| Archive for The Motor Forum talking cars since 2006 |
| Richard (ex-MB_insider) |
McLaren MP4-12C
The MP4-12C is powered by a bespoke 3.8-litre twin turbo 90-degree V8 mounted amidships and producing ‘around 600bhp and 443lb ft’. |
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| BeN |
Nice.
In a Lamborghini-Noble-ish kinda way. |
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| Gurney |
Not bad, I like the door sided instrument panel idea. This new suspension design sounds interesting as well. | ||||||
| Guitar Zero |
Looks like a mishmash of the Gallardo and the 360.
I don't suppose there is much you can do with a mid engined supercar now - they all have very similar proportions. It's all in the detail - which in this instance is very poor : Exhibit A - the plastic grey bits at the front Exhibit B - the wheels, urgh. Exhibit C - the same weird plastic grey stuff between the spoiler and the numberplate at the back - and are those two nostril things supposed to be exhausts ???. What's wrong with good old fashioned exhaust pipes ?? BTW - have you seen the gap between the rear wheel and the arch ? If Gordon Murray has been involved in this, I hope it tanks like a big tanky thing. |
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| Dr. Hfuhruhurr |
That is nicer than I expected from the spy shots. And sadly shows up the Noble for the amateur effort it is, styling-wise at least. Good to see they've retained the F1 doors. | ||||||
| DarthBalls |
+1 Don't the various renderings of the next Lotus Esprit also look very similar to these pics as well? |
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| "him" |
I don't like that much at all, and I so wanted to...
Dead on from the front it looks good, but there are too many jarring details, such as the exhausts, the rear wing and the vents behind the engine. I am sure the "tech" will be great, but the styling lets it down. |
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| Racing |
+2 The nostril-things are nasty, as are the alloys, which I suspect are an attempt to recall the original F1. |
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| woof woof |
It may be a bit generic mid engined supercar and I don't like the front grill and that funny upper lip thing but overall I like it.
Not in that colour though. |
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| Dr. Hfuhruhurr |
It's a pity the wheels are conventional five-stud, not centre-lock like the F1 (or the new GT3, for that matter). | ||||||
| Gurney |
Missed opportunity. Still, Macca V Italia test will be interesting. |
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| BeN |
One more thing. The name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, does it?
MP4-12C. Sounds so technical. |
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| Dr. Hfuhruhurr |
I think that's the idea. This is Ron Dennis we're talking about, after all ... |
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| woof woof |
Darth - "Don't the various renderings of the next Lotus Esprit also look very similar to these pics as well?"
Not if it ends up looking like this - 
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| DarthBalls |
Ah - the last time I saw Esprit drawings it was more conventional, like that Macca. |
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| BeN |
It doesn't give that "Wow" factor. "I want a Zonda" seems a lot better than "I want an MP4-12C" |
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| "him" |
Still when the inevitable updated version arrives, you can say you don't want a "Macca-D" either... | ||||||
| Scouse |
Good idea in theory, shite in practise especially minor control switches as well. 6 years of driving Espaces IVs and I still can't get used to having the heating/ac controls on the door panel. It just isn't intuitive. |
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| Guitar Zero |
Flat plane crank turbo V8 and no manual gearbox.
Double yuk So it looks crap and will sound crap - what happened to all the Murray guff about the purity of natural aspiration ? |
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| Eff One |
I like the simple look of the interior a lot. Exterior is a bit hit and miss but losing the grey plastic and a different colour would lift it.
Sounds fascinating under the skin though I'm surprised to see turbos. |
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| Dr. Hfuhruhurr |
Murray left McLaren therefore had nothing to do with this. |
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| Pkh72 |
By the time the new Esprit finally sees the light of day we'll all be travelling round in our own personal rocket bubbles powered by air.................or something. It seems to be taking some time to appear. For what it's worth i'm liking this McLaren although i think it would better in a different colour. It's not particularly special but i guess that is the job of the bigger brother that i understand they are planning. |
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| Parm |
Not a patch on the F1, but I think it looks OK. | ||||||
| woof woof |
"It seems to be taking some time to appear."
There are lots around but as they're so stealthy you just don't see them. |
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| Blarno |
Generic mid-engined fluff.
