MP4-12C's official public unveiling at the 2010 Goodwood FOS

[Peloton25]

The groundbreaking 12C will be unveiled to a public audience for the first time at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, which is held from 01-04 July. What's more, current Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button and 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton will be driving a 12C prototype up the famous Goodwood Hi...ll at the event. It's going to be a fantastic spectacle.

Goodwood will see Button and Hamilton race the VP9 Validation Prototype of the car, painted in McLaren Orange, up Goodwood Hill during the Supercar Run on Saturday and Sunday.

If you are intending to visit the Festival of Speed this weekend, please do visit the McLaren Automotive stand and see the stunning 12C in the metal. We will also be displaying the 1995 Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 and a 12C rolling chassis for your viewing pleasure.

Click the pic for more photos from GTSpirit.com

>8^)
ER

[Peloton25]

Expanded report:

Following their test of a ‘XP Beta’ 12C prototype at Goodwood Motor Circuit in March this year, Jenson and Lewis are excited at the prospect of piloting one of a new generation of 12Cs, the VP9 Validation Prototype car. Finished in traditional McLaren Orange, a solid hue made famous by Bruce McLaren’s racing cars of the 1960s and 70s, VP9 references McLaren’s past and future.

Sports car enthusiasts will see a new 12C prototype car on the McLaren Automotive stand, which is situated adjacent to the Sunday Times Supercar Paddock. Finished in Elite Volcano Orange and featuring a carbon fibre splitter, diffuser, engine covers, engine bay panels and seat backs, this 12C is fitted with lightweight forged alloy wheels in Stealth finish. Also on display will be a 12C rolling chassis and the Le Mans-winning McLaren F1. A team of McLaren specialists will be on hand to answer queries relating to the 12C and the McLaren F1.

Motorsport fans will be excited at the prospect of seeing the 1995 24 heures du Mans-winning McLaren F1. GTR1 won the legendary endurance race on its debut and in turn, secured for McLaren a unique ‘triple crown’. To date, no other manufacturer has won the Formula 1 World Championship, the Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans 24 Hours.

At Goodwood, the public will discover a new type of high performance sports car. At the heart of the 12C is a unique one-piece carbon chassis, the ‘MonoCell’. Current competitor models in the ‘core’ sports car sector all feature heavier aluminum or steel structures that limit ultimate performance. The 12C has been designed around the driver, and its development has been overseen by a team with extensive experience in Formula 1 racing and engineering. Outstanding aerodynamic efficiency and bespoke technologies including Proactive Chassis Control, Seamless Shift dual-clutch Gearbox (SSG), Brake Steer, and the 12C’s unique Airbrake feature in a car which has been developed using Formula 1 simulator technology.

Also on the McLaren Automotive stand will be a 12C rolling chassis, enabling viewers to see under the skin of the car and understand exactly how each bespoke component of the 12C is positioned around its lightweight and stiff carbon MonoCell.

The new McLaren MP4-12C will be sold initially through 35 global retailers committed to exceptional customer service, in 19 different countries around the world from Spring 2011. The 12C will compete with other cars in the ‘core’ high performance sports car sector, which are priced between £125,000-£175,000.

>8^)
ER

[Peloton25]

VP9 arrives at Goodwood for Jenson and Lewis to take turns thrashing it over the next few days:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqjABjjFzRY

>8^)
ER

[Peloton25]

Great shot from richebets at PH.com taken at Goodwood.



>8^)
ER

[peterst]

Originally Posted by Peloton25

Great shot from richebets at PH.com taken at Goodwood.



>8^)
ER

The car looks dated. For that cash Ferrari is better a lot))

[astonmartindbs001]

Looks aren't everything. The MP4-12C is around 80Kg lighter than the equivalent Ferrari F458 Italia, and with more power and torque coupled with the carbon fiber MonoCell-based chassis, it should be capable of an even higher level of performance.

Rather than judge it based solely on it's looks, I'd prefer to wait and see what kind of driving dynamics it serves up through the eyes and words of it's testers and reviewers. A full set of proven performance figures wouldn't go amiss either.

[peterst]

Originally Posted by astonmartindbs001

Looks aren't everything. The MP4-12C is around 80Kg lighter than the equivalent Ferrari F458 Italia, and with more power and torque coupled with the carbon fiber MonoCell-based chassis, it should be capable of an even higher level of performance.

