First time I've seen these two next to each other

I like Ferrari more but McLaren have interesting a$$

 

What plate is on the 458 ?

 

UK trade / dealers plate (Temp plate specific to the dealer / trader)

 

The McLaren looks like something from battlestar galactica.

 

What the $ on the mclaren?

 

If you didn't tell me it was a McLaren, I would say it's another Lotus.

 

Thanks for the info. Never seen those before.

 

Do you have any more pictures of the CF side skirts on the 458??? I didn't know that was an option.

-G.B.

 

Pretty cool. Are they using the 458 to see if their close?

 

i dont like the maclaren

 

i agree
not to exciting looking

 

I'm afraid it will blow the 458's doors off....

 

Take the opportunity to watch the McLaren press conference from earlier this morning on the MP4-12C. Its an hour long, but its undeniably worth it to watch. Certainly the styling may not be a good as the Ferrari, but as far as technology, its hard to argue how significant this car is. I'm not sure how many Ferrari customers will jump ship, but without a doubt after watching the press conference, I want a McLaren in my garage.

 

Agree.

Here is a link where it can be seen:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=23&t=825029&nmt=RE:%20Watch%20The%20McLaren%20Launch%20Live%20On%20PH

 

I like this car and the vision it personifies, but it seems that the MP4-12C only perpetuates the idea that man can no longer function properly at speed without computers.

It's just like everything else.

I'd like to go to a press conference where the engineers talked about how they achieved superior results with less technology, or preferably no technology at all...

It'll be a scorcher. But it's just so clinically emotional.

 

The McLaren is uglier but I wish the Ferrari had its size and weight.

 

Very impressive. The only thing I think will slow them will be the 35 world wide dealerships. The car itself is definately something special from a technical point of view, if not an aesthetic one.

 

Would you know where I could find the list of dealerships in the US?

 

It's sort of in the video. There will be 35 dealerships around the world. They mentioned the countries but not the cities. They did mention specifically North America and Canada.

From the map it looked like LA, San Francisco, NY, and Miami. I could be wrong because they did not announce any confirmed dealerships and have only approved a few so far.

So, the answer is, even McLaren doesn't know where all these dealerships are going to be yet.

The weird part is they say they have a solid 1600 pre orders (which I assume means with deposits). So, how you do this without a dealer I do not know. I've said it before... I think the dealer network will be their weak link.

 

The video said it will still be a few months before the dealership list is released. One of the dots on the map looked to me to be over Dallas, whick would be very good (at least for me)!

 

All I can say is I contacted the factory many months ago regarding my interest and was directed to a person of whom I've spoken to a few times now. Our intial conversation was about my previous history of car ownership (exotics). Whether thats their way of weeding out serious customers or not, I'm not sure. All I can say is they are well aware of my interest and remain in contact with me. I have not been asked for a deposit. No determination/date has been made yet for a public or private showing of the car in the USA since the last time we talked, but I assume that will change. That 1600 orders number mentioned in the press conference is news to me. Whether I'm on that list or not, I don't know. I'm not too concerned whether I'm on it or not, like any modern exotic, they'll be available. There will be customers who might fight over them initially to be the first on the block, but after that, its fair game to all.

 

Ditto.
Same situation,lots of questions regarding previous cars but no more info nor deposit request.
No idea where that 1600 number comes from,since I even asked them to accept a deposit and they said there was no need yet.

 

Looks like McLaren own a 458, obviously for testing against MP4-12C. Can't go wrong with either car. Key to McLaren's success will be the dealer network and support.

 

All supercar makers have agreement where they exchange cars for period of 3-6 months, for testing. For example, Ferrari regularly exchange cars with Porsche.