McLaren MP4-12C – Testing video

We have video of the McLaren MP4-12C out testing

We had a real flurry of activity last year with reveal of McLaren’s first real new road car since the mid ’90s – the McLaren MP4-12C. Yes, we had the McLaren Mercedes SLR until last year, but that was best described as McLaren’s efforts to make a Mercedes, bloated, corporate concept of a supercar work. It wasn’t really what McLaren are about, which is cutting edge technology in a lightweight clothing. But the new McLaren MP4-12C is a McLaren through and through and embodies everything McLaren holds dear, and will be a real threat to Ferrari and Lamborghini in particular.

Ron dennis is due to give a presentation next month to introduce the world to McLaren Automotive, its progress and its plans. We’ll be featuring the presentation live on Cars UK, but in the meantime – and to keep whetting your appetite for the MP4-12C – we have new video of the development and testing of McLaren’s new car which takes us a big step on from the McLaren MP4-12C development video we brought you in November.

Gone are the black and white camouflage MP4-12Cs and instead we get the McLaren wrapped in matt black. McLaren have been running the latest Experimental Prototype (XP) 12Cs at Spain’s Applus IDIADA facility and on public roads in the foothills near Tarragona. The lates test cars – XP8 and XP12 – feature revised M838T twin-turbo engine, new gear ratios, more efficient cooling package, new suspension geometry and upgraded electrical architecture.

McLaren say they are chuffed with the performance of the MP4-12C which is exceeding expectation (you wouldn’t really expect them to say anything else) but you can’t argue that they’re not thoroughly testing the MP4-12C before its starts to hit the roads. There’s a team of 25 Vehicle Technicians on the case with the XP Beta cars 24/7 and McLaren are saying the development process is mirroring the intensity of their F1 development programme.

McLaren say that  the extensive testing is all about “…guaranteeing the levels of quality, reliability and durability with which we expect to delight future McLaren customers.”

Which is great, but we already seem to have been waiting forever for the MP4-12C. We’re getting frustrated.

By Cars UK