McLaren 12C

The McLaren MP4-12C, later rebranded as the McLaren 12C, is a sports car produced by the British carmaker McLaren Automotive. Manufactured between 2011 and 2014 and designed by Frank Stephenson, the MP4-12C was available as both a coupe and a retractable hard-top convertible, the latter known as the "Spider".

McLaren started developing the 12C in 2005. The company used prototypes from other carmakers as test vehicles for the upcoming project. The 12C marked McLaren's return to producing a production car since the F1, which ceased production in 1998. The 12C debuted online as the MP4-12C in September 2009, and McLaren began series manufacturing the car in February 2011, at the company's facility in Woking, Surrey. The 12C has a carbon fibre composite chassis and a turbocharged V8 engine that generates a power output of 616 PS and a torque output of 600 Nm.

McLaren debuted the 12C Spider in July 2012. The production of the 12C ended in April 2014, following a manufacturing period of three years during which more than 3,400 units were manufactured. It was succeeded by the 650S, with which the 12C shares most of its components.

Name
The McLaren Formula One team has used the "MP4" prefix as its chassis designation since 1981. This acronym stands for "McLaren Project 4", which originated from the merger of Ron Dennis' organisation, Project Four Racing, with McLaren. The "12" in the name refers to McLaren's internal "Vehicle Performance" index, which evaluates cars based on four key criteria: power, weight, emissions, and aerodynamics. The "C" in the name signifies that the car features a carbon structure. In 2012, McLaren dropped the "MP4" part of its name, simplifying it to "12C".

Development
McLaren began developing the 12C in 2005. In June 2007, the magazine Autocar reported that the McLaren's upcoming sports car would be independently built by the company, stating that this would give the company "a chance to re-establish [its] credentials at the top-end of the market". The upcoming sports car would mark McLaren's return to producing a production car since the F1, which ceased production in 1998. To develop the upcoming sports car, McLaren used modified versions of existing vehicles from other manufacturers as test mules. The first prototype, called the MV1, was a Ferrari 360 that featured a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine and side vents for additional cooling, which were incorporated into the production model. A second prototype, the MV2, was a modified Ultima GTR used to test the braking system and suspension components. A third prototype, the MV3, was another modified Ferrari 360 used to test the exhaust system. McLaren subsequently developed two in-house prototypes, the CP1 and CP2, which featured a "MonoCell" monocoque and were used to test heat management and performance.

McLaren produced over fifty experimental prototypes and tested in various regions to evaluate their performance in different environments. The testing locations included hot weather conditions in Bahrain, Arizona, and Nevada, cold weather conditions in the Arctic and Sweden, high-altitude conditions in South Africa and endurance testing on various circuits and roads in Europe. The head of testing for the programme, Geoff Grose, noted that the development team established bases at Idiada in northern Spain and the Prototipo facility near Nardo in Italy, where they conducted 24-hour testing sessions as well as 18-hour sessions from 8am to 2am the next day.

In 2008, Frank Stephenson was appointed as the lead design director of McLaren, becoming chief of the project late in its development. Stephenson made some adjustments to the design of its headlights, front bumper, and interior elements. His contributions were mainly small alterations, as the overall design of the car was already well-established at that point. The final design of the MP4-12C was unveiled online in September 2009, with its physical debut occurring at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2010. Following McLaren's investment of £50 million into its production facility at Woking, Surrey, which could build approximately 4,000 cars annually, the official manufacture of the MP4-12C began on 2 February 2011. David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, officially opened the building on 18 November 2011.

Design
The 12C incorporates a carbon fibre structure called the "MonoCell". Compared to traditional riveted alloy structures, the MonoCell's weight is reduced and its stiffness is improved. The design's cost-effectiveness, swift production and flexibility made it suitable for adoption in other McLaren models. The company invested £127.7 million into the MonoCell. Manufactured by Carbo Tech in Salzburg, Austria, the carbon fibre structure weighs 176 lb. The advances in carbon fibre fabrication reduced the time required to produce a MonoCell from 3,000 hours for the F1 and 500 hours for the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren to four hours for the 12C. The development of the MonoCell also created approximately 100 new jobs, both in the construction of the new facility and in the production of the monocoque. Carbo Tech went on to manufacture the MonoCell for McLaren cars for over eight years, making this the world's largest carbon fibre order for series-produced cars.

