New MP4-12C: extraordinary power, low weight.

McLaren chose a notable date – 09/09/09 – to unveil its new road-going high-performance sports car. But will its new offering survive in a fiercely competitive sector, asks Nick de Cent?

McLaren Automotive is a company rich in recent history both on the track and in terms of its road-legal supercars. The firm’s automotive division has already built the world’s most critically acclaimed supercar, the McLaren F1 (1993-1998) and the world’s best-selling luxury supercar, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (2003-2009). Can it replicate this success with a new line of ‘no-compromise’ sports cars?

The new MP4-12C is the first in a range of high-performance vehicles from the Woking-based manufacturer, which the company says will ‘challenge the world’s best sports cars’. It says the rules in the sports car world are about to be re-written: well, that’s fighting talk, even if the new line is being launched at a time of unparalleled upheaval in the automotive industry.
 
‘McLaren is already a car maker with maturity and experience, having produced iconic cars such as the F1,’ McLaren Automotive managing director Antony Sheriff emphasised to ModernSelling.com.

Tough competition

Going on sale through a dedicated, worldwide retailer network in early 2011, the MP4-12C is a high-performance two-seat mid-engine model in the ‘core’ sports car market segment for cars costing between £125,000 and £175,000. It will compete with others in the price range like the Ferrari 458, Lamborghini Gallardo, Porsche 911 Turbo, Bentley Continental GT and Aston Martin DB9.

The 12C is pure McLaren – nothing comes from another manufacturer’s parts bin – and it will be produced by the company in the UK.

Frank Stephenson and Antony Sheriff.

At its heart, the MP4-12C features a carbon-fibre chassis, the ‘Carbon MonoCell’: it’s the first time a car in this market segment has been based around such a strong and lightweight racing car-derived solution and also the first time any car has ever featured a one-piece carbon-fibre structure.

According to McLaren, this means that the 12C introduces new standards not just in handling, ride and outright performance, but also safety, economy and practicality in what the company acknowledges is an already competitive sector.

Supercars eclisped?

‘The 12C offers performance and technology that exceeds that of the world’s most expensive and sophisticated supercars, while competing in a much more accessible market segment. And to achieve this result, we designed every component from scratch to meet the extreme goals of the 12C and avoid any compromise,’ Sheriff declared.

‘Forget what you know about sports car companies; McLaren is different,’ he stressed.

The 12C also claims the highest specific power output as well as extraordinary power- and torque-to-weight ratios. Meanwhile, the Proactive Chassis Control system offers ‘groundbreaking handling and ride comfort while an intense focus on “occupant packaging” offers new levels of comfort and everyday usability’.

Performance and practicality

Sheriff explained. ‘We are redefining the relationship between performance and practicality, as well as performance and efficiency, achieving leading positions in both. We have designed this car from the inside out. We have a saying in McLaren – “everything for a reason” and the 12C will surprise people in many ways.

‘A clear illustration of its special qualities is in the efficiency of its power delivery. With the 12C’s power output of around 600hp and its low CO2 emissions, it delivers the highest horsepower to CO2 ratio of any car on the market today with an internal combustion engine...and that includes petrol and diesel hybrids,’ he added.

The 12C is powered by a bespoke McLaren ‘M838T’ 3.8-litre, V8 twin-turbo engine producing around 600bhp, driving through a seven-speed ‘Seamless Shift’ dual-clutch gearbox (SSG).

McLaren race heritage: transferred to MP4-12C.

Efficient and driveable

‘The 12C is all about performance,’ said Sheriff. ‘And in McLaren, we have a very broad definition of performance. We don’t just look at the traditional one-dimensional parameters like top speed, we focus equally on useable measures such as in-gear acceleration times, braking performance in all conditions, and efficiency of power delivery combined with the lowest possible fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Sure, 12C is very fast, but it is also the most efficient, most driveable high-performance sports car in the world.’

‘M838T’ features dual variable-valve timing and produces around 600Nm of torque. A dry sump and flat plane crankshaft allow the engine to be placed extremely low in the chassis thereby lowering the centre of gravity and improving handling responses. It also features composite cam covers and intake manifolds, which reduce weight and heat transmission into the charge air, as well as Nikasil-coated aluminium liners for further weight reduction.

The engine revs to 8,500 rpm, has quick transient throttle response and delivers its ‘abundant torque’ throughout the rev range. A creditable 80% of torque is available at below 2,000rpm, ensuring great driveability and no need to floor the throttle to deliver performance. It also delivers a great soundtrack with the engine sound thoroughly engineered through exhaust manifold design and tuning of the exhaust and intake systems.

Rocker gear change

Gears are changed using a Formula 1-style rocker shift that pivots in the centre of the steering wheel. It is actuated on either side of the steering wheel (pulling right changes up, pulling left down). As with the McLaren Formula 1 car, a shift can be actuated either by pulling or by pushing on the rocker. The rocker moves with the steering wheel, rather than being mounted on the steering column, so that if a gearchange is needed while lock is being applied the driver does not have to fumble around to change gear.

MP4-12C: get used to this view.

The rocker itself incorporates an innovative feature called Pre-Cog. The name stands for pre-cognition, literally ‘foreknowledge’.

The rocker on the 12C has two positions with a slightly different haptic (or feel) for each.

The driver applies first pressure to the rocker and it informs the gearbox to get ready to swap ratios, thereby saving time – latency – between the message being sent and the gearbox being primed to act.

The second pressure confirms that the gear should be changed and the torque handover is completed in milliseconds.

