Pics Aplenty: McLaren MP4-12C is ready for its close up
McLaren MP4-12C – Click above for high-res image galleryFor those who've been anxiously awaiting the replacement of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, last night was a very big night indeed. Not only did the new Mercedes SLS AMG leak out, but McLaren itself released full details of its new MP4-12C. We ran the info as soon as we could gather it along with an initial batch of images, and now we're back with more for your viewing and desktop-plastering pleasure.
The design of McLaren's new supercar – its first independent road-car project since the legendary McLaren F1 – comes from the hand of one Frank Stephenson, the multi-national, American-educated designer responsible for the reborn Mini, BMW X5, Fiat 500 and countless Maseratis and Ferraris. His design of the MP4-12C is dominated by McLaren's tick logo, which figures large in the air vents all around the car as well as the LED lights. The shape is otherwise clean and streamlined, aided by the use of adaptive aerodynamics. The interior is accessed via signature McLaren forward-upward hinged doors, and though lamentably without the 1+2 configuration made famous by its precursor, envelops the driver and passenger in thin, molded bucket seats. The dashboard is dominated by a 7-inch multimedia display, and the Pre-Cog gear system is operated via paddles mounted on a rocker, allowing up and downshifts to be affected from either side, just like in McLaren's championship-winning grand prix cars. Check it all out in the high-resolution image gallery below, and stay tuned for video footage to follow shortly.
Gallery: McLaren MP4-12C
[Source: McLaren]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Mike7 11:33AM (9/09/2009)
It looks like it could a new Saleen, a toned-down successor to the S7.
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zamafir 11:51AM (9/09/2009)
it looks like a successor to the f1:
http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/mclaren-mp4-12c-0/#21
Rob 11:57AM (9/09/2009)
I gotta be honest. I'm crushed by this...and not in a good way. It's just so...so...conventional and derivative. I see resemblance to other vehicles all over the place. The front nose shelf of a Ferrari 360 or 430, the lower side inlets of a Lotus or Saleen, the inlets at the side windows of the new Ferrari 458 Italia, plus others. I'm just so incredibly dissapointed. I'd take inspired and quirky any day over good-looking but bland. From a design perspective this is like an Accord or Camry of supercars. Offensive? No. Exciting? Not that either. Blah, I'm off to cry in a corner.
Franz 12:06PM (9/09/2009)
I LOVE it. I still can't believe how many people were actually expecting what amounts to an updated F1... that car cost north of a million bucks. There's no way McLaren could build a direct replacement for the under $200K price point or 1000+ units volume they're targeting. And I'm glad they didn't try to, or it'd be the exact same "not a worthy F1 successor" arguments.
zamafir 12:20PM (9/09/2009)
@Franz - correct, not even Murray's next car will be the same thing. Like you u I get McLaren and get their aims and love this car. The technology, the form follows function design, our first supercar based around a DSG gearbox, the low weight, the very functional/high tech cabin with nothing included which isn't needed, the air brake which doesn't need to be powered, the esc with individual wheel braking, the design when compared to the original, McLaren hit the ball out of the park. To bemoan the fact that it resembles 'everything else' when 'everything else' takes their cues from the F1 gets tired soon. If anyone has the right to follow the F1 in terms of proportions et-al, it's McLaren. Just watch leno's video. it's legitimately shocking and heartwarming not to get a galardo aping wedge design from McLaren or that very odd front end from the F458.
It's easily the best looking car in it's group.
Franz 12:28PM (9/09/2009)
Correction: meant to write £200k instead of $200k.
zamafir 12:33PM (9/09/2009)
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/upload/20589/images/McLarenMP4-12C.jpg
CAR, as usual, has the goods before anyone else, love this shot ^
italy430 1:07PM (9/09/2009)
I think everyone who is not familiar with McLaren should just shut up. it seems ppl on here pretend they are car experts and know everything. saying McLaren has copied everyone and done this and done that is BS. the side inlets DO NOT look like they copied the S7. that's like saying the F430 copied the LP-640's intake scoops. or saying the front looks like the front of the F458?? um no, it actually doesn't. first get your head around the fact that these are supercars and most supercars look similar in the way that most pickup trucks look similar. you might need a few moments for that to sink in.....
