New McLaren MP4-12C - the people's supercar!
Friday, 8 June 2012 11:15 AM
The McLaren MP4-12C gets even more power. As if it needed it!
Apologies for the lateness of this breaking news but your correspondent was sleeping - and this slumber took her into her dream garage. And in the dream garage was the very latest version of the McLaren MP4-12C (or 12C, for short). While your correspondent's real garage has an asbestos roof and is currently filled with bricks from an old storage heater, the dream garage is thrilling to the power increase in the 12C - an extra 25 horses taking the max output to 616bhp.
While the 12C is not generally known as a practical little run-about motor, McLaren insists this one is more user-friendly and easier to live with. Could this really be the people's supercar (albeit the supercar for people with £176,000 in the bank...)? Yes, McLaren is promising this car is easy to drive, the seven-speed gearbox offers swift, smooth shifts and there are more options for a personalised leather interior. There are three powertrain modes to choose from - Normal, Sport and Track.
But just in case you thought McLaren had gone soft and were trying to create the supercar equivalent of a sensible family car, think again. The new Intake Sound Generator allows what they are calling "programmable aural drama" in the cockpit. This controls the amount of engine intake sound you hear inside - a roar for when you're letting rip on the open road, a quieter experience if you and your significant other are driving along and "really need to talk." Or listen to the news on BBC1.
The other vital stats for the new 12C include a 0-62mph sprint of just 3.1 seconds, 0-124mph dash in 8.8 seconds, a top speed of 207mph and, if you fancy a drag race, it can do the quarter-mile in 10.6 seconds.
If you already own a 12C, you will be offered a complimentary upgrade to the latest specs so you don't feel like you're now behind all those new 12C owners out there. But for the rest of us, it has a starting price of £176,000 - get thee to the bank manager. Or dream on...
By Georgia Lewis
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