And a gayboy gearbox. Missed opportunity. Flat plane V8s are fine, if you like your V8 to sound like 2 XR3i engines in the same bay.... |
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| Humphrey The Pug |
I like that, and the colour too.
Why to British low volume car manufacturers always seem to show their new models in LHD? |
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| Big TC |
And so do I. To me, it just seems so much more lithe than a Ferrari. Would be a difficult choice between that and a Gallardo for me. Fuck it, I'll have 'em both! |
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| PG |
MP4 - 12C. Sounds more like a music download format than a car.
More generic mid-engined styling (including the glass panel so you can see the engine) but the concept of the interior really appeals. It's very cockpit like and snug looking. |
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| Matt |
Not quite as sharp as a 458 Italia to my eyes, but I quite like it.
Murray is allegedly going to work on a new F1 after he releases the T25. |
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| Frank Bullitt |
Not tickling my no-mans-land. | ||||||
| woof woof |
The more I look at it the more I like it. I think that the front could be less fussy though, but overall, very nice. | ||||||
| Grampa |
The photo of the Mclaren on this weeks Autocar cover looks almost comical with eyes and a smile as though it should be in the film Cars. | ||||||
| DaveGibson |
Well, at least it has a smile and not a downturned pout like the current Ford 'face'. | ||||||
| Skyhook |
Celica in the flat form over the rear wheel arches? | ||||||
| ALF |
I don't think Murray has been involved with McLaren for donkeys years.
I think it looks a bit generic mid-engined supercar and would prefer it to have an NA V10, but if McLaren are to be believed, the sort of "detail" they are worried about is not little bits of plastic but re-writing the rule book of what can be done from a performance, handling, and aero perspective at this price point. My bet is that this will piss all over the competition from a driving perspective and that journos - some of who will be able to drive the thing properly - will love it. Normal people (who won't) will then want to buy it, regardless of the fact a Gallardo would probably tick their boxes better. |
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| Twelfth Monkey |
The looks don't do a great deal for me, but there's many an interesting piece about the thoroughness of the engineering and the degree of comfort with which parameters have been exceeded. This could genuinely move the game on.
I suspect the turbos are to do with emissions. Isn't it supposed to produce the lowest CO2 per bhp of any petrol engine? |
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| Dr. Hfuhruhurr |
The more I read about this car (especially the long piece in EVO) the more I like the sound of it. I'll be interested to hear its overall dimensions, especially width - would be nice if they can keep it down the way they did with the F1. | ||||||
| Scouse |
Indeed. That tub is a thing of beauty | ||||||
| PhilD |
+1 Whereas the more I read about Ferrari's and the general journo wank-fest over every new one the less interested I get. One of the mags made the very good point that it might look a little 'plain' in isolation in the pics, and possibly against the 458, but on the road amongst normal vehicles it will look sensational. |
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| Dr. Hfuhruhurr |
You can now register an interest on their website, which I've done. | ||||||
| Skyhook |
I'm amazed no-one has commented on this! So, Nick, maaaate.... may I baggsies a passenger ride if you go ahead? |
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| PhilD |
I couldn't find the emoticon for seething jealousy 
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| Dr. Hfuhruhurr |
Indeed, but such talk is premature at the moment. It will depend if the financing and running costs make sense (well, in the same way that the GT3 makes sense ...), unlike certain Italian competitors. McLaren claim it's a useable supercar, so I'm taking them at their word. It'll be interesting to find out anyway, and I'm sure as a new company they'll be more customer-focused than more established brands. |
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| "him" |
+1 
With regard to being a "usable supercar" I would imagine that that it would be similar to a 911 Turbo in so much that it will be designed to be driven on a daily basis, and therfore hopefully have realistic servicing intervals/costs. Lets hope so anyway, the more I read about it the more I am looking forward to seeing how it drives. The EVO article did much to change my opinion of it... |
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| woof woof |
I might be wrong but I think that early buyers will be able to sell for a healthy profit. I hate it when that's done deliberately but
on the positive side it means that for genuine non speculating buyers depreciation wont be an issue. |
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| Parm |
Some new pics here http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/McLaren-MP4-12C/243783/ | ||||||
| Clunes |
Short video of some of the development:
http://www.imotormag.co.uk/news/3...upercar_development_on_video.html (No doubt available elsewhere as well) |