Another Look at the New McLaren MP4-12C GT3 Car

McLaren MP4-12C

Autocar's Ultimate Road Trip: Portugal to England in McLaren's MP4-12C

2011 McLaren MP4-12c, Photo by KevinRachel2010

Autocar's Steve Sutcliffe drives the MP4-12C from the bottom of Portugal back to England (over 2000 km or 1250 miles.) Given the choice between a Ferrari 458 and the MP4-12c, Sutcliffe will take the McLaren and proclaims it the best car he has ever driven. We just wish it was as drop dead gorgeous as the F1.

1998 McLaren F1 vs 2011 McLaren MP4-12C

1996 McLaren F1 in the Ralph Lauren Collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Photo by Sfoskett

How does McLaren's encore stack up? Autocar gets its hands on an original McLaren F1 and road tests it along side the new McLaren MP4-12C (we think the new car's name needs a few more letters, numbers and a decimal point or three.) The F1 wasn't designed as a race car. It had room for passengers and several luggage compartments. It was a very good sports car. So good that it beat purpose-built race cars in 1995 to win the 24 Hours of LeMans. 20 years after its debut, it still gives the best of Ferrari, Bugatti, Pagani, SSC, Saleen, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini and Porsche a run for their money, beating most of them.

The new car looks similar but a bit more generic. It's heavier and has similar horsepower to the old car. It's lost a passenger seat (it still has 2. . . the old car was a 3 seater!) Like the old car, the new car is easy to drive and comfortable--unusual characteristics in the supercar class.

McLaren’s new GT3 car revealed - BBC Top Gear

From our buddies at Top Gear, here's the latest on McLaren's efforts to top the greatest supercar ever built, the 240 mph, 1992 McLaren F1 (apologies to Bugatti and others but we still prefer the original, naturally aspirated McLaren.)

McLaren’s new GT3 car revealed - BBC Top Gear

Emerson's New Favorite Car--McLaren F1

Almost anyone who has visited our shop knows Emerson. One of our suppliers gave us a calendar and December had a car that he was unfamiliar with--probably because it went into production when he was a child. Still, it is to this day one of the fastest and even arguably THE fastest production car ever made (243 mph/372 km/h). And it is now Emerson's new favorite. We've told him to start saving his pennies.

We present, the McLaren F1.

McLaren F1 photo by robad0b / Robin Corps

Photo of McLaren F1 GTR by Przemek Jahr

Produced from 1992 to 1998. Only 106 were ever made. When new they were $1,000,000.00 each. They cost more now, a lot more, if you can get someone to sell one.

Here's a recent Automobile Magazine retrospective on the F1. . . we aren't the only ones who still think it is the next best thing to a ride on a space shuttle, or maybe better:
http://www.automobilemag.com/features/0809_1992_mclaren_f1/index.html

McLaren was formed in 1963 by racing driver Bruce McLaren. It is famous more for its decades of engineering amazing race cars. But McLaren also engineered and manufactured the 2003-2010 Mercedes Benz SLR and for those who missed out on the F1 and the SLR, McLaren recently announced plans for a new street legal supercar, the MP4-12C.