The results are new performance benchmarks in power, dynamics, efficiency, quality, safety and comfort that offer the perfect package for a full range of customer demands. It will be the most powerful car in its class with 600PS and 600Nm supporting a 0-200 km/h sprint of under 10 seconds. Vitally, it will also be the most fuel efficient car in its class by some margin, aiming to produce less than 300 g/km CO²: the 12C will produce each unit of power more efficiently than virtually every other car in the world featuring an internal combustion engine; petrol, diesel or hybrid.
The 12C's gestation has followed a Formula 1-inspired development programme. Beginning in McLaren's own Formula 1 simulator, and with close integration of Formula 1 and McLaren Automotive engineers who are all based under one roof at the MTC, the 12C test team is set to break through the one million miles of testing in spring 2010. The 12C has been rigorously developed in every continent in which it will go on sale, and exposed to extremes such as minus 50°C in the Arctic, over 50°C and dust storms in the Bahrain summer, and numerous 24 hour sessions at test tracks and circuits such as the Nordschleife at the Nürburgring.
But the ultimate examination took place in early March when the 2008 and 2009 Formula 1 world champions enjoyed a run-out in the 12C. Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a series of high-speed sessions behind the wheel of McLaren's latest XP-Beta test cars. They assessed many of the car's performance set-ups and systems, which is set to fine-tune the 12C development team's final series of testing programmes over the coming months.
The first customer car enters McLaren's existing Production Hall in late-2010, before production transfers to the new MPC in spring 2011, with quality systems developed that combine the best of both hand-built techniques and 'lean' production processes.
The 12C's gestation has followed a Formula 1-inspired development programme. Beginning in McLaren's own Formula 1 simulator, and with close integration of Formula 1 and McLaren Automotive engineers who are all based under one roof at the MTC, the 12C test team is set to break through the one million miles of testing in spring 2010. The 12C has been rigorously developed in every continent in which it will go on sale, and exposed to extremes such as minus 50°C in the Arctic, over 50°C and dust storms in the Bahrain summer, and numerous 24 hour sessions at test tracks and circuits such as the Nordschleife at the Nürburgring.
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| photo: McLaren Automotive |
But the ultimate examination took place in early March when the 2008 and 2009 Formula 1 world champions enjoyed a run-out in the 12C. Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a series of high-speed sessions behind the wheel of McLaren's latest XP-Beta test cars. They assessed many of the car's performance set-ups and systems, which is set to fine-tune the 12C development team's final series of testing programmes over the coming months.
The first customer car enters McLaren's existing Production Hall in late-2010, before production transfers to the new MPC in spring 2011, with quality systems developed that combine the best of both hand-built techniques and 'lean' production processes.
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