8 Sep
McLaren returns to its F1 roots

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Since Benz and McLaren ended their partnership in the SLRs (could the precipitous drop in sales have had anything to do with this?), rumors have been flying about the new iteration of the McLaren brand – the mysteriously dubbed P11. Well today they released the first official photographs of what is now called the McLaren MP4-12C — the first all-McLaren road car since the F1.

The facts we got so far:

  • 200+ mph top speed
  • 3.8-litre 90-degree V8
  • 600bhp and 443lb ft torque
  • seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox / no manual is available

Seeing as the F1 revolutionized the supercar market when released in 1992, the bar is set pretty high for the MP4-12C (great name, by the way — pithy and elegant). It was at one point the fastest production car in the world, but with the above numbers (600 bhps, etc) it doesn’t look like McLaren’s going for the Supercar Heavyweight Belt this time around (the F1 is still, however, the fastest naturally aspirated production car in the world). At least the MP4-12C took conspicuous styling cues from its F1 progenitor…

A couple more pics, plus interior shots, after the Jump…

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One Response to “McLaren MP4-12C Revealed”

  1. […] by McLaren Automotive has just been announced, the topless version of the MP4-12C Coupe (which we previewed back in 2009). With an impressive 616 horsepower output from its bespoke 3.8-liter V8 twin turbo engine, this […]

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