupe, a convertible version of the MP4-12C is under development at McLaren. The convertible is planned to have a retractable hardtop that will be made from either aluminium or carbon fibre. McLaren is working to preserve the coupé's 200 mph (89.4 m/s) top speed. Meanwhile, the unique butterfly wing doors of the coupé will be retained.

GT3

In December 2010, McLaren announced that they would produce a small number of MP4-12C cars in order for them to compete in the FIA GT3 European Championship
FIA GT3 European Championship
The FIA GT3 European Championship is a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It is a championship derived from the international FIA GT1 World Championship, but meant to provide competition for more...

. McLaren stated that they will provide maintenance for the cars and will begin racing in 2012 with the CRS Racing
CRS Racing
CRS Racing is a British auto racing team founded by British driver Andrew Kirkaldy and Canadian-Greek entrepreneur and driver Chris Niarchos. The team was founded in 2007, but is based on the former team of Kirkaldy known as Team AKA which competed in the British Formula Renault Championship...

 team. The MP4-12C will be the first car to compete in sportscar racing for the company, since the F1 GTR
McLaren F1 GTR
The McLaren F1 GTR was a racing variant of the McLaren F1 sports car first produced in 1995 for grand touring style racing, such as the BPR Global GT Series, FIA GT Championship, JGTC, and British GT Championship. It is most famous for its overall victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans where it...

. It received its début with a single car entry for the Spa Francorchamps round of the British GT
2011 British GT season
The 2011 Avon Tyres British GT season will be the 19th season of the British GT Championship. The season will begin on 25 April at Oulton Park and finish on 8 October at Silverstone, after ten races at seven meetings....

 championship. This was followed by a three car entry in the 2011 Spa 24 Hours
Spa 24 Hours
The Total 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event held annually in Belgium at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Conceived by Jules de Their and Henri Langlois Van Ophem just one year after the first 24 Hours of Le Mans, the race was run under the auspices of the Royal Automobile Club Belgium...

. Another car is also entered in the GT cup of the 2011 Macau Grand Prix
Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix is a motor-racing event held annually in Macau, one of China's Special Administrative Regions. It is known for being the only street circuit racing event in which both car and motorcycle races are held...

, driven by Danny Watts
Danny Watts
Danny Watts is a British racing driver.Danny Watts started racing in 1993, when he began karting. After five seasons of karting, he stepped up to single seater racing in 1998 in the UK Formula First championship, in which he dominated with 12 wins...

.

Compared to the road car, the MP4-12C GT3 produces less power with only 493 bhp due to homologation. The car features a new bespoke six-speed gearbox that is 80 kg (176 lb) lighter than the road car's seven-speed, developed with Ricardo. The steering wheel is lifted straight from the McLaren MP4-24
McLaren MP4-24
The McLaren MP4-24 was McLaren-Mercedes' Formula One car for the 2009 Formula One season. It was revealed at McLaren's headquarters in Woking, United Kingdom on January 16, 2009....

Formula 1 car.

External links

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