MCLAREN RACE CAR SOLD OUT FOR 2012
All 20 MP4-12C GT3 cars have now found homes, says McLaren
In order, it says, to provide sufficient engineering support to its customers, McLaren has limited its production of endurance race cars to 20 for the forthcoming season.
McLaren says it will bring F1 know-how to GT racing (citing a steering wheel that is "of the same design employed by Lewis Hamilton in his MP4-24 Formula 1 car" - though we're not entirely sure how relevant that is), and that its customers have been tempted by the "promise of no hidden costs and the opportunity to work with McLaren GT engineers throughout 2012 in developing the 12C GT3 to their own race specification".
All of which sounds ever-so promising. And if the car's pace in the races it has competed in so far is anything to go by, we can look forward to seeing McLarens at the sharp end of many an endurance race in 2012...
McLaren MP4-12C GT3 Technical Specification
| Width (mm) | 1995mm |
| Height (mm) | 1145mm |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2670mm |
| Fuel tank capacity | 120 litres |
| Chassis/body | McLaren carbon fibre MonoCell with aluminum front and rear frames and bespoke carbon body panels |
| Aerodynamics | Front and rear diffuser, front splitter, dive planes and adjustable rear wing. |
| Transmission | 6 speed sequential using actuation via steering wheel mounted paddles Limited slip differential with a range of ramps and adjustable pre-load. Wet sump Sintered clutch hydraulically operated Driveshafts with tripod joints |
| Engine type | V8 twin turbo McLaren M838T |
| Engine capacity | 3.8L |
| Bore x Stroke | 93 x 69.9 |
| Max. Engine speed | Limited to 7500rpm |
| Cylinder block | Cast aluminium , 90 deg V angle, dry sump scavenge, Nikasil coated liners |
| Crankshaft | Forged steel flat plane |
| Pistons | Forged aluminium |
| Conrods | Forged steel |
| Cylinder head | Cast aluminium with plastic composite cam covers, inlet & exhaust variable cam timing |
| Valvetrain | 32V with 40 deg variable cam timing on intake & exhaust. Low mass with sliding contact end pivoted finger followers, single variable rate springs and hollow cast chilled iron camshafts |
| Intake system | Two water/air charge air coolers. Plastic composite plenum. |
| Exhaust system | Cast stainless steel exhaust manifold with compact MHI fixed geometry turbo chargers. 970 deg C turbine inlet temperature. |
| Fuel system | Returnless fuel rail with twin fuel tank mounted pumps and twin spray injectors |
| Engine management | MESL TAG400 ECU & CIU 100 Interfacing with Bosch ABS and Shiftec control units |
| Wiring harness | Modular installation: Engine, chassis, fuel cell |
| Lubrication | MOBIL1: engine and transmission |
| Cooling | Air/water heat exchangers for engine water and charge air cooling combined with water/oil heat exchangers for engine, transmission & PAS. |
| Front axle | SKF integrated axles with handed single wheel retaining nut |
| Rear axle | SKF integrated axles with handed single wheel retaining nut |
| Front suspension | Double wishbone adjustable for ride height camber and toe |
| Rear suspension | Double wishbone adjustable for ride height camber and toe |
| Dampers | Coil over Multimatic dampers with DSSV technology with independent bump and rebound adjustment |
| Front brake system | Akebono 6 piston monoblock caliper 378Ø x 36mm Iron ventilated disc |
| Rear brake system | Akebono 4 piston monoblock caliper 355Ø x 32mm iron ventilated disc |
| Steering | Electro-hydraulic PAS |
| Wheels | Forged Aluminium Front 12” x 18” Rear 13” x 18” MESL TPS system compatible |
| Cockpit electronics | Multifunction steering wheel with integrated driver display Central switch panel with systems display screen |
| Steering wheel | Derived from MP4-24 Formula 1 wheel retaining integrated driver display, paddle shift and switches |
