McLaren does it again

The McLaren MP4-12C is the first car in the world with a one-piece carbon-fibre structure, and the company pledges it is the 'fastest car money can buy'. Photo / Supplied

The racing specialist prepares to unveil another world first in supercar construction, writes Alastair Sloane.

Household automotive name McLaren has timed the arrival of its latest carbon-fibre supercar to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the one that pretty much pioneered the road-going use of the lightweight material.

McLaren says its new MP4-12C - to be unveiled next month - is the first car in the world with a one-piece carbon-fibre structure. The 12C's predecessor, the three-seater F1, was the first production road car to use a full carbon-fibre monocoque. It also had a central driving position.

That was in 1990, when McLaren began building the prototype F1, or nine years after its motor racing division became the first Formula One team to use a carbon-fibre chassis.

Now the company, founded by New Zealand Formula One and CanAm racer Bruce McLaren, continues the ground-breaking carbon-fibre story with the 12C, the first of a new range of sports cars to be built in-house over the next five years.

The 12C shares much of the design philosophy applied to the McLaren F1, says the company. Starting with the one-piece chassis, every component has been "designed around the driver". Bespoke technologies include Proactive Chassis Control, Seamless Shift dual-clutch Gearbox (SSG), Brake Steer and the 12C's unique Airbrake feature in a car which has been developed using Formula One simulator technology.

McLaren company chief Ron Dennis has pledged that the 12C will be the fastest car money can buy, backed by the highest build quality and one of the most complete aftersales service packages.

The company will have 35 dedicated retail outlets in 19 countries. So far it has confirmed 23 - an initial eight in North America (USA, Canada), 12 in Europe (Britain, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland), two in the Middle East, and one in South Africa.

A further 12 will be announced throughout the year, including McLaren's Spanish outlet, two further retailers in the USA, five more in the Middle East, and four in its Asia-Pacific region. Sydney will be the sole Downunder operation.

McLaren managing director Antony Sheriff said he had been amazed at some of the proposals presented by potential retailers.

"Nearly half are building brand new flagship showrooms," he said.

"There is clearly an appreciation of McLaren all around the world.

"We have a phrase at McLaren that sums up our attitude and appeals to the retail business: sanity, not vanity."

Production begins at the McLaren Technology Centre, in Woking, outside of London, late this year. The car has a target price of between £125,000 ($269,000) and £175,000.

First deliveries will begin to European customers in the first half of 2011. The North American market is next on the distribution list and, like Europe, is likely to pick up 30 to 40 per cent of production. It will be followed by South Africa and the Middle East. The Asia Pacific (Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand) will be last in line.

Long-term, McLaren wants to sell a "range of around 4000 high-performance sportscars" by 2015, or around 4 per cent of the global market for such cars.

The company has admitted the range includes two further models, said to be a Porsche 911 rival and a replacement for the McLaren F1, the world's fastest naturally aspirated car.

"We intend to have a diverse product range but they will all have two seats," said Dennis, who left Formula One to head 12C development. "This is our heritage - we are sportscar-makers and the engine will be in the back of all our cars."

McLaren says the V8-powered 12C will offer class-leading interior space, comfort and practicality, making it "well packaged, fully equipped and a comfortable place to be on a drive from London to Monte Carlo, New York to Miami or Sydney to Perth".

The twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre engine has been developed by British go-fast specialist Ricardo and drives the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

McLaren claims the engine delivers 442kW/600Nm and propels the 1300kg two-seater from zero to 200km/h in under 10 seconds and on to a top speed beyond 325km/h. McLaren says it will reveal the car's zero to 100km/h sprint time at Goodwood.

The 12C has a 2670mm wheelbase and is 4507mm long, 1908mm wide and 1199mm high. Front/rear weight distribution is 43/57. McLaren says the once-piece chassis (it weighs 80kg) moulding is more cost-effective than the practice of bonding several components together but offers the many advantages of carbon composite, such as light-weight strength and torsional rigidity.

Among the many electronic performance aids on the 12C is Brake Steer, a development of the device fitted to McLaren's 1997 MP4/12 Formula One car.

It brakes the inside rear wheel for better cornering control. Other top-end carmakers use a similar system.

The McLaren F1 road car and its V12 BMW engine was unveiled at Monaco in May 1992. Production ended in 1998. The first car was delivered in December 1993.

Said Dennis, at the time: "The F1 is a technological tour-de-force and a real triumph in terms of packaging and design. Its styling is enduring and will never fade.

"I find its technical purity highly satisfying."

The F1 was officially launched in 1994 at a price of £540,000, or about $1.5 million at the time.

Over the next four years, 64 road-going F1s and 36 race variants were built, not including the first six prototypes.

In October 2008, a delivery mileage F1 was sold at auction for $5.4 million, underlining the F1's status as one of the great motoring icons.

The F1 helped McLaren to become the only carmaker to win the Formula One World Championship, Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans 24-Hour race.