Any 458 owners driven the Mac 12C

And so you should!

At no-turbo rpms the F40 isn't dead, but comparable to a 328, in a much lighter car. When the turbos spool - wow, I only got my cherry popped a year ago but they are still amazing machines even in this day and age. Would love to own one.

Now back on-topic.

Onno

 

Awesome!

 

+1

Pretty positive I want that to be my first fcar.

 

I test drove the Macca 12C when I was contemplating the 458 spider. It is really an interesting car. It seemed very "german" to me, more like my Beemers and Porsches that I have had before. You sit much closer to the middle than the Ferrari, and you are aware their is a carbon tub around you. The interior is not as nice as the Ferrari. Functional, but not beautiful. The doors are cool, but I had a hard time closing them, but I am sure with experience I would have been an expert.

But the drive was great, the car was stonking fast. Great ride, great handling, wonderful torque curve. A real precision instrument. It's a great car, and if I was a 100 % track guy, I would take it over the Ferrari, esp. in spider form, because I think that is the closest you can get to the feel of an F1 car in a road legal car in NA.

But I chose the Ferrari because it's more fun. And my wife thinks it's sexy, which, in the end, means I'm more sexy. I would choose the Macca to impress my friends, but if I can say this indelicately, it's the Ferrari that gets me lai*.

 

If I could add one more comment, for the doctors out there, the Ferrari is like ADHD, the McLaren is like Aspergers.

 

Tony, I'm glad to see that you're enjoying the 12C, they really are great cars. Have you had chance to track it yet? The oddest thing (most different) about the 12C to me, is the suspension, in comfort mode it seems to almost wallow over the bumps.

 

So does that mean Lamborghini is like Tourette Syndrome?

 

BIAS ALERT: I bought a 12C in March/2012.

Wow... I mature thread on Fchat about a 12C? I am pleasantly surprised. I got tired of all the mud slinging on this site and stopped posting as I got close to buying the 12c. I still don't understand why owners of these cars get their panties in a twist. Its just a car, a toy. From an automotive standpoint, this is a great time to be alive. The capabilities of the cars today is just amazing. I plan to own/enjoy as many different marques as possible.

One last comment: I personally feel a 12C coupe and a F458 Spider make a great combination.

 

Interestingly I was reading an article in Evo about how kids see the two brands and unlike many of us who are concerned about heritage, the word means nothing to them. The Macca was considered just as cool as the 458 totally because they are both at the pinnacle of F1; even Lotus got some halo effect in the eyes of a couple of 16 year olds and nothing much else mattered.

Upshot, they are both great cars. I am stuck with the whole heritage issue and will probably always buy F cars. When I attended the Mac launch, I found the entire car very anodyne, somewhat of a reflection of Ron, no style, no charisma and the doors would automatically preclude it from my garage. The 458 has a sense of occasion like every F car and to me that is what is missing in the Mac. Certainly every bit as good as a car and an amazing first effort, and I suspect the Mac Spider will shade the 458 Spider due to its carbon tub, but I am happy with my choice.

 

I think you are dead wrong. The great combo is a 458 coupe and a 12C Spider!

 

+1

 

It was until this post.

 

May I ask why? With the top down the Ferrari engine/exhaust sound will be spectacular. It would make for a fun date night vehicle. The 12C looks good as a spider but I feel it loses some of its technical/engineering edge since it is heavier and less rigid.

 

I personally think this would not necessarily be the case in the US as kids here apparently do not follow F1 as much as the UK kids. That is not a reflection on the Mac in any way, only the connection to F1 . Now get some Chevy's and Pontiacs and 458 would get it's azz kicked with US kids. Lol

 

16 year olds don't buy supercars.

 

Not today, but.......

 

True. But I'd bet come the day when they actually have to put their money where their mouth is their reasoning might be entirely different from that of their 16 year old selves.

 

Because of the carbon fiber tub, the 12C would loose none of it's rigidity as a spider, as opposed to the 458's all aluminum chassis. Other than the extra weight of its roof, the 12C loses nothing on the coupe. Not the case for the 458. They had to strengthen the chassis, so more weight, and it is 30% less rigid than the coupe, according to Ferrari (not that most would notice.)

