Mclaren MP4-12c

*Comes to 458 section*

"Mclaren MP4-12C" Oh.... great. I wish all of these threads would stop.

 

Hakan,it is one thread among hundreds,you have a choice.There are many who have collections of cars who seek information on all!
It is you that cant stop your keyboard finger from looking,ask yourselve would you do this for any other car on a ferrari thread??
Let others make their own choice also,it would have been a ferrari owner that started it,a Mclaren only owner would not be that arrogant,and vice versa

 

I am impresseed with the appearance of the car. it looks better than I had suspected.

Never drove one but from the comments posted sounds like a gentlemans touring car versus a sport car like the 458.

Nothing wrong with that. My Aston is a touring car also, but lower on the food chain then the 12C. At least in cost and power.

It is all what you want when you buy a car.

Lee

 

I finally saw the new McClaren MP4-12c up close this weekend at the new Palo Alto dealership. Unfortunately, it was closed and no sales people around. It looks great very clean and understated. However, I prefer the looks of the 458. I would need to drive both cars at the track to make a decision. Maybe in few years, I can do that as no dealer will let me take either car for a drive.

 

They are supposed to get one at Exotic racing in Vegas. It was supposed to happen in November of this year but obviously, that's been delayed. My guess is later next year. I know they have one on order.

 

If its putting down power that you like,its the first car i have driven that under hard acceleration in the dry it actually does hurt your eyeballs,only ever had this in a single seater on a track with slicks,im sure its partly to do with the SSG that doesnt give them a rest between changes,then again i might just be a pencil neck with weak eyes!!!

 

One thing I noticed is that from the outside, the mclaren looks bigger than it actually is. Perhaps its because it has larger single panels or because the rear of the car is more rounded. Need to step back a bit to better appreciate it in its entirety.

Not a bad looking car, but doesn't stir up as much emotions as the 458 does.

I ordered the 458 so my choice was clear...

 

I am waiting for Exotic racing in Vegas to get a McClaren and Aventador. It would sure be a blast to drive all three and compare: Ferrari, McClaren and Lamborghini and compare notes. Ferrari still has the edge for overall race car feel compared to the others based on what I have read thus far in the auto trade magazines and the McClaren costs just as much. The sales guy next door to the new McClaren dealership told me that a fully loaded MP12c costs 300k new and I see low mileage Ferrari 458 Italia cars for 260k available so price wise the Ferrari costs way less as there are no deals on the McClaren yet. Still- I do prefer the looks of the old F1 McClaren far over over the plain looking MP12c.

 

That's where I plan on driving one.

 

Re: comparison MP4 and 458 is definitely valid. Ferrari has more emotions despite I don't know how to quantify it. I just follow my heart and end up with a 458. Re: edge as a race car overall, I am unsure if it should go to the V8 458 or V12 Aventador. It seems like the Aventador is more track oriented if Tiff Needle was right. The Aventador has the jet fighter cockpit and the 458 has the F1 minimalism. Honestly, those are the 2 cars I would want to own at this moment. The 458 is again close to ENZO performance distilled into a daily usable package while the Aventador follows the true Lamborghini lineage diablo, coutach... it is more track focused than road use focused? I know I will land myself an Aventador one day just that budget constraint leaves me to get only one of the two. I do like the minimalist no inlet look, clean, curvy 458 but the Aventador is growing on me. It is very very edgy, proportioned and angular and the scissor doors are very historic. I do like it just that I have not driven one.

 

Beg to differ Cal,the 12c would be more like a race car,as thats the whole ethos of the design,just like a race car it goes round corners on rails,and is not set up to slide round them,thats why the journos didnt like it.

 

From all the comparisons I've read, the thing that the "journo's" didn't like about the 12c was that it felt a bit too disconnected from the driver and that the driver aids (ABS and traction control), were too eager to take control from the driver. Basically it was more about the technology than it was about the driver.

With the 458 they seemed to find that the technology onboard served more to compliment the driver rather than take him completely out of the equation early on.

 

The New Lambo is a stunning car to look at and a brillant styling improvement from the previous model. Our dealer had one in Orlando. The 700 hp is not for the faint of heart

I think mixing the 458 with this car is not the perfect comparison. The 458 and the Gallardo are sport cars the 599 and the Aventador are gentlemans touring ceuise missiles

Good luck whatever you buy

Lee

 

Quite the opposite Phil,they are very unobtrusive,on track mode there is plenty of slip,its just that because of the compliance of the suspension system,you are travelling very quickly when it lets go,but even then its controlable.As for the ABS,ive never yet got it to work in the dry,because the airbrake works all four wheels,so the grip under braking is amazing.I admit the traction control does its job very well,but in a subtle way,unlike some systems that are too aggresive.
It is a car that needs to be learned,and a quick test drive can sometimes give the wrong impression.

 

Mmmm.... not sure Tiff Needell or Jason Plato would agree with you on that on: http://fwd.channel5.com/fifth-gear/videos/supercars/mclaren-mp4-12c-track-test

(But then to be fair, they're both professional racing drivers who probably push the cars beyond what most owners ever will)

For Me personally it's simple, like the Honda NSX before it, the Mclaren could be a superior car to the equivelant Ferrari, but at the end of the day, it's not a Ferrari and that's all that matters.

 

true...it is a mclaren!!!! how cool is that!!!! with cars like the m1, m6, bgt, m8...i would say there is some seriously mean and nasty pedigree there!!!!

 

12C looks like a kit car, inspired by Ascari KZ1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascari_KZ1
Why should we step on the same sh@t? Ascari wasn't a great success at all, neither the 12C will be.

 

Would Aventador be a cruiser? Given Tiff's comment, I think it is a track focused sports car. Anyway, one day, I promise myself, I will have to complement my 458 with one!