2011 McLaren MP4-12C – It Goes To 12

While its styling may not be as ground breaking as McLaren’s previous supercar, the F1, the new 2011 MP4-12C has the advancements where it counts. The offshoot of one of the most successful race teams in history has pulled out all the technological tricks learned in 45 years of international competition to mark the debut of the first in a line of cars that will compete with the likes of Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini.

The MP4-12C is built on a one-piece carbon fiber monocell, a first in production cars. All current production cars built from carbon fiber have a chassis that is laid-up in pieces and then bonded together. McLaren has developed a process by which the entire monocell is assembled as a single lay-up. The entire process takes only four hours and is reportedly, a full thirteen times less expensive to build than that of the McLaren F1. Front and rear crash structures are built from extruded aluminum and are bolted to the monocell. The new structure is said to be the most rigid production car platform ever built and allows for the front suspension to be bolted directly to it.

The suspension on the MP4-12C is double wishbone at all four corners. It utilizes traditional coil springs with active dampers as part of the McLaren Proactive suspension system. The dampers are interconnected hydraulically, allowing the suspension control system to change damping as well as spring rates by varying pressure within each damper individually. This allows for active roll, dive and squat control. The system eliminates the need for traditional anti-roll bars, improving independent suspension operation over uneven surfaces. It also gives the driver a choice of three suspension settings for different driving conditions.

The wheels on the new supercar are sized nineteen-inch front and twenty in the rear. Extensive use of finite element analysis in the design process has resulted in the lightest wheel possible. Adding or rather also subtracting from the cars puny unsprung mass are traditional cast iron brake calipers that are mounted on forged aluminum hubs. Carbon composite will be optional, but are reportedly heavier than the ferrous units.

The drivetrain of the MP4-12C has also been designed for lightweight efficiency along with power output. A relatively small 3.8-liter twin turbo V8 sits mid-ship mounted to a Dual Clutch Semi Automatic trans-axle. No manual will be offered; listen to the internet forums moan. The V8 is built on an alloy block with 90 degree bank angle and interestingly a flat plane crank. The flat plane crank means the V8 operates essentially like two inline fours grafted together. It makes for smoother power delivery and a glorious exhaust note, but does result in second-order vibrations. With its competition origins it should comes as no surprise that the engine is equipped with a dry sump oiling system. Keeping the majority of oil in a separate tank instead of the crankcase means less power loss from the crank splashing through it, as well as more consistent oiling during hard driving. Last and certainly not least, the lack of a deep oil pan gives the engine a lower profile, meaning it can be mounted lower in the car, bringing down the center of gravity.

Even though it is a supercar, it was still important to McLaren to keep the car as environmentally friendly as possible. Not only does the car produce a staggering 600hp from its 3.8-liter V8 but it also produces the least amount of CO2 per horsepower of any fossil fuel car on the road, that’s including diesel hybrids. This coupled with the MP4-12Cs yet to be announced flyweight and amazing aerodynamics will certainly result in one of the best mile per gallon ratings of any car in this class.

Other techno-treats included will be an ingenious airbrake that pivots above its own aerodynamic center of pressure. Translated; once it begins to raise up into the airflow, the pressure from the wind will help to raise it the rest of the way. This results in McLaren being able to use a smaller actuator, saving even more weight and space. Equally as ingenious, the radiators are not only mid-mounted behind the large intakes to lessen polar moment of inertia, but they are also mounted parallel to the direction of travel to keep weight more centrally located laterally and reduce the overall width of the car.

Borrowing technology directly from their F1 program, the car is equipped with a Brake Steer system. The computer analyzes steering angle, speed and G-forces to apply more braking power to the inside rear wheel on turn-in, lessoning understeer without making the car feel twitchy. The system is also used during acceleration. Get ready for another large groan from the forums; the MP4-12C uses the Brake Steer system instead of mechanical limited slip differential. Apparently, McLaren feels that LSDs are unnecessarily heavy and their tuning is simply too limiting for optimized handling. Don’t worry; I am sure a 25K post count engineer will quickly set them straight.

The McLaren MP4-12C is scheduled for an early 2011 sale date. A production run of 1000 units is targeted for 2011 with 250 coming to the US at a price of somewhere between 200,000 and 280,000 US Dollars. McLaren says there will be several options that will allow customers to make their cars unique and individualized, while also raising the price into appropriate supercar levels. The Zondas and Koenigseggs of the world have been put on notice, the next small production supercar challenger is on his way to fight for the crown.