[Carscoop]

[McLaren]

[WCF]

 

McLaren has entered the final phase of development for the McLaren MP4-12C.  The company will announce performance details on their new prototypes next month, leading to the car's 2011 market launch.

The company refers to each vehicle as an "experimental prototype," or XP for short.  Shown in the video are the XP8 and XP10, wrapped fully in matte black vinyl, as opposed to black and white camouflage seen on the last round of prototypes.  These vehicles entered testing five weeks ago, according to the company.

In the four-minute long video, the cars can be seen on the road near Montblanc, Spain, and on the track.  The cars use an updated version of the McLaren M838T twin-turbo engine, and a gearbox with optimized ratios.

"Some supercars that we drive are pretty intimidating.  That's something with the MP4-12C that we never really wanted," said McLaren new vehicles director Mark Vinnels.  "Everything we are trying to do with the car is to make the car as easy as possible to drive."

McLaren says that not a minute goes by that the XPs are not tested.  The company has a team of about 25 engineers working on the car in shifts 24/7.

The love story that began in 2004 between Mercedes-Benz and McLaren comes to an end this year. These legendary companies set out to produce a memorable supercar and the result was the SLR (sport, light and racing). It came in two coupé, two roadster and one Stirling Moss version, which is the last one scheduled for production. Of the 2,000 SLRs built, only 75 would ultimately be badged Stirling Moss, thus making more selective what was already a highly unattainable car.

The SLR has a 5.5-litre V8 supercharged making 460kW (626hp) in the Coupé and Roadster models as well as 478kW (650hp) in the 722 Edition and Stirling Moss versions. The latter has a 0 - 100km/h time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 350km/h. At such a speed helmets may be recommended since, as a true speedster it has neither roof, windscreen or side windows to speak of.

Moss himself piloted Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR racing cars to a succession of victories in the 1950s. He was not the only one; Juan Manuel Fangio, later became Formula One World Champion five times, posted victories in the cars too.

That the SLR ceases production will not stop members of the SLR. CLUB (anyone who owns one) from getting together regularly. The club is to continue organising events such as drives on famous racing circuits and participation in the Mille Miglia.

Via Worldcarfans

Only time will tell if the styling of the new McLaren MP4-12C will age well and look relevant years later, as the firm's chief designer Frank Stephenson hopes it will, but for now, most seem to agree that the British supercar's looks are unexciting - maybe even generic, especially when compared to the likes of the Ferrari 458 Italia. That doesn't seem to be the case though with this conceptual proposal for a flagship McLaren supercar from Matt Williams, a graduate of Coventry University's Transportation Design degree program.

William's, who created the LM5 as part of his final year project, designed the mid-engined supercar to sit atop the MP4-12C essentially playing the role of the F1's spiritual successor.

Not surprisingly, the F1 inspired the design of the LM5 which retains the same three-seat layout as the original model with the driver in the middle and two passengers on either side. However, the LM5 has its own distinct and rather aggressive styling personality (unlike the MP4-12C...)

In theory, the LM5 was designed to be powered by a massaged version of the BMW M5 / M6 5.0-liter V10 - apparently paying homage to the original F1 that sported a BMW M Division sourced and developed V12 engine.

Via: Diseno-art

McLaren has released a series of images and photos featuring the McLaren MP4-12C. The photos were released along with a redesign of the company's website, which features a detailed animation of the vehicle. The above video of the door's opening was also released.
The animation shows what the MP4-12C would look like if the vehicle exploded apart. Although not available yet, the website indicates that a configurator will become available.
McLaren says the animation is meant to show prospective customers worldwide how the car was built around the driver. The pictures tell a similar tale, displaying a practical use of the limited space around the driver.
The McLaren MP4-12C is not expected to be released to the market until 2011.

Via Carworld

One of the most anticipated sports cars of the year, McLaren Automotive's spanking new MP4-12C was formally introduced to the world on Wednesday with the release of the first photos and details. We know that you're lusting for an action packed video, but for now we'll have to be content with these two new videos showing the firm's bosses Ron Dennis and Antony Sheriff talking about the MP4-12C that can be seen turning around in the background. Hit the jump to watch both videos.

Have your heart set on a race-spec McLaren F1? Then you'll be happy to know that the last F1 GTR to leave McLarens factory has turned up for sale in Japan. From a total production of 100 units, only a mere 28 were F1 GTR race cars built for private customers competing in the FIA GT series and the 24 Heures du Mans. This particular F1 GTR is allegedly the last model of the series with chassis number #28R.

The McLaren race car belonged to the 'Gulf Team Davidoff' and it features the characteristic stretched bodywork of the so-called 'Long Tail' F1 GTR of which only ten were produced in 1997.

The 1997 F1 GTRs were developed to meet major regulation changes made for both the FIA GT Series and the Le Mans 24 Hour race. Aside from the radical aerodynamic enhancements that included a much longer nose and tail, as well as a wider rear wing, the '97 models also featured further improvements to the 600HP BMW Motorsport V12 engine, an all new sequential transmission and a weight reduction of 75kg over the '96 model resulting in a kerb weight of just 915kg or 2,017 lbs.

There's no price tag listed on the Japanese website, but you know the saying - if you have to ask...