McLaren 12C Spider 2012-

[Duell]

McLAREN FORMULA 1 DNA MEETS THE THRILL OF OPEN TOP DRIVING IN THE NEW 12C SPIDER

• Unique Retractable Hard Top (RHT) of new 12C Spider may be operated at speeds up to 30kph (19mph)
• Shared Formula 1 technology DNA in 12C and 12C Spider means performance is similarly impressive for both derivatives
• McLaren 12C Spider configurator launched online at: http://www.configure.mclaren.com
• 12C Spider now available to order through 38 McLaren retailers in 22 countries worldwide

McLaren Automotive today announces the launch of its second model in the MP4-12C family: the stunning new 12C Spider. With a lightweight, high powered engine developing an incredible 625 PS (616 bhp), unique RHT folding roof system that may be operated while on the move, and carbon ‘MonoCell’ chassis identical to that of the groundbreaking 12C, the 12C Spider is a luxury convertible sports car that offers prospective owners a unique combination of spectacular performance with remarkable usability.

The new 12C Spider will be priced from £195,500 in the UK and is now available to order from bespoke new McLaren retailers across the globe. First deliveries to customers are planned for November this year.

Antony Sheriff, McLaren Automotive Managing Director said: “I am really excited to announce that the new 12C Spider is now available to order at new McLaren retailers worldwide. The launch of our second model is an exciting milestone in the growth of our company.

“While the 12C is the technological essence of a race car, the 12C Spider incorporates an additional dimension. 12C Spider owners will love the opportunity to lower the roof and hear the unhindered howl of a V8 twin turbo engine at full throttle. It undoubtedly enhances an already euphoric 12C driving experience.

“The 12C Spider delivers all the thrills characteristic of a high performance roadster, and yet transforms into a raucous track beast at the flick of a switch. I can’t wait to see it on road and track with customers later this year.”

[Duell]

McLaren 12C Spider #2

[Duell]

McLaren 12C Spider

that's it for now

[Ferrer]

Is it just me, or this car is specifically desgined to be a McLaren 458 in every single way and in all its variants?

[Dino Scuderia]

It's kind of funny the tifosi were bitching because the 458 Spider didn't get a glass engine window(which was outdated anyway) and here the McLaren arrives with one.

[Cobrafan427]

This car never really had that wow factor for me to begin with and this is even more bland. Some angles look like a cheap (in sports car sense) Japanese convertible almost like a bigger MR-S

[Duell]

Originally Posted by Cobrafan427

This car never really had that wow factor for me to begin with and this is even more bland. Some angles look like a cheap (in sports car sense) Japanese convertible almost like a bigger MR-S

I'm still not sure about the Wow factor. Those things are sometimes difficult to say from a picture.
For instance I never really got the wow factor from the Murciélago, until I saw it in real life. I still hope this car is the same.

[Ecnelis]

McLaren 12C Spider #4

[Ferrer]

Originally Posted by Duell

I'm still not sure about the Wow factor. Those things are sometimes difficult to say from a picture.
For instance I never really got the wow factor from the Murciélago, until I saw it in real life. I still hope this car is the same.

This car looks like it might be the GT-R for people who like driving. Very good but not much excitement or involvement in it.

By the way, why has the "MP4" bit suddenly been lost?

[RacingManiac]

Too much bitching about not exciting, jaded journalists are jaded, and the car has higher limit than most who can afford it....the coupe is a bit blend, but the Spider looks pretty good. And relative to the Ferrari, which is a unibody car, the monocell loses no stiffness during the transition into a open top car...

The chassis technology in the McLaren is positively superior to the Italians, and pretty much is a have a cake and eat it too solution to the old mindset of supercar building....

[f6fhellcat13]

Originally Posted by Ferrer

This car looks like it might be the GT-R for people who like driving. Very good but not much excitement or involvement in it.

I think the MP4-12C is the victim, like the Bangle-styled BMWs, of a collective hysteria from the journo crowd. The post-Bangle BMWs were praised for not being designed by him by the pundits, yet they still looked like shit. I would imagine the emotional content of a 458 is little different that the McLaren's; a few "Italian" touches here and there, and voilà, the Ferrari is somehow a million times more the drivers' car. Having driven neither, I obviously can't comment from a position of knowledge, but I would suspect that, in the interest of provocative headlines and with the thought that the Ferrari is a certain way and the McLaren another having been seeded before driving either, that they might be exaggerating.

Lest you think I'm immune to Italian (no quotes) charms; a few weeks ago I was given a ride in a GTV6 and, maybe due to an exhaust leak and carbon monoxide in the cabin, I spent the whole hour and-a-bit of our journey giggling. I wasn't even driving and it was some of the most fun driving I've had.

For the record: I'm not a big fan of the McLaren. Something about performance cars with half-hearted turbocharging gets my goat. I don't mind when a Volvo has a light-pressure turbo, but when a supercar is only developing 150bhp/l when the naturally-aspirated Ferrari is making 130, something is wrong. If a supercar is turboed it should make a million bhp/l, of which I think modern technology is entirely capable. Give it a turbocharged engine, not a naturally-aspirated one with turboes. The other thing, very-similarly, that irks me about it is that they can and will turn up the boost to extend the model range, and in the world of price-is-little-object I don't like artificial model hierarchies like that. The Enzo was not faster than the 430 because corners were cut on the 430; the Enzo and the 430 fell into a natural hierarchy. One was a supercar with a mid-sized V8 and light chassis, the other a hypercar with a stronger heavier chassis and a big ol' V12 dynamo. On the flip side, people claimed the Cayman was dulled-down to avoid stepping on the 911's toes. While I'm not sure I buy this, this is a good example, if true, of an artificial hierarchy.

So there you have it: in my computer chair I'm impressed with neither, but if you have a set of 458 or 12C keys burning a hole in your pocket, there's no way in hell I'm saying no.

By the way, why has the "MP4" bit suddenly been lost?

McLaren is showing its hip side. They've heard kids these days love abbreviations. It's certainly better than the MP4-12C Italiano Pasta Modena Rosso Speziale from a year ago.

Originally Posted by Duell

I'm still not sure about the Wow factor. Those things are sometimes difficult to say from a picture.
For instance I never really got the wow factor from the Murciélago, until I saw it in real life. I still hope this car is the same.

It looks tidy and well-thought-out in person, but not particularly good. Certain far ahead of the squashed ichthyoid that is the 458.

[Niko_Fx]

Beautiful, I personally would absolutely love to own the Spider version.

[Kitdy]

Originally Posted by f6fhellcat13

So there you have it: in my computer chair I'm impressed with neither, but if you have a set of 458 or 12C keys burning a hole in your pocket, there's no way in hell I'm saying no.

We all know you are an LFA elitist.

I am really not keen on the maroonish colour of the photos from this press release.

McLaren Toronto usually has a coupe parked outside in traditional Papaya Orange. A more interesting and rare sight.

[Roentgen]

It's very understated. Too understated for a car in that price range.

[clutch-monkey]

Originally Posted by Cobrafan427

This car never really had that wow factor for me to begin with and this is even more bland. Some angles look like a cheap (in sports car sense) Japanese convertible almost like a bigger MR-S

it is much better in person, it is not photogenic i think