You people bagging the MP-4 12C really need to drive one before you start hanging it on them. They are pretty sensational IMHO and they certainly stop traffic more than your run of the mill mass produced Ferrari. Easily the fastest road car that I have driven FWIW. The active suspension is also sensational.
A friend has just ordered one in Shanghai, we went and took a test drive. It is an amazing car! IMO better than any Ferrari. the paint job on any new Ferrari is a disgrace, MP4, sublime!! It sounds great! i don't know why people say the noise isn't exciting, they surely haven't experienced it. build quality, the drive dynamic, yes even in a super congested city like Shanghai it works well in traffic! bloody great piece of engineering. only problem is the door i think, parking it would take some consideration on opening the door. other wise, it's a perfect car to own. I'd have one over a 458 or a Gallardo. Only other car I would have other than the MP4 is a LP700, but that's double the price
On the open road, they are incredibly fast but even around town they feel special. In lots of ways, it is a better car than the 458 which is saying something. 9,000km in 10 months now.
The more I see of the P1, the less I like it. And I didn't like it to start with. I actually think the 12C looks better. LaFerrari wins the looks competition by far (whilst simultaneously losing the name competition. Even though "P1" is as boring as bat ****, at least it's not embarrassing). Porsche 918 is also a very good looking car. Much better than P1.
One of motorings most intuitive inventions, the windscreen wiper, could soon be destined for the scrapheap. Supercar maker McLaren has reportedly come up with a system to keep windscreens clear in bad weather, using technology adapted from fighter planes. The system is said to use high-frequency sound waves similar to those used by dentists to remove plaque from patients teeth. McLaren has confirmed that a UK-based company is working on an alternative that could start appearing on its new models - potentially including the new P1 hypercar - from 2015. Frank Stephenson, chief designer at McLaren, told British newspaper The Sunday Times that he noticed that military aircraft weren't fitted with wipers, but it took a lot of effort to convince a military source to explain how the technology worked. I asked why you don't see wipers on some aircraft on when they are coming in at very low levels for landing, Stephenson said. I was told that its not a coating on the surface but a high frequency electronic system that never fails and is constantly active. Nothing will attach to the windscreen. Stephenson said he would not provide any specifics over fears that competitors might pursue the idea. The thinking behind the new technology is that the ultrasonic waves would also remove dirt from surfaces that are covered in water. The McLaren P1 concept car that has been shown at various motor shows does have traditional windscreen wipers, but it's expected the production versions that will be delivered in 2014 will look to implement the new windscreen technology. Traditional windscreen wipers have a history spanning more than 110 years, having been first conceived by American inventor Mary Anderson in 1903. Omitting windscreen wipers would not only endow vehicles with better aerodynamics, but also save weight as there would be no need for the electric motor and ancillary items that drive them. Assuming the military-inspired technology works well in cars, it would likely appear on top-end vehicles first before flowing down to more affordable models.
Carl said this system of "high frequency electronic sounds", sounds a lot like having PeePee as a passenger for an extended period.
This is interesting. And not only because of the obvious contradictions on the timing of its "introduction" to the P1. All high end aircraft have electrically heated windshields. This is to stop ice forming. It has nothing to do with rain. It works well - some of the ice patterns over the other windows are amazing to look at and if you turn the heat off, the windscreen VERY quickly develops a layer of ice in the high flight levels. As far as rain dissipation is concerned on aircraft, I always understood it was the design of the screen itself, and the sheer speed of the airflow which kept it clear. There was nothing else at play. Remember, even a poxy turboprop like I fly doesn't get off the ground until it's doing nearly 200kmh, so there is plenty of airflow to get rid of rain. The other thing, believe it or not, is that the view out of the windscreen in a high end aircraft is actually of very low importance to the pilot. Apart from when taxiing around the airport, and the first and last 30 seconds of a flight it means nothing at all. How this system would work in a car - particularly at very low speeds - I'd be interested to see.
McLaren seem desperate to appeal to the geek factor. Let's face it, it's all they've got. By using the words "military aircraft" they think they are on to something. Scene at Victoria's Secret backstage party... "I see you have the new McLaren" "Yes. It has electric pulses to repel rain." "What's wrong with windscreen wipers?" "Nothing, but these are electric pulses." "Errr... I have to be over there now..."
Sounds like an overly complicated stupid system, what happened to those water repellent coatings that were making the rounds on the internet a few years ago? That's what most fighter aircraft use specifically carrier based that operate in all weather conditions as far as I know...
Not really, it's basically a sound frequency "voice" box that "blow" away water molecules. i think the hard part is to adjust the frequency to something that humans can't hear
Speaking of BS, what DO you do when you walk back to your parked car and find bird$hit on your windscreen? Will every new 12C come with a pair of white gloves, a pack of Chuck Supawipes and a spray bottle of Windex?? Seriously.. yes... everyone agrees it's a great car.. but it ain't a Ferrari. It could never be, it's British afterall. But if they weren't so full of themselves, if they let the car sell itself more than brag and brag (reminds me of the other mob from Japan..), they wouldn't be on the back foot as much, so to speak. As Steve said, they've gone down the geek path, they must have sat down at the start and thought it through and realised they have no other choice. The press has a bit to answer to with all the hype.
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