The 12C is a sports car with the body style of a two-door coupe. Incorporating dihedral doors, the 12C features a rear-wheel drive layout with a longitudinally-placed mid-engine. The 12C features a double wishbone and hydraulic suspension, the latter referred to as the ProActive Chassis Control. The car uses rack-and-pinion and electric power steering. The standard front brakes of the car feature a four-piston fixed calliper configuration, paired with a two-piece front rotor. The 12C uses a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine called the "M838T", which was produced by Ricardo PLC in West Sussex, England. It produces a power output of 616 PS at 7,500 revolutions per minute (rpm) and a torque output of 443 lbft at 3,000rpm, sufficient to the car a 0-97 kph acceleration time of 3.1 seconds and a maximum speed of 207 mph. The car's transmission is a seven-speed dual-clutch manufactured by Graziano called the SSG.

Reception
On 10 July 2011, the MP4-12C set the second fastest lap around Top Gear test track, posting a time of 1 minute and 16.2 seconds. The car was developed and tested by McLaren on the Top Gear test track as part of their product development, long before its appearance on the show. It was 1.1 seconds slower than the Ariel Atom 500 and 2.4 seconds slower than the Pagani Huayra.

The MP4-12C lapped the Nürburgring in 7 minutes and 28 seconds.

The MP4-12C won the Middle East "Car of the Year" Award as "Best Supercar" in 2012 and overall "Car of the Year" at the Middle East Motor Awards the same year.

Spider
The 12C Spider is a convertible version of the MP4-12C with a retractable hardtop. Because the coupe was designed from the outset with a convertible version in mind, no additional strengthening was needed for the Spider and it weighs only 88 lb more than the coupe. McLaren has worked to keep the Spider's top speed 204 mph close to the coupé's 207 mph top speed and up to 196 mph is possible roof down. Meanwhile, the dihedral doors of the coupé are retained.

MP4-12C HS
In March 2012, McLaren released pictures of five 12C HS taken in front of the McLaren Technology Center. The HS stands for High Sport. The 12C HS has different wheels and revised aerodynamic features inspired from the 12C GT3 such as a revised front end and rear bumper, larger vents and diffuser and a modified rear wing. Power was also increased by 75 horsepower. Mclaren only made 10 units of the MP4-12C HS. In January 2016, a 12C HS painted in F1 Vodafone Racing Team colours reportedly commissioned by Ron Dennis was offered for sale at Mecum's Kissimmee auction with 203 miles. It had an estimate of $1,300,000 – $1,600,000 and didn't sell. The same F1 Vodafone Racing Team was offered again in January 2017 at Mecum's Kissimmee auction with an estimate of $950,000 – $1,200,000 where it still didn't sell.

McLaren X-1
The McLaren X-1 is a one-off sports car based on the McLaren 12C and built by McLaren Special Operations (MSO). It was displayed at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. According to Paul MacKenzie, MSO Programme Director, the X-1 has been developed for the past three years. To style the X-1, McLaren used ideas from a 1961 Facel Vega, a 1953 Chrysler D'Elegance Ghia, a 1959 Buick Electra, a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K and a 1971 Citroën SM.

GT3
In December 2010, McLaren announced that they would produce a small number of MP4-12C cars in order for them to compete in the FIA Group GT3. McLaren stated that they would provide maintenance for the cars and begin racing in 2012 with the CRS Racing team. The MP4-12C was the first car to compete in sportscar racing for the company since the F1 GTR. It received its début with a single car entry for the Spa Francorchamps round of the British GT championship. This was followed by a three car entry in the 2011 Spa 24 Hours. Another car was also entered in the GT cup of the 2011 Macau Grand Prix, driven by Danny Watts.

In March 2012, McLaren readied 25 MP4-12C GT3 cars for a full racing season in the 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship, and its GT drivers tested the car on its Dunsfold test track, the same test track as used in the Top Gear BBC television show. McLaren released several promotional videos for the MP4-12C in the lead up to the racing season, including one of Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton driving the car at locations in the U.S.

Compared to the road car, the MP4-12C GT3 produces less power with only 493 bhp due to homologation. The car features a bespoke six-speed gearbox that is 80 kg lighter than the road car's seven-speed, developed with Ricardo. The steering wheel is sourced from the McLaren MP4-24 Formula 1 car.

The car took its first victories in the world at the two races of the Circuito de Navarra round of the 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship season being run by Hexis Racing.

Marketing
Tag Heuer produced a limited (1,000 units) series of Carrera MP4-12C Chronograph wrist watch inspired by the MP4-12C sports car. The watch was unveiled in 2011 TAG Heuer Mastering Speed Exhibition at Halle Secheron in Geneva.