McLaren GT3 To Race Brit GTs - As Spa 24hr Warm Up
Macca returns to endurance racing this w/e; GT3 road car a 'racing cert'...
Pack your bags luv, we're going to Belgium...
Actually, we know, because PH hot-footed it to the McLaren Technical Centre this morning, mainly to talk about blagging a 12C road car for the Wilton House event in August. They said yes straight away (Woo Woo Woo! Etc.), so naturally the chit-chat turned to the GT3 programme as we'd all been dribbling over the revised racer's appearance at the Goodwood FoS last weekend.
Just 20 customer GT3 racers are planned for next year, and beyond that? Well, it may not be official yet, but the ultimate goal must be a return to top honours at Le Mans, surely? There's no car or programme in place (officially at least), but our McLaren source was quick to point out with a wink over a cappuccino (not that sort of wink...) that the 1995 Le Mans winning F1 is still the favourite machine of most of the engineers at Woking.
Officially, all we got on the GT3 road car was a significant (we thought!) nod towards the treatment McLaren meted out to the F1 following its Le Mans success - a programme which resulted in 'God's Own Supercar', a.k.a. the F1 LM.
Which makes us surmise the road-going 12C GT3 will be lighter, stripped out, raw-er (Is that a word? Ed.) machine and will feature key bits of the racing car's more ferocious 'body kit'. In other words, it will be a no-brainer for supercar poster fans, a (relatively) few track-obsessed customers, and a bunch of hairy-arsed magazine road testers.
F1 LM - God's Own Supercar?
So we were intrigued to note a significant majority of customer road cars awaiting build in the Technical Centre were specified in black or silver, with scarcely a vibrant McLaren Orange in sight. In fact the stats show that 60 percent of orders are in subdued black or silver, with pearlescent white popular too.
Does this mean real buyers in the supercar sector really are looking for something a little more sober after all? A groaning order book for 2000 cars (two years production at the new McLaren factory which opens this summer) is a good pointer, we reckon.
Either way, we still need to see that 12C GT3 car on the road! (You can see it at Goodwood in the video below...)
Re the 'lesser look' than Ferrari, I'm not sure I agree but for all the wrong reasons. When the McLaren was released I thought it looked a little pudgy in the middle and boring at the ends. That said, the 458 is the third F-car in succession that looks like it is a horse designed by committee. Just ick.
But no doubt on close inspection the McLaren will be the best of the bunch. Just a higher level of design and implementation. A marriage of hand built and digital composition and assembly that surly outclasses the italian folks and is a new level of evolution versus Porsche.
Perhaps I should get in line for one.
BTW, I'm a multi-car Porsche owner and I too agree that they look (and are a bit) old hat.
If I was in the market for a road going version I would be disappointed that it didn't look like the race car? Suppose I feel the same about the F1 - if I had the money I would have to have one with the GTR body kit on it.
haven't seen the mclaren, but i read the overall quality feel was not as good in the ferrari.
2000 orders doesn't do 2 years production. I thought mclaren wanted to sell 1000 car the first and then be able to produce up to 4000 a year??
Shall we wait until we see how good the McLaren is before deciding all the other manufacturers should shut up shop?
I seem to remember reading that the road going car was going to make the 458 look like a Lada only a couple of weeks ago...
I'm sure if the McLaren doesn't immediately dominate its class (sweeping the podium with multiple lap leads) it'll only be because Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes and whoever have bribed/threatened the FIA to ensure that's the case.
The F1 was leagues ahead of the competition on and off road, so far the MP4-12C is only leading bunch on the road, it might be world beating in GT3 or it might just be competitive...
Oh, and it doesn't really look that exciting in race trim either...
M.
The suggestion is Autocar gave the twin test win to the 458 for its intangible qualities - or 'je ne sais quoi' as Steve puts it.
McLaren is still spreading the word that the 12C will be faster on any circuit, with any driver. (Or words to that effect.) It's going to be fun to watch, either way.
I spent some time around a 458 the other day. it is actually really well built. apart from the key fob and the grills in the vents outside, it is very very good. maybe not german standard, but not far at all : all leather trimmed, alcantara floor, metal insert panels (for the bits that can be carbon), good switchegear feel. I was expecting to see some hard plastics in some area, i havent noticed any.
haven't seen the mclaren, but i read the overall quality feel was not as good in the ferrari.
2000 orders doesn't do 2 years production. I thought mclaren wanted to sell 1000 car the first and then be able to produce up to 4000 a year??
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That's not what Jeremy Clarkson says at all, he says the McLaren is a much nicer place to be than the 458, the leather interior is better (this is on the Top Gear website under his comments on the 12C, ahead of its Top Gear showing? I am abroad at the moment so haven't seen TG. The 12C is much quicker round the TG track too, I'm sure fellow PHs will know all this as it is widely discussed. The 458 has a better gear box according to Clarkson otherwise it is game to the 12C. Clarkson then disappointingly goes on about the feel of the 458 being better, even though technically and "scientifically" the 12C is better, faster, better handling. Perhaps only the British could have the best and then say "well actually the slower car is better, it all feels to me a little "don"t upset Marinello" because basically their game changing 458 didn't pose too much of a problem for McLaren.
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