Rather than judge it based solely on it's looks, I'd prefer to wait and see what kind of driving dynamics it serves up through the eyes and words of it's testers and reviewers. A full set of proven performance figures wouldn't go amiss either.

I would like to argue. Looks are very important for supercars. Imagine, you'll have to marry an aging woman. That's what we (the buyers) are thinking about first. Then it goes to the sound. Would you recognize MP4-12C before you see it? You want to tell your friends: what car you are driving. Say it, and look in their eyes. I think, the newborn is dead. Carbon fiber today is not a big deal, 80 kg for the car is nothing. All of us weight differs a great deal. If, I'm over 100 kgs, and my friends are the same, plus luggage, who cares about cars extra 80 kgs. I have to say that Ferrari 458 is the leader today. Try it, don't read the articles of those, who drive low budget cars as their own.

[astonmartindbs001]

Lightness is everything. It makes you faster everywhere, both on the road and race track. And 80Kg does make a difference. If both cars had the same additional loadings (Passengers, luggage, fuel etc.), the MP4-12C would still be lighter and thus remain the car with a superior Power-to-Weight Ratio.

Try it..... right. So you've 'tried' an F458 Italia then, have you? Did you take it to a race track, and a proper driving road? Probe every single last aspect and facet of it's performance, driving dynamics, and transient handling responses?

If you haven't, then you're probably not very qualified to comment, and I strongly suggest you refer back to the findings of those who've built their entire careers around driving, testing and evaluating supercars in a professional capacity.

[PatrickT82]

saw it friday at the FoS, very nice!

[peterst]

Originally Posted by astonmartindbs001

Lightness is everything. It makes you faster everywhere, both on the road and race track. And 80Kg does make a difference. If both cars had the same additional loadings (Passengers, luggage, fuel etc.), the MP4-12C would still be lighter and thus remain the car with a superior Power-to-Weight Ratio.

Try it..... right. So you've 'tried' an F458 Italia then, have you? Did you take it to a race track, and a proper driving road? Probe every single last aspect and facet of it's performance, driving dynamics, and transient handling responses?

If you haven't, then you're probably not very qualified to comment, and I strongly suggest you refer back to the findings of those who've built their entire careers around driving, testing and evaluating supercars in a professional capacity.

There are cars for road and track and they are not the same. We are talking about the road car. There's a waiting list for Ferraris. We have to wait now. But there were democars for old buyers. I drove the car far enough to say that it goes better, steers better, gearbox operates better. Better than 430. The MP4-12C is a road car without pedigree yet. I will try it for sure (I have personal invitation to the dealers), but it's not available for test. "those who've built their entire careers around driving, testing and evaluating supercars in a professional capacity" are ordinary people, they do their job for money and for those who pay. Only the owner really knows the truth.

[astonmartindbs001]

Congratulations. Make sure you get some photos. I'd like to see pics of you and that F458 Italia too, and considering how much you seem to love it I'd be extremely surprised if you didn't take any.

[peterst]

Originally Posted by astonmartindbs001

Congratulations. Make sure you get some photos. I'd like to see pics of you and that F458 Italia too, and considering how much you seem to love it I'd be extremely surprised if you didn't take any.

Why should I take photos of ordinary things I have in my life? My grandsons and friends will laugh at me if I do that. It's fun for me to look through all threads, and to find out how easy young people could be hypnotized, sometimes by false idea. You'll understand what I mean after some time. I'd started Ferraris since 208 turbo (may be you even hadn't heard of one), and passed all central engined through. Simply analyze the sales of Ferrari and McLaren. Mind the Veyron that has extra fat and less power/weight ratio than F1. Veyron you could use in hot climate everyday, F1 will fry you up in its oven, and the engine will brake down in the traffic.

[peterst]

Originally Posted by astonmartindbs001

Congratulations. Make sure you get some photos. I'd like to see pics of you and that F458 Italia too, and considering how much you seem to love it I'd be extremely surprised if you didn't take any.

In case you're really crazy about F458 Italia, you could easily hire one here:
http://www.eliterent.com/en/car_rent...ia_switzerland
You take care)

[Peloton25]

Another pair of great images:





>8^)
ER

[Peloton25]

Video of the display stand with footage of one of the runs up the hill:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwWDIDXc2f4

Another video of the car on the move:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x46hkY9iwwc

>8^)
ER