AutoShortNews » McLaren

Tuning McLaren MP4-12C into twin-turbo HPE800

Admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:22:11 +0000

When McLaren released the MP4-12C, there were some questions about the distinctiveness of its styling, but not about whether the engineers at Woking had extracted every bit of performance they could from its 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine. John Hennessey and company, however, think they can do better. That’s why Hennessey Performance Engineering has targeted the 12C for its latest tuning package.

Traditionally, Hennessey usually starts by bolting on a pair of turbos to whatever car it can get its hands on. But McLaren has already done that, so Hennessey has fitted new ones, and along with it, upgraded the intercooler, intake, exhaust, electronic control modules and transmission. It’s also fitted a CarbonAero body kit, new wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber and a redone interior swathed in carbon, leather and Alcantara.

The result is 800 horsepower, up from 592 stock. What Hennessey hasn’t touched, however, are the MP4-12C’s suspension and brakes, which the Texas-based tuner didn’t feel it could improve upon. Whether the rest is advisable is up for debate, but that’s never stopped the Texas tuner before, so check out the details in the press release after the jump and the renderings for a closer look at what to expect should any McLaren owners inexplicably feel their 12C is just too slow.

Source: Hennessey

Jay Leno talks about McLaren MP4-12C

Admin — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:11:20 +0000

When Leno ordered his MP4-12C, he simply phoned the McLaren office and went through the options list. When doing so, he found a refreshing level of honesty in the person helping him buy the car. Leno said he wanted the carbon ceramic brakes, and the sales associate asked whether Jay would be tracking the car or not. Leno said no, and the salesperson told him he wouldn’t need the ceramics, then, as the standard steel brakes were cheaper, lighter and very effective. The associate also informed Leno that the carbon fiber interior accents were merely decorative and offered no weight savings, helping Jay save even more on the bottom line.

All told, it seems Jay Leno is just as smitten with the car as he with McLaren’s operation as a whole. The MP4-12C will occupy a space in Leno’s giant garage, positioned, we assume, right next to the McLaren F1 he already owns. Before purchasing the MP4-12C, however, Leno took a trip to Woking to see how the car is made. He got some track time, too, which you can watch in the clip posted.

McLaren MP4-12C on Top Gear – complete testing

Admin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:05:15 +0000

With their 17th series now in full swing, the blokes over at the BBC’s Top Gear put the two on their famous test track, and guess which came out ahead? Sorry to ruin the surprise, ladies and gents, but it’s the McLaren, setting the second-fastest time in the program’s history – beating out the likes of the Bugatti Veyron and Koenigsegg CCX and coming in just behind the superlight Ariel Atom V8 500. And with a 1:16.2 lap time, it thoroughly trounced the 458′s 1:19.1 in the process.

Report: McLaren F1 successor to pack 799 horsepower

Admin — Mon, 16 May 2011 15:52:43 +0000

Like the MP4-12C, the flagship supercar is expected to be built around a carbon-fiber monocoque packing a 799-horsepower, 5.0-liter version of the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 developed with Ricardo mated to the same Graziano seven-speed “pre-cog” dual-clutch gearbox. With that much power, we’re looking at a 2.8-second sprint to 60 miles per hour before hitting 200 mph in 20 seconds flat.

According to the report, the car dubbed “Mega Mac” will arrive sometime in 2014, with just 500 examples pegged for production with a price tag in the neighborhood of $600,000. Of course, these specifications could prove entirely speculative, and we wouldn’t be surprised if the end result were even quicker, and – given the seven-figure supercars we’ve been seeing lately – more expensive.

[Source: Autocar]

Fastest street legal car McLaren MP4-12C GT3?

Admin — Thu, 05 May 2011 18:32:03 +0000

The racing team-turned-automaker just rolled out the new GT3 racing version of the MP4, and has grand plans to produce a new model or variant annually for the next five years. A big brother to the MP4 and successor to the F1 is reportedly set for introduction by 2014, bearing more radical styling than the rather derivative 12C (and hopefully a more dynamic name, too). But before that, we could be looking at a road-ready GT3 model.

[Source: Inside Line]

McLaren F1 vs MP4-12C

Admin — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 17:20:02 +0000

Awesome. Guttural. Vicious. Even though the youngest of the 100 McLaren F1 models produced was built 13 years ago, the machine still conjures some of the very best words the English language has to offer polite society. It was only a matter of time before someone lined up the old king of the roost against the new McLaren MP4-12C to find out which is the better weapon for assaulting track records. Autocar has done exactly that, and it’s been so kind as to work up an excellent video of the experience.

McLaren takes first MP4-12C GT3 out for Silverstone test

Admin — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 12:10:17 +0000

McLaren has just unveiled the racing version of its all-new street-fighting MP4-12C. The McLaren MP4-12C GT3 has been out running England’s Silverstone circuit with new test driver Álvaro Parente at the wheel. The race-version of McLaren’s new coupe is nearly four inches wider than the street version. It also features completely reworked suspension, which was first tested on McLaren’s in-house simulator.

Mazda takes the MX-5 to the ice

Admin — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 15:46:41 +0000

Teams faced temperatures that dipped as low as -24 degrees Fahrenheit and stiff competition from racers from around the world. Spiked tires were standard equipment for all of the vehicles, though it’s worth noting that the talent behind the wheel wasn’t professional by any stretch of the imagination. Mazda invited fans and automotive journalists from a total of 26 countries to participate in the event.

2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe set for Geneva Motor Show debut

Admin — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:12:46 +0000

The subject of many spy shots and leaked photos, the new C-Class Coupe has finally been officially revealed by the factory ahead of its official debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. There, the new Benz coupe will arrive with two engine options: The Mercedes-Benz C250 coupe gets the 1.8-liter direct-injected turbo four with 201 horsepower, while the C350 coupe is equipped with the 304-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6. Both are mated exclusively to Mercedes’ 7-speed automatic transmission, which drives the rear wheels. 4Matic all-wheel drive will not be offered on the C-Class coupe. (The AMG version of the coupe is tipped to come along in another month at the New York Auto Show.)

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

2012 McLaren MP4-12C

Admin — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:11:16 +0000

Let’s see now. You’ve got your Ferrari 458 Italia, your Porsche 911 GT2 RS and 911 Turbo S and Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera 570-4. After all, if we’re setting the scene properly on the most important supersports car inauguration in quite some time – the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C – we should, in this first privileged go, at least be keeping our minds on sub-12-cylinder mid- and rear-engine road beasts. For now, that is. So if anyone brings up the 2012 Nissan GT-R or Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, that’ll be us snapping your back side with a wet towel at the health club. You’ve been warned.

Before we’ve dropped into the Recaro support-o-rama seats of the MP4-12C, one of the Queen’s lairds of the realm announces, “Be prepared to drive the best handling sports car in history.” What do you say to Sir Ron Dennis, boss of the newly formed McLaren Automotive Company (a.k.a. the MAC daddy), when he puts pressure on like that? It’s like Bill Gates looking at us and asking enthusiastically, “So, don’t you just love that Windows 7?” What happens if you don’t?

But as luck would have it, the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C is quite possibly the best handling supersports road and weekend track car in history. Yes, this will certainly take some ‘splainin’, but bear with us. We’re just pleased that no royal beheadings will now be called for, as Sir Ron is not renowned for his merciful treatment of dissenters.

Source: AutoBlog