RE: McLaren MP4-12C, Now With Added 'Phwoarr'

RE: McLaren MP4-12C, Now With Added 'Phwoarr'

Tuesday 19th July 2011

McLaren MP4-12C, Now With Added 'Phwoarr'

Noisier induction kit amongst raft of pre-delivery tweaks



McLaren has responded at racing speed to feedback from prospects, dealers and the motoring press, announcing a raft of changes designed to improve the 12C's emotional connectivity with its driver.


Top of the list of mods is a new induction acoustic kit that channels noise through the bulkhead into the cabin. It's a philosophical step away from the purist 'performance only' perspective employed by McLaren's race-bred engineers in the original design, but a meaningful nod to a marketplace that understandably buys its supercars for the 'phwoarr' factor.

The new system will be fitted to all customer 12Cs, says McLaren, and according to the esteemed Mr Metcalfe at Evo magazine (who's artfully taking the credit for all the changes), the car now delivers "a proper spine-tingling induction roar as each gear pops through".


Other changes include a lighter, more 'tactile' feel for the car's paddle gear shifts - which originally had a very chunky action akin to the McLaren F1 car set-up - and mods to the steering mounting points designed to improve the feel.

None of this is race-winning stuff, but it's interesting to see how McLaren is responding to a new set of challenges imposed by the expectations of road car drivers.

The speed of reaction is pretty significant, as there appears to have been little navel-gazing or PR bullsh*t expended in justifying the original set-up.

Instead the company has taken criticisms on the chin, and banged out a quick-fire response in much the same ways as if a new F1 aero aid had proved unsuccessful on the race track. Which is pretty cool, if you look at it that way.


Having said that, if McLaren Automotive intends to keep 'fettling' its cars like the race team would, then buyers of early 12Cs will have to hope they're not left behind too quickly. Industry convention would be that significant improvements are what the mid-life facelift was invented for, after all.

First deliveries of the MP4-12C begin in two or three weeks, we're told, which is a little behind the originally scheduled start in May. However, this has more to do with the complications of building a new factory, and the final pre-delivery tweaks reported here have (apparently) not impacted the schedule at all.















Author
Discussion

GFWilliams

Original Poster:

4,941 posts

206 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
Hats off to McLaren, great philosophy.

Pics in this article are lovely too thumbup

jellison

12,803 posts

276 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
EVO - I love the way the write as if they are all like the Jesus Christ of the driving world! laugh

koolchris99

11,218 posts

178 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
can you get the roof in black??


Stedman

7,212 posts

191 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
Yum yum YUM! I heard from a customer awaiting delivery that a lot of them are late due to the Tsunami as something in the paint comes from Japan etc etc yada yada...?

Either way cloud9

JonnyFive

29,387 posts

188 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
The MX5 had this "Cabin Induction Noise" back in 2009 wink

That colour is very nice!

Chris-R

756 posts

186 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
JonnyFive said:
The MX5 had this "Cabin Induction Noise" back in 2009 wink

That colour is very nice!
It's called Volcano Red.

JonnyFive

29,387 posts

188 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
koolchris99 said:
can you get the roof in black??
I'd imagine you could probably get each panel a different colour if you wanted to.

MarJay

2,173 posts

174 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
I think if I had the money I might even have one over a 458 Italia...

nickythesaint

1,371 posts

165 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
jellison said:
EVO - I love the way the write as if they are all like the Jesus Christ of the driving world! laugh
Errr, this is Pistonheads ;-)

Corsair7

20,911 posts

246 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
McLaren Mod their cars.....


nickythesaint

1,371 posts

165 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
GFWilliams said:
Hats off to McLaren, great philosophy.

Pics in this article are lovely too thumbup
+1. Hats off to them.

I wish them the very best of luck!

hornetrider

63,161 posts

204 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
nickythesaint said:
jellison said:
EVO - I love the way the write as if they are all like the Jesus Christ of the driving world! laugh
Errr, this is Pistonheads ;-)
This month's Evo has a Metcalfe penned article taking credit for it hehe

Have to say I admire McL for responding in the way they have - can't imagine early buyers will be left behind either. I would imagine there will be updates available through the dealer network.

Scoobyshue

226 posts

161 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
Stedman said:
Yum yum YUM! I heard from a customer awaiting delivery that a lot of them are late due to the Tsunami as something in the paint comes from Japan etc etc yada yada...?

Either way cloud9
[geek mode]This could possibly be true. Xirallic pigment was /is only produced in one factory in Japan. When the tsunami hit the plant was offline for some weeks. The only stock available was what was at the paint manufacturers. [/geek mode]

As for the Macca....I'd like a drive and I bet it would be stunning, but if I had the cash to splash it would still go elsewhere.

Plotloss

67,280 posts

269 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
JonnyFive said:
I'd imagine you could probably get each panel a different colour if you wanted to.
I don't think you can.

Mclaren want to stay away from completely individualising a car as invariably you end up with someone with no taste speccing something hideous which then becomes an issue within the dealer network on resale.

SkintEastwood

50 posts

152 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
Maybe the extra noise will blur the customers vision so they cant see that they have bought such a bland looking (for a supercar)yoke?

Merely bolting on a fancy induction kit dosent cut it really.
It dosent make it a more "emotional" car to drive shirley, that would have been in it's DNA from the ground up no?

jellison

12,803 posts

276 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
The few I have seen (round Woking wink) do seem a bit bland in the Noise dept.

don logan

3,511 posts

221 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
Still no pulse!

traxx

3,143 posts

221 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
Plotloss said:
JonnyFive said:
I'd imagine you could probably get each panel a different colour if you wanted to.
I don't think you can.

Mclaren want to stay away from completely individualising a car as invariably you end up with someone with no taste speccing something hideous which then becomes an issue within the dealer network on resale.
Thats not true - or at least the customizing bit isn't - one of the early customer cars is done in Gulf Racing colours - so its hardly standard

the_kato

392 posts

186 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
Was admiring one of these in the McLaren dealership in Knightsbridge the other day

In the flesh FAR from bland

JonnyFive

29,387 posts

188 months

Tuesday 19th July 2011
quotequote all
Plotloss said:
JonnyFive said:
I'd imagine you could probably get each panel a different colour if you wanted to.
I don't think you can.

Mclaren want to stay away from completely individualising a car as invariably you end up with someone with no taste speccing something hideous which then becomes an issue within the dealer network on resale.
Interesting. I suppose you can take it elsewhere and do what you want to it though. If you're paying £160k for a car, a £10k respray is nothing really.

jellison said:
The few I have seen (round Woking wink) do seem a bit bland in the Noise dept.
I've seen quite a few now, and on idle theres a nice burble, and when pulling away its a different noise to other supercars, very deep.