The official MP4-12C Thread

I never bought it. I just go to B&N, sip Starbucks and read the few car magazine's I don't subscribe to, or buy online. Forza is one of them.

The gist of the on-track comparison was that Italia is very isolating and numb feeling, but if you trust it and come along for the ride, its performance is great.

Also, look up comments on this forum by Hawkeye, who started singing praises of Italia when he first got it, but once he drove it on the track along with his scud, his comments jibed with what Forza said. There were a couple other guys here who went to Las Vegas where you can rent both and drive them back to back on-track with similar conclusions. I almost did it myself to check on the car in early Feb, but once the Macca reviews came out, I had no desire to drive Italia anymore (i had test-driven it before on the street a couple time).

 

I saw the car in person last night as well as the rolling chassis at the Newport Beach Premier. Spoke at length to Frank Stephenson. I think McLaren has done a terrific job on this car, it is smaller than a 458, not quite as pleasing to my eye. But many innovative features and excellent build quality. Will try and post the Video from the Premier later.

 

Cool, thanks for the recap. Was it the silver car?

 

Here you go, with Mr. Stephenson giving me the finer points of the cars design.
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I was there last night as well. The car looks much better "in the metal" than in photos. Overall the car is engineered to a very high standard with some unique concepts.

A few negative points... the windshield wiper is horrible and stand out like a sore thumb. And there is a junction point down low where the bottom of the side blade integrates into the car that is rough and has 3-4 part lines in one spot. Some details in the engine bay were clearly ignored - firewall surface between engine and driver.

But this is nitpicking. Can't wait to drive one

 

after 1 million miles of testing,they must think a firewall isnt that important, unlike a 458,
sorry couldnt resist!!
As we will be using the windsield wiper alot in the Uk,i think it looks good when its working,but like you it would have been better to be hidden when not in use

 

Thanks for the photos and your thoughts on the wiper and the firewall...I wondered about those two items as well. What is the material on the firewall? It's impossible to tell in anyof the photos.

Do you know the specific color of the car you saw? Ice silver, titanium silver, etc.?

Did the car have manual (standard) seats or electric? If standard, does the seat have a vertical adjustment (seat height adjustment)?

Thanks!

 

I'll be seeing the same car tonight in Beverly Hills. I hope they start the car so we can hear the engine...I'd love to drive one before letting my spot on 458 list go to order this one but don't think that will happen. How can one decide between the 458 and the 12C if we can't drive the 12C?

 

first customer drives possibly end of april,but probably May,i dont think US will be far behind, as they are already building the 70 cars needed for the dealers ships ,ie 35 showroom,and 35 test drive cars for the worldwide dealerships.
i cant think that the first uk customers will get their cars before every worldwide dealership has one.so hang on if you can

 

After watching the Autocar vid, I was convinced that the sound of the engine will not disappoint. Enter Exhibit A: http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-video/mclaren-mp4-12c-video-review/

To me, recent V8 Ferraris sound great up at high revs, not so great at idle and low revs. The 12C just sounds pissed off like an angry lion as soon as he nails the throttle. Love it!

 

I agree it sounds very nice. Still, Italia's burble on overrun is to die for.

 

August here in CT.

 

Oh,im wrong then,first UK customers cars in june/july

 

I'm being told August for the Philly dealership as well.

Still trying to decide if I should delay my delivery from October 2011 (would require final ordering before end of April) to March 2012 to be able to drive one first and get a factory tour of the new production facility and see the car in various colors and interior material/color combinations prior to finalizing the order. Leaning toward delayed delivery but I crave more immediate satisfaction. I think those extra 5 months would be excruciating knowing I could have had one in October.

 

F355 for me thanks!

 

Totally agree with you...loved the way my 355 sounded.

 

+1. Had a blue metallic spyder 355 sold it for a 360 spyder I never got. I like the idea of getting newer tech with recent models, so going back to the 355 wouldn't quite cut with me but it was a great car to be sure.

I'll see the 12C in an hour or so in person but sure it's the silver one already posted from last night's event in Newport Beach. Interested to see how Il like the interior etc.

 

Never experienced it or at least noticed. Although, I loved the 360 Challenge sound. At Ferrari events, I would slow down () and follow them just to listen to their sound.

 

This is from memory...

Titanium Silver paint. Black leather interior with red technical fabric inserts. Red stitch. Grey brake calipers. Carbon brakes. Had most carbon fiber options including interior, front splitter, engine compartment, etc. Stealth option. Dark, optional wheels.

Standard seats... no electric etc. But they were very comfortable. I did not see a height adjustment but I didn't look very close.

The other item on the car that was not very good... the IRIS LCD screen. Terrible contrast and viewing angle.

Hoping the rough edges will be fixed. They mentioned it was an old sample and did not reflect the current state of development or refinement.

 

How many of these development models did they build! Everything I hear about this car is just a development stage or something, sheesh, build the car!

 

Actually, they freely admit that the car will undergo development until the last possible minute, so I am not surprised. Now, because the suspension setup is dynamic and rumored to be adjustable by the onboard computer on a corner by corner basis, then it is feasible that development will continue indefinitely. Note: the suspension rumor not validated yet publicly.

Certainly, one would expect them to be still fine tuning performance for the Ring, if such is the case.

 

I went by my local dealership on Tues. They had this impressive looking CF case with all the color combinations. I was trying to match Volcano Orange to a proper caliper color but none of them are close to the exterior. I wish they had more caliper color options. Mclaren Orange is Very bright. As much as I would like to - I don't know If I could live with that color long term.

BTW - Found out you don't get Nav without IRIS!! You get bluetooth on the base stereo but no Nav. I was trying to go as lightweight as possible and wasn't going to get IRIS. But - It seems foolish to not have Nav in a car of this caliber. I guess I am gonna have to just suck it up and get IRIS.

 

More importantly, did they know anything about the dynamic suspension rumor (see post above) and whether IRIS is required for that?