McLaren MP4-12C performance specs released

The twin-turbo, 3.8-liter V8 in the McLaren MP4-12C sports car cranks out 592 hp at 7,000 rpm, according to factory performance specs released on Sunday. The engine hits its torque peak of 443 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm and holds it up to 7,000 rpm.

That power gives the MP4-12C a top speed of 205 mph. McLaren says the car will run from 0 to 62 mph in 3.3 seconds. That puts the MP4-12C in the company of cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and the Porsche Panamera Turbo.

You can shave 0.2 second off that time with the Corsa tire option. That puts the MP4-12C in league with cars such as the Koenigsegg CCXR.

The run from 0 to 124 mph takes 9.1 seconds, and again, the Corsa tire option cuts 0.2 second off that time.

McLaren says the MP4-12C can run the quarter-mile in 10.9 seconds at a speed of 134 mph. And the car will stop nearly as fast. The MP4-12C brakes from 62 mph to 0 in 100 feet, McLaren says.

Yet with all this performance, McLaren says the MP4-12C should get the equivalent of about 20 mpg in combined city/highway driving in Europe. Fuel economy testing for the United States is not complete. The car has a curb weight of 2,866 pounds, much of it built with lightweight materials such as carbon fiber and aluminum.

McLaren released the performance data as it starts production of the car at its factory in England.

The car will sticker for $231,400, including shipping, when it arrives in the United States in late summer. It's still to be determined whether the car will carry the gas-guzzler tax. There will be 10 retailers initially in the North America, concentrated heavily around big cities and along the coasts. They include Beverly Hills, Calif., Chicago, Miami, San Francisco and Toronto.

By Dale Jewett