MCLAREN WAITING LIST

Not trying to rub this in, but I have had my 12C for almost a month and really love it. I have never owned a Ferrari so I can't make comparisons. However it certainly out corners my Elise. Being a long time Lotus owner the fit and finish are truly welcome. The Mac has been well written up so I won't rehash all that. The one thing that jumps out at me when pushing the car is its ability to keep cornering loads out of the cabin. Yes I know I am opening myself to criticism by saying this but that's what I feel. I really respect the Ferrari mark and don't have a good reason why I never owned one,and it was a giant leap of faith to get on Mclaren's list early Jan. 2010 however now it seems worth it.

 

Mike- So the car goes around corners great, but the cabin does not go with it? Did not get what you meant. Cornering "g" loads are the same everywhere in the car unless you are spinning.

 

Have you seen the FF? (I'm just kidding.)

 

Trying to understand ... Some well-balanced cars are said to feel as if they rotate around the driver in a turn.

G forces must be there, but maybe it's:

the seat supportive
the ride and transitions smooth
the body roll nil

 

You're not rubbing it in at all. It's really very interesting.

Also, going from a Lotus to a 12 C must be night and day! The Mac has amazing power. It's one of the things I like about the 458.

 

Very well put,mainly its the body roll that works with the smooth transition of the suspension,i originally would have liked sport seats with harnesses to hold me in tight,but as these were not an option i just had the standard lightweight non-electric,and found that ive never felt more secure.I know this is partly in the mind because nothing will hold you like harnesses in an accident,but you dont need them to hold you in the seat on a spirited drive like almost any other car,it does make the car feel very much like single seater when you are in track mode,and the inboard seating postion helps too.Inboard seating postion???,The one thing that you will notice between the 12c and 458 is that they are virtually the same size,but when you are seated they seem a completely different size,the 12c seemingly smaller,which gives you more confidence when you are threading your way though tight spaces,this is purly down to the fact that the seat is postioned nearer the centre line,something that is only possible because of not having a stick drive.If you take all other sensory perception away i would say this is the biggest thing you notice when you jump from one to the other.

 

I got the Elise in 04 I had a 14 month wait on that car. It is the best handling of my 5 other Loti. When I got on the list for the 12C I was 12 months into a GTR (a meer 5 month wait)
I really thought the Mac would not be considerably faster, I was wrong.

 

Nothing seems considerably faster than a GTR,not even the Aventador which is very similar to the 12c,apart from top speed.I think you will have to wait for the F70 and new F1 if you want to see that.

 

From power to weight ratios, one would think the 12C is king.
The LP700 and GTR are both 500-1000 pounds heavier.
The GTR makes it up with corner exit speeds and low end torque.

I put 4,000 miles on a GT2 RS (#482, sold, great memories). I found that chasing power / numbers is boring, turbo lag is worse than boring, and that I lack the skills to keep sport cups warm on public roads.

Point being, you could subtract 50hp from a 458 and still have one of the best cars ever made IMO.

 

I have a very similar bucket list!

 

Great write up cka! I always prefer an owners report sometimes over a journalist.I don't think I could have written with the same elegance on my 458 as you did on your 12c.