Feb 1 2012

Tuning McLaren MP4-12C into twin-turbo HPE800

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