McLaren MP4-12C (2011): the first official P11 story
It’s been a long time coming, but today we can finally bring you the first official photographs and news of the new McLaren MP4-12C. It’s the supercar known until now by its P11 codename, but make no mistake: the MP4-12C is the first bespoke McLaren road car since the seminal F1.
The two-seater MP4-12C doesn’t go on sale until early 2011, when it'll wade into what McLaren Automotive calls the ‘core sports car market’ spanning from £125,000-£175,000. Expect a pricetag around £160,000, pitching it a notch above Ferrari’s new 458 Italia.
Why so expensive? Blame the extensive – and expensive – use of carbonfibre, a technology McLaren first introduced to roadcarkind in 1993’s F1. McLaren calls the skeleton of the MP4-12C the Carbon MonoCell, an unusually light one-piece structure where most supercars normally use assembled composite architectures. Although pricey, it's developed using a much quicker, cheaper production method than the McMerc SLR's tub, and it's clothed in aluminium and SMC plastic body panels.
McLaren MP4-12C (2011): the first official P11 story | Automotive & Motoring News | Car Magazine Online
The two-seater MP4-12C doesn’t go on sale until early 2011, when it'll wade into what McLaren Automotive calls the ‘core sports car market’ spanning from £125,000-£175,000. Expect a pricetag around £160,000, pitching it a notch above Ferrari’s new 458 Italia.
Why so expensive? Blame the extensive – and expensive – use of carbonfibre, a technology McLaren first introduced to roadcarkind in 1993’s F1. McLaren calls the skeleton of the MP4-12C the Carbon MonoCell, an unusually light one-piece structure where most supercars normally use assembled composite architectures. Although pricey, it's developed using a much quicker, cheaper production method than the McMerc SLR's tub, and it's clothed in aluminium and SMC plastic body panels.
McLaren MP4-12C (2011): the first official P11 story | Automotive & Motoring News | Car Magazine Online
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