Lightness

Engineers have ‘added’ lightness to the car not only with the Carbon MonoCell – using a narrower and lighter body – but also by using forged aluminium brakes which save 8kg over the optional carbon ceramic equivalent, while lightweight exhaust pipes exit straight out the rear of the car, minimising their length and weight. At the same time, the airflow-assisted airbrake deployment has cut the weight of the airbrake activation system.

A small, compact down-sized engine coupled to lightweight compact SSG minimises vehicle length, weight and polar moment of inertia. Significant weight was pared off the alloy wheels through intensive ‘finite element analysis’ of wall thicknesses. The engine cooling radiators were mounted at the rear – as close to the engine as possible – to minimise the pipework, the fluids contained within them and, therefore, weight. They were also mounted in car line to minimise vehicle width.

Chassis: proactive control

The suspension for the McLaren MP4-12C breaks new ground, offering hitherto unseen levels of roll control and grip (an almost flat cornering attitude, depending on the programme selected). Although such track-like responses would normally imply a rock-hard ride, the 12C claims to deliver compliance and ride comfort more akin to an executive saloon car, with the ride handled by a so-called proactive chassis control system.

Suspension is based on double wishbones with coil springs. The dampers are interconnected hydraulically and provide adaptive responses depending on both road conditions and driver preference. The proactive system features adjustable roll control which replaces the mechanical anti-roll bars that have been a standard feature of road cars since time immemorial. It allows the car to maintain precise roll control under heavy cornering while decoupling the suspension in a straight line for excellent wheel articulation and compliance.

There are three suspension modes that are selected on the Active Dynamics Panel. As with the powertrain adjustment, there is a ‘normal’, a ‘sport’ mode and a high-performance mode which adjusts numerous parameters in the system.

Brake steer

Another feature that helps the 12C to handle at a new level is a development of an electronic system used by McLaren’s 1997 MP4/12 Formula 1 car – Brake Steer. In essence, it is a system that brakes the inside rear wheel when the car is entering a corner too quickly to make the desired radius. Under normal circumstances the front would wash away wide of the apex the driver wants to touch: in other words, the car is in a state of understeer.

Brake Steer manages the tendency of a car to wash out and brings its nose back on line. It assesses the steering angle to determine the driver’s intended course and applies the inside rear brake to increase yaw rate and resume the desired course. The system also works on acceleration out of a corner when the inside rear has a tendency to spin, allowing the driver to put power down more quickly. It controls what a limited slip differential would do and obviates the need for such a complex and heavy unit, thus saving more valuable kilos.

Electronic aids

An array of electronic aids is fitted to the 12C that will assist and protect the less-experienced driver, or when conditions challenge even the best. These include ABS, ESP, ASR traction control, Electronic Brake Distribution, Hill Hold and Brake Steer. The level of intervention varies according to the handling mode selected.

Inside: ergonomically pleasing and simple.

The other prevailing design characteristics are the dihedral doors (a hereditary gene from the McLaren F1), which has a clear purpose, like every other element of McLaren’s design ethos.

The concept of dihedral doors is simply to allow the driver and passenger to get into and out of the car as easily as possible as well as allowing a smaller door opening than would otherwise be necessary.

Interior

For the interior, McLaren says the whole focus is on making the 12C cockpit a ‘uniquely comfortable and functional space’. The company says the ‘design offers a symmetry that wraps around the occupants and makes them feel not only physically, but also emotionally comfortable’. (A car that puts you in the mood – Ed?)

The interior is space-efficient enough to accommodate tall adults in comfort. At the same time, the designers have paid great attention to all-round visibility for both safety and driving precision. Mclaren says the interior’s simplicity ‘belies a world-class level of comfort and safety features that will include a full quota of airbags, fully automatic dual-zone climate control, sophisticated telematics and audio systems, parking sensors, trip computer, cruise control and electric memory seats’.

Design: everything for a reason

The MP4-12C design follows similar principles to McLaren’s Formula 1 cars, and the McLaren F1, where everything is for a reason and all lines, surfaces, and details are designed with a job in mind as much as styled. (The tried-and-tested design principle of ‘form follows function’ – Ed.)

Automotive design director Frank Stephenson explained: ‘Many sports cars and super cars present an “in-your-face”, “look-at-me” image that can become wearing and boorish; the ultimate backhanded compliment becomes, “…it was of its time”. Great design, however, is timeless and looks relevant years later. Take the McLaren F1 as an example. I hope that with the 12C we have produced a car that looks great today and will still look great in years to come.”

What’s in a name?

The name of McLaren’s new offering is MP4-12C. What does it signify? ‘MP4’ has been the chassis designation for all McLaren Formula 1 cars since 1981. It stands for McLaren Project 4, resulting from the merger of chairman Ron Dennis’ Project 4 organisation with McLaren.

The ‘12’ refers to McLaren’s internal vehicle performance index through which it rates key performance criteria both for competitors and for its own cars. The criteria combine power, weight, emissions, and aerodynamic efficiency. The coalition of all these values delivers an overall performance index that has been used as a benchmark throughout the car’s development.

The ‘C’ refers to Carbon and the application of carbon-fibre technology.

Aftersales, retail distribution, personalisation

Not only is McLaren establishing a new company, a new production plant, an all-new high-performance sports car engineered and developed in house, it is also building a global network of retail distribution partners. 

Early planning indicates that 25% of sales will be made in the UK, 25% in the USA and the remainder to the rest of the world, notably Germany and mainland Europe, the Middle East and some Far Eastern countries. The 12C will be available in a broad range of exterior paint colours and interior colours and configurations, while carbon fibre components and lightweight forged wheels will reduce weight yet further.

‘McLaren Automotive is well on the way to offering not only an extraordinary new sports car but also to building an innovative new company,’ Sheriff declared. We wish it every success.

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