The 12C spider with the top down and engine showing and scissor doors going up would make for a cool scene. I hate to say it but I think it would have more drama than the 458. But the 458 spider is more beautiful, and it definitely has the edge in luxury and sound.

 

Scissor doors should only ever been seen on a Lamborghini. That's where they belong. On the McLaren they're just a cheap gimmick, a slight of hand designed to distract the viewer from the fact that the rest of the car is so bland.

 

This may be a harsh statement but I agree totally!

 

In today's news... Source CAR magazine

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/News/Search-Results/First-Official-Pictures/McLaren-X-1---rebodied-McLaren-MP4-12C-supercar-revealed-2012/

McLaren X-1 - rebodied McLaren MP4-12C supercar revealed (2012)
By Gavin Green
17 August 2012 16:00

Sometimes, the best is just isn’t good enough.

That’s why a wealthy anonymous car collector – garage already full of McLaren F1, McLaren Mercedes SLR and MP4-12C, and goodness knows how many fabulous non-McLarens – thought he’d like to produce his very own one-off supercar.

The new McLaren X-1, which makes its debut at The Quail, part of the Pebble Beach weekend, is the result.

McLaren X-1: a whole new body, including lights and wheels

The brainchild of the wealthy collector – who had a major hand in its design – and of McLaren Special Operations, the booming bespoke division of McLaren, the unique X-1 is not merely a repainted and retrimmed 12C. It has a totally bespoke body. Even the lights and wheels are different.

The car had its own unique development programme. This was no fragile concept. It had to be usable and road legal. It took two-and-a-half years to build. Development included 625 miles of testing, including two intensive stints at the Idiada circuit in Spain, driven by McLaren chief test driver Chris Goodwin. After testing, it was meticulously rebuilt to concours standard.

The result is a striking and controversially styled piano-black car, with lacquered carbon fibre body sides. Its most unusual feature is the enclosed rear wheels. The brief, to McLaren design director Frank Stephenson, was to design something ‘modern art deco’ and of ‘timeless elegance’.

Unlike the 12C, the car is peppered with art deco brightwork ‘jewellery’, including rails running from the nose, over the shoulderline and hips, to the rear of the glasshouse. These were specifically requested by the owner. The brightwork is all machined from solid aluminium and then nickel finished. It includes eyebrows over the bespoke headlights.

All carbon body for the McLaren X-1

The body is made from carbon fibre. Even the rear number plate illuminators are made from carbon. Other gorgeous details include a machined aluminium header tank cap and carbon finishers in the engine bay. The airbrake rear wing is also machined from solid aluminium and nickel plated. So is the McLaren logo on the nose.

Internally, the changes are less profound, although the special carbon trim has a unique titanium thread running through it, to give an almost 3D effect.

Wheels are diamond turned and finished in a tinted lacquer that matches the nickel-plated brightwork.

The new body is longer and wider than the normal 12C although, despite the revised roofline, the height is the same. The 12C carbon monocoque body is unchanged, and so are all mechanical components. The doors have also been specially developed, although they retain the dihedral action and the twin hinges.

One appearance – and then never seen again

The X-1 is like a rare piece of cherished art that makes one appearance then, in all likelihood, disappears forever. The owner, apparently, has no plans to show it in public again.

MSO’s operations are booming. According to programme director Paul Mackenzie, at the beginning of this year 10 percent of McLaren 12C customers chose some level of personalization. By the end of the year it will be 20 percent, says Mackenzie. Mostly, it’s trim and paint finishers.

The X-1 is MSO’s most ambitious project to date. But, moving forward, even grander commissions are likely.

 

Wow its ugly. Sorry for the guy who payed for this but you watched the Thunderbirds too much as a kid.
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No but when I was 16 I lusted after a Porsche 911 and loved looking at Ferrari's (wondering how you ever afforded one?). Now at 56.............

 

Wow that X-1 is ugly.

 

Ouch on the X-1 !