McLaren MP4-12C: The Future of Supercar

[thysonsacclaim]

Read the story: McLaren MP4-12C: The Future of Supercar

At only $250,000, "... the company expects zero to 60 mph to take a little more than three seconds, while zero to 120 mph should click by in around 10 seconds."

"Top speed is estimated to be well above 200 mph [utilizing] the car's unique 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which produces a staggering 600 horsepower while emitting just 300 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer. Shifting duty will fall squarely on the synchros of a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission."


It helps to know that they designed some of their sports cars with Mercedes-Benz.

This is one beastly car.

[Takernz]

Mercedes-Benz powered?

[Mforcer]

I must confess that I look at all these "super" cars and am not really impressed. There will be a better car available for sale tomorrow. Am I getting old?

What does get my interest is something like the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 (not that I am going to buy one) which is thinking about cars in new ways.

The cars today are really not that different from our W116 which were designed almost 50 years ago. New lighter, materials have been developed which allows for lighter cars. Machining quality has improved to allow an engine to produce more power while consuming less fuel with lower weight but we are still burning the same fuels (although better refined). Gear boxes have grown in the number of gears (who really needs more than 3 forward gears? ) but not too interesting until CVT.

The A-Class and Smart cars are interesting because they took cars in a new direction and I am always amazed by their space efficiency. The most fun I have ever had in a car is driving a Smart For2.

[flutes]

Tend to agree with you Michael.  The horsepower arms race is a bit silly.  I'd rather a Lotus Elise any day.  As awesome as that Maclaren is just for its absurdity, the other end of the spectrum is more interesting, particularly in cheap the micro cars.  That said, a lot of the nifty technology we take for granted in modern cars needs to start at the high end of the market (or even on the race track), then trickle down as it's refined and ultimately made affordable.

[thysonsacclaim]

Over the top? Well yes, of course. It had better be for $250k. What's more interesting is that fact that the mere 3.8 liter V8 puts out 600 HP while only emitting 300 grams of CO2 per km. Is it the most fuel efficient car ever built? No, but when you take into account what it offers in the way of performance, it's actually pretty good.

Comparing to the Elise... the Elise has a 0-60 of 4.7 seconds. The 2010 Lotus Exige S240 has a 0-60 of 4.1 seconds. This has a 0-60 in just over 3 (some places actually say less than 3). That's a fairly significant difference in both cases. The top speed is also 'well over 200mph.' It obviously isn't being designed to be a commuter vehicle, just the fastest car out there.

Pretty much anything you buy today will be obsolete fairly quickly because of the pace at which technology breakthroughs occur. Computers, cell phones, cars... none of them are 'top of the line' for very long, except in rare, usually very expensive cases. People who buy this car can probably afford to buy another car in a few years that will be faster. You're paying to be at the top for that little while.

Would I buy this car if I could? No. I'd rather drive something that gets 60+ MPG and/or runs on an alternative fuel. However, I still think it is pretty impressive from a design and performance aspect. There are quite a few new technologies that have gone into this car to make it fast, light weight and capable of delivering 80% of its torque at just 2000 RPM, while the redline is way up at 8500 RPM.

For example, the engineers have said that during 35 mph offset and oblique crash tests, the windshield won't even crack, let alone shatter. The reductions in weight are made possible by using new design methods.

As far as the 7 gears go:

"Torque goes to the rear axle through a 7-speed  double clutch gearbox prompted by F1-style aluminium rockers situated behind the steering wheel. It offers a choice of Normal, Sport and Track driving modes. There's also two configurations namely H and P. H refers to handling and changes things like steering weight, suspension stiffness and stability control. Choosing P mode alters throttle response, gearshift times and engine sounds."

Necessary? No, but neither is any sports car really. SLS wasn't necessary for the 6.9, either. No one really drives 200mph on their way to work. A lot of micro cars only have 2 gears. Some have only one. The shifting adds to the experience, just like SLS added to experience in the 6.9.

I would rather driver a Mini Cooper or Smart Car or something similar any day. FWIW, I actually think the Elise is a sexier car. For now, I will stick to my 450.

[flutes]

I was really disappointed with the Smart car (the Four2, haven't driven the roadster). I really love the concept but the execution is so incredibly crappy. Ride crap, build quality crap, interior styling crap. I expected a lot better from Mercedes and Swatch, and they've had years to get it right now.

Aside from my 450, the two other cars I would love to own are a series 1 Elise and an E30 325i.  Oh and a 300SEL 6.3.

[Mforcer]

Don't get me wrong, thysonsacclaim. I do think the McLaren is an amazing car in every way and, as you said, it had better be for the price. I will need to do some more reading about some of the new fancy tech you wrote about and there is plenty in this car.

But as you point out, it will always be a toy, initially for those with too much money and subsequently for the brave.

As for the 6.9 needing SLS or not, I dare say it did need it. My 450SE has rear SLS which is designed to help to control the car when it is loaded up with luggage or towing (although I don't have a tow bar). The SLS in the 6.9 would help it to handle not just the added weight of the 6.9 but the chance that 5 passengers and their luggage may be travelling at +200km/h and need to do so comfortably and safely.

Without getting too far off topic, I had the Smart for2 doing just shy of its top marked speed of 140km/h with a passenger and never felt out of control

[thysonsacclaim]

Mforcer,

I think the most amazing thing is that the car is coming from McLaren. Obviously they have made great cars in the past, but they've been a lot less visible to the public in more recent times. I've never seen one in the US, but I often see other super sports cars or just brilliantly expensive vehicles (Bentley's, vintage RRs).

This car is a bold attempt to recapture the mega sports car image... and it does it well by outperforming every super sports car I've seen it compared to in combined speed, acceleration and fuel efficiency.

Point taken with the 6.9 SLS. It probably does help immensely to have it, but it was features like that and the monstrous engine (among other things) that helped put the price at $40,000 USD [in 1974]. It is definitely beefier than the 4.5, no doubt, and probably does need the support.

I like the Smart cars. The only problem with hybrids and such in the US is if you live outside of a major city or suburb. That and vehicle size. People in the US, I think, are afraid to drive little cars because.... well, not many people do.

I'd really like to see a transit system like exists in Japan, China or France. 

But... you'd have to pay me a lot to get me to drive the micro cars that China has been trying to start selling here. They have potential, yes... but some of them are down right dangerous or lack certain perfections that are expected of other cars that sell in more industrialized nations, such as the US, EU, Au, etc. The cars from India also look promising.

I'd really like to see another true Volkswagen or similar. A simple, effective, reliable, and affordable German engineered vehicle. The new VWs are (at least here) quite a bit more expensive in comparison to the VWs of yesterday. I'm not sure I have much hope for US auto makers if they don't start making bigger changes. Perhaps recent events have given them time for thought...