The official MP4-12C Thread

These two images of the painted samples they have been carting around to the different dealer events show the Sapphire Black on the front row, third from left.

Hi-Res via these links:

Photo 1

Photo 2

>8^)
ER
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can't really tell much diff from the pics. but anyhoo..i prefer the carbon black, the pic on top.

 

Oh, I definitely see the blue in Sapphire Black now, especially in the high-res photos. Thanks for posting.

 

Some great info about the history of McLaren using Carbon, with the John Barnard designing the MP4-1.

http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=52&i=23292

 

servicing is very similar to porsche ie.
annually or 15k miles,minor service/fluids
biannually or 30k miles major service/suspension fluid change,
looks like we will be using it as a daily driver then! no prices yet on the cost ,but it must be minimal compared to most supercars

 

That's good news, I read somewhere that the quoted service cost was in the £900.

 

for our American friends,i see the road and track april issue is headlining the 12c,when is it avalible? and can you guys do the obligatory scans please.

 

Don't know if R&T mag will be any different than their website? I have the latest Motor Trend and it's coverage in the magazine is identical to the write-up on their website: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/exotic/1104_2012_mclaren_mp4_12c_drive/index.html

I noticed Automobile Magazine website and magazine are identical also. There is an earlier post with LOTS of links to car magazine websites: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=313343&page=2

 

It's not as blue as the screen shots from the configurator show (unless it's in the sun)... ...in fact, if you had photos of the two cars I think it would be really hard to get the Sapphire to show...

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...and of course I hit "post" before seeing the photos of the color samples themselves. I guess you CAN see the blue in photos!

 

Yes, it's the same stuff on R&T.

 

Wow on that 0-300 KPH at 24 Seconds, that is faster than the new 911GT2 RS. Amazing time.

 

Yes it still shocks me, too. I mean the GT2 RS is such a focused car, stripped out, even more power and HUGE torque. Plus having the motor directly over the rear axle you would think gives it a traction advantage. Minus a few tenths for shifts perhaps but I did not expect the 12C to match the GT2 RS for outright speed, let alone beat it.

 

I was reading that on EVO (155) on the Ipad last night and could not believe it. I am going to see the car tomorrow in person, should be interesting.

 

Cool. Take pics please!

 

I think you're seeing the same car I'm going to see on wed in Beverly Hills.

 

12C spotted in UK, sporting a Manchester City blue colour scheme.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYZPqLMY7yg[/ame]

Presentation on 3 and 4 February 2011 in Padova.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV6yLc_ZFD8[/ame]

This is animation was done at Drive (www.drivecgi.co.uk). This video was use during the launch to demonstrate its unique features.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvqfWkqgsFs[/ame]

 

Probably.

 

Hey guys - thanks for posting the Evo and TG links. It was a wonderful read. The part I am most satisfied by is the steering input. It sounds like it is more like a GT3 and not like a GTR(which I was afraid off). The articles confirm what I was looking for in the car.

Also - those of you who are seeing it today. PLEASE TAKE PICS!! PRETTY PLEASE!!

 

LOL, I'm pretty sure that is one of the press cars, before the protective masking had been removed.

 

I am a bit worried about Clarkson complaining about agility. I cannot quite see how this can be the case, especially with people commenting on the great steering. Italia has a very quick steering rack, but it cannot quite cover the lard, especially when pushed (per various reports, see for example Forza). So, I am surprised by Clarkson's comments.

 

I wouldn't ever worry about anything Clarkson says. Harris, sure. But JC has strayed so far from objectivity over the years in search of sensationalism, that he really has to be taken as a pure entertainer, not a journalist. He's bloody hilarious and I will watch him until the day he quits, but every point he makes about a car is pre-fabricated to suit his punch lines.

Given what we know of the 12C already, I'll be shocked if it doesn't rag-doll the 458 in a true test of agility, such as the slalom.

 

Sure, JC is out to shock and entertain, but I like his (often) misplaced enthusiasm. We don't buy those cars just for performance, that's why we listen to people like JC or Monkey. It's pretty clear that TG had a pre-set narrative about the car: performance by the numbers, experience by the numbers. And yes this "clinical" impression looks, from early reports, wrong. Still, the more voices the better.

One more thing, slalom can also reflect a surfeit of grip.

 

Well, Porsche sells approx. 25,000 911s every year despite JC generally calling them crap and claiming that anyone that drives one is a cock. I can't imagine that, behind his stage and literary persona, he really believes the 911 is anything but an outstanding sports car. Again, if Harris or somebody more objective says there is something dynamically amiss with the car, I will be concerned. But Jezza? Not a chance. Of course, it is nice to have him say something nice about your car, if only because you can then forward a beautifully produced TG vid around to your friends without them saying "but he concludes that it's rubbish!". Clearly, however, this hasn't factored into the sales of Porsche and I suspect that McLaren will also be suitably immune to his antics.

I can't wait until some real, unbiased, racecar drivers get a wag at the 12C and share their thoughts. Will be nice to see if all the F1 simulator hoopla has really paid off in the hands of somebody that can really thrash the thing.

Re: slalom, for sure grip is a huge factor and rightly so. If Ron isn't over-hyping, the 12C should accelerate better, stop better and move side-to-side better than any of its competitors. What's not nimble about that, even if it is grip-dependent? Ever try to to be nimble on an ice rink while wearing shoes instead of skates?

 

The point with JC is not that many people take him seriously, Clearly, not. I personally am curious of his opinion, even though it's not gonna make me cancel my order anymore that he got me to buy SLS (for clarity, he did not).

There is no problem with grip as such, yet in some application grip is supplied at the cost of agility: look at fast audis (r8 excepted). I used to have s6. I hated it. I replaced it with the new e63 AMG and I love this car (I never expected to like a Merc): the car is undertired for all the power it has, but the chassis is great and it is very progressive in its reactions. A hoot to drive. I slide it all over. Even on the track it is more neutral than my scud (which is set up to understeer out the box).

 

Nicely explained. I do see your point about agility, now. That said, I still bet that JC wouldn't recognize agility if it poked him in the tit!