like zamafir said, it looks more like a McLaren than anything else. do some fricken homework people. I also find it quite interesting that the car "experts" on this site pretty much hate every single car that's ever put before their eyes. reading the comments on here, it's quite clear. there are only a few ppl that actually like one certain car and the rest of the comments are all negative. i can pretty much guarantee that with any post on here. go look for urself, i'll bet you'll be amazed at the negativity in the comments on virtually all of the posts on autoblog. yet the cars sell quite well.
so all you "experts" that think you know everything, you're pathetic. i can't count the amount of stupid and idiotic comments i've seen on this site. i stopped reading comments on here months ago but since this was a big release i decided to see how it would be accepted by the autoblog commentator "experts" and sure enough, most are highly uneducated about the subject matter and know little about what they talk about.
geo.stewart 2:00PM (9/09/2009)
byproduct of a McClaren F1 and the Lotus Evora.
I'm lovin it
hoyaCS08 2:13PM (9/09/2009)
italy430 - the general impression I get from the comments on the site is NOT that Stephenson "copied" the various supercars this car is claimed to resemble (gallardo, S7, 360, etc). Rather, I think some people (I would include myself in this group) are just a little disappointed that this car does not do more to take supercar styling in a newer, more innovative direction.
Stephenson is clearly a talented original designer, as his work on the Mini and F430, among others, clearly demonstrates. And this car definitely represents a landmark for McLaren and for the supercar business in general - it's the first car from a new entrant in the market (yes, of course, the F1 came before, but that was 15 years ago and was a one-off Gordan Murray project, this is the first run of a range of McLaren road cars without Murray's involvement).
Given all of the above, I was hopeful that Stephenson could mark the occasion with a truly innovative, fresh perspective on the supercar in much the same way the F1 did. To really show us supercar fans the "next generation". The car certainly has the chassis and powertrain to deliver, I just don't think anyone looking at these pictures can honestly say that the design does.
Obviously this is all subjective, but in my opinion the Ferrari 458 goes further in achieving this goal. Not all supercars have to look the same. True innovators have managed to change the game before, and will continue to. The fact that various commenters are comparing the McLaren design to many contemporary supercars just means that it's nothing new. Which, for the first new McLaren supercar, is a disappointment.
As for the quality of comments you typically find on autoblog, well, yes.
Rob 2:30PM (9/09/2009)
@hoyaCS08
Well said. That is exactly my sentiment.
adrian 2:38PM (9/09/2009)
Let's wait and see how it performs on the road and track before slamming it. Also remember this. There's quite a few Ferrari's on the road in many different countries but not many Mclaren's. I think I would take this.
zamafir 8:42PM (9/09/2009)
@adrian - who cares about exclusivity, it's 100lbs lighter than the F458 and has 600 hp, who the hell wouldn't. :)
tariq 2:43AM (11/10/2009)
It DOES look like a giant lotus, specially due to the side inlets and the headlights
DCragtop 11:34AM (9/09/2009)
with a body like that, it SHOULD be ready for a closeup. Grrrrr.
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Kevin 11:58AM (9/09/2009)
Anyone else wanna see the damn thing in black?!? The car looks great but that color is like captain buzz kill. Show it in another color!!!!!
Azmati 12:54PM (9/09/2009)
That is a very significant color for the car. Papaya Orange metallic. Papaya Orange was Bruce Mclarens personal racing color. It makes perfect sense that they use that color, as it pays homage to Bruce Mclaren himself
MixiM 12:59PM (9/09/2009)
Yeah, the colour is hideous. The original drawing of the car was much better but due to engineering and aerodynamics we got a more subtile design. But hey, the F1 wasn't a stunner even back then, more of an execution of clean design. As is this one!
zamafir 1:49PM (9/09/2009)
@Azmati - i'm not sure if it's worth your time. A lot of these comments read as though many of our fellow readers are just now learning of McLaren and the "F1" :/. What next, anger at an aston or lotus or jag for wearing british racing green, or a Ford GT for wearing gulf livery. Hell, most pics of the McLaren F1 are of Papaya Orange metallic, especially that famous shot of the GTR under the trees.
And McLaren even made it easy in the shot where both cars are standing together.
akboss302 11:35AM (9/09/2009)
Wow, this car is gorgeous! It may not be as breathtaking a design as something like the Countach was for its day, but it embodies a modern, 'evolutionary' supercar image. Good job, glad to see McLaren is back.
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