McLaren Automotive have, since the legendary F1, gone largely dormant; their focus on Formula One racing has meant that their commercial division had fallen off almost entirely. The British supercar maker has returned to scene with the MP4-12C, and this time, they’re not going away anytime soon.

McLaren intends to sell about 1,000 MP4-12C units in the first year of sales, and then add models onto the line annually, hopefully generating 4,500 additional sales in the next half-decade.

McLaren North American director Tony Joseph outlined this vision at a Toronto, Canada unveiling of the MP4-12C, the first of 11 stops across the continent for the unveiling of the “substance over style” supercar. The MP4-12C already has 2,700 interested buyers, well over the 1,000 buyer mark, and McLaren is confident that their foray into the true road car business will prove profitable and that one of the world’s greatest racing car teams can transform itself into a truly great supercar maker as well.

Refresher: Power for the 2011 McLaren MP4-12C comes from a 3.8L V8 twin-turbo engine producing around 600-hp mated to a 7-speed Seamless Shift dual-clutch gearbox (SSG). 0 to 60 mph is expected to come in the low 3 second range with a top speed of more than 200 mph. Sales begin in early 2011.

Source: egmCarTech

Take a look at the British supercar that’s got the Audi R8 and Porsche 911 in its sights! This striking machine is an all-new entry-level ‘baby’ model from Formula One racing team McLaren – and it will take the company into uncharted territory, rivaling established brands with a price tag of around £80,000.

The sports car is a key part of McLaren boss Ron Dennis’ plans to expand McLaren Automotive – the division responsible for the Mercedes SLR McLaren and original F1 road car – into a volume producer.

Already in the pipeline is the P11, a Ferrari F430 rival that we’ve scooped undergoing final testing. A hi-tech, expensive flagship that would revive the spirit of the original F1 supercar is on the horizon, too.

However, McLaren has ambitious plans to produce several thousand units from its factory in Woking, Surrey, over the next five years. So, it needs to enter an entirely new sector – and that’s where this ‘baby’ model comes in.

Compact
Based on the same rear-wheel-drive chassis as the P11, it will boast a composite body and be very compact – slightly smaller than the Audi R8.

Ex-Fiat and Ferrari designer Frank Stephenson has been installed as styling director at McLaren Automotive, and is working on a range of projects – including this car. These artist’s impressions give you the best idea yet of how the newcomer could look – and as you can see, there are clear influences from the P11, as well as cues from the original Peter Stevens-designed F1.

To keep costs down and prevent the small McLaren from stepping on the toes of the turbocharged P11, power is likely to come from a normally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 sourced from Mercedes’ AMG division.

With 450bhp in a car that weighs around 1,300kg, performance will still be scintillating. A 0-60mph time of 4.5 seconds and top speed of 195mph will more than match the V8-powered R8.

A semi-automatic gearbox with steering wheel-mounted paddles and carbon ceramic brakes will be standard.

The baby McLaren is still some way off, though – it’s unlikely to appear before 2012.

Source Autoexpress.co.uk

An entirely chromed-body Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was seen and photographed in Dubai.

Where else would you see a chromed out Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren than in the land of the chromed out Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, a matte-gold Nissan GT-R and a matte-black Bugatti Veyron. GlobalMotors reader Francis caught this chromed out SLR in the parking lot outside of the Mall of the Emirates.

Of course other cars you can catch in the pictures are a Porsche 911 Turbo, Lamborghini Gallardo, Bentley Flying Spur and a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe.

Source: globalmotors.net

Undisguised photographs of the McLaren P11 were published by CAR today. The P11 is Woking’s new junior supercar that will resurrect the spirit of the fabled F1 but in a new, smaller, cheaper package to tackle the likes of the Ferrari F430 and Lamborghini Gallardo.

Source : carmagazine.co.uk