TGR StaffMcLaren Automotive has taken another step toward putting its new MP4-12C into customers’ hands with the launch of an online configurator for the company’s highly anticipated supercar. Starting March 31, 2010, prospective buyers and enthusiasts can visit McLaren Automotive’s website and build their own MP4-12C, choosing from a wide range of exterior colors, interior finishes, performance upgrades, wheels, carbon fiber components, and technology options.
McLaren says the configurator offers millions of potential combinations. Naturally, two of the first people invited to try it were McLaren Formula 1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Hamilton, the 2008 Formula 1 World Champion, and Button, the reigning 2009 World Champion, have both driven experimental prototype versions of the MP4-12C and recently appeared at McLaren Automotive’s official media launch.
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Now both drivers have configured their own versions of McLaren’s new road car, with a short film showing the teammates working through the available options. For the rest of us, it is a chance to lose a productive afternoon deciding exactly how we would order a McLaren.
Building Your Own McLaren MP4-12C
The online configurator was developed using information directly from McLaren Automotive’s design and engineering teams at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. It also provides one of the most detailed looks yet at how extensively customers will be able to personalize the MP4-12C.
Buyers can select from 17 exterior paint finishes. Blue, Silver, and White are available as standard colors, while another eight finishes make up McLaren’s Special range. Most importantly for McLaren traditionalists, McLaren Orange will be available.
The solid orange finish traces its roots to the company’s racing cars of the 1960s and 1970s and remains one of the colors most closely associated with the McLaren name. For owners who want something even more exclusive, another six colors are offered as part of McLaren’s Elite paint range.
McLaren’s Driver Zone Interior
McLaren has repeatedly described the McLaren MP4-12C as a car “designed around the driver,” and that philosophy carries over into the interior customization program.
One of the more unusual choices is something McLaren calls the “Driver Zone.” Rather than requiring the entire cabin to share the same upholstery treatment, customers can specify a different finish for the area immediately surrounding the driver.
Five leather choices are available specifically for the driver’s seat, driver’s door trim, and dashboard insert. The result is an intentionally asymmetrical cockpit, visually separating the driver’s side of the cabin from the passenger area.
It is an interesting idea and one that fits with McLaren’s determination to make the MP4-12C feel like a purpose-built driver’s car rather than simply another luxury exotic. The cabin can also combine leather, Alcantara, and carbon fiber throughout.
Performance Options for the MP4-12C
Customers interested in performance can add a lightweight sports exhaust system, carbon-ceramic brake discs, polished brake calipers, and a choice of two lightweight forged wheel designs.
Carbon fiber can also be added to the exterior mirror housings, engine bay panels, and engine covers. McLaren has developed the MP4-12C around a lightweight carbon-fiber structure called the Carbon MonoCell, so offering additional carbon components seems entirely appropriate.
The MP4-12C will be powered by McLaren’s 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 and is expected to produce around 600 horsepower.
Combined with the car’s lightweight construction, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and extensive Formula 1-inspired engineering, the new McLaren is being positioned directly against established supercars from Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche.
Technology Inside the McLaren MP4-12C
The MP4-12C also brings an unusually high level of technology into the cabin. A portrait-oriented touchscreen dominates the center console and operates McLaren’s entertainment, media, and communication systems.
Standard equipment includes a Meridian two-channel, four-speaker audio system, a 40GB hard drive and media player, AM/FM radio, Bluetooth telephone connectivity, and an electronic version of the owner’s manual. USB, audio jack, and PDMI connections allow owners to connect portable media devices, including the Apple iPod and Microsoft Zune.
Yes, McLaren has apparently made sure your new supercar is Zune compatible. For buyers looking for an even more comprehensive system, McLaren will offer its IRIS telematics package. IRIS adds voice-controlled navigation, increases hard-drive capacity to 80GB, and includes email access along with picture and media viewing.
The system also features WLAN connectivity, allowing files such as music to be transferred wirelessly from a computer when the car is parked within range. A seven-speaker Meridian surround-sound system is included with IRIS. It is an impressive amount of technology for a car whose primary purpose remains going very fast.
McLaren Prepares for MP4-12C Sales
The configurator is another important step in the launch of McLaren Automotive as a standalone road-car manufacturer. McLaren plans to establish 35 retail locations across 19 countries, with dealer appointments beginning in May 2010. The online configurator will eventually connect customers directly with those retailers as the MP4-12C moves closer to production.
For McLaren, the MP4-12C represents much more than another limited-production exotic. The company is building an entirely new automotive operation around the car, drawing upon decades of Formula 1 experience and the legacy of the legendary McLaren F1 while creating something intended to compete directly in today’s high-performance sports car market.
We will have to wait a little longer before customers can actually put an MP4-12C in their garages. Until then, there is always the configurator. Just don’t blame us when you spend the next two hours trying to decide whether McLaren Orange really needs carbon-fiber mirror housings.
McLaren MP4-12C Quick Facts
- Vehicle: McLaren MP4-12C
- Manufacturer: McLaren Automotive
- Online Configurator Launch: March 31, 2010
- Engine: 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8
- Expected Output: Approximately 600 horsepower
- Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch transmission
- Structure: Carbon-fiber Carbon MonoCell
- Exterior Colors: 17 available finishes
- Standard Colors: Blue, Silver, and White
- Special Paint Range: Eight colors, including McLaren Orange
- Elite Paint Range: Six additional finishes
- Performance Options: Lightweight sports exhaust, carbon-ceramic brakes, forged wheels, and carbon-fiber components
- Interior Feature: Customizable Driver Zone with five leather trim options
- Standard Audio: Meridian four-speaker system
- Storage: 40GB hard drive standard, 80GB with IRIS
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB, PDMI, audio input, and optional WLAN
- McLaren Retail Network: 35 retailers planned across 19 countries
- Formula 1 Drivers Involved: Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton
