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Video: The new McLaren 12C Spider

Video: The new McLaren 12C Spider

By on 12/07/2012 in News, Videos

You can now see the stunning new 12C Spider in action for the first time in a short film at McLaren Automotive.

Shot using cinema-quality RED camera technology, the film begins with a 12C Spider finished in glorious Volcano Red in high speed action on track, before it traverses the winding mountain roads of Andalucía in Southern Spain. The exciting sequence underlines the 12C Spider’s position as a luxury convertible sports car offering a spectacular combination of performance and usability.

McLaren 12C Spider

You can also watch as the 12C Spider’s Retractable Hard Top is lowered with the car in motion – a unique feature among the new 12C derivative’s competitors.   The RHT system operates in less than 17 seconds. McLaren Automotive Test Driver and British Touring Car Championship star Mat Jackson then shows viewers why McLaren believes it has developed a sports car that adds ‘open-top thrills’ to a groundbreaking package of technology inspired by its successful Formula 1 race cars.

Antony Sheriff, McLaren Automotive Managing Director said: “We know 12C drivers love the Formula 1 technology DNA that runs throughout their cars.  With the 12C Spider, owners will have an even greater opportunity to create their perfect driving experience. Top up or top down, the sports car with highest performance among the competition just became even more breathtaking. The exhilarating aspects of driving the 12C Spider are captured beautifully in this great new film.”

Prospective customers and sports car enthusiasts may now specify their desired 12C spider at McLaren Automotive’s interactive online configurator, which is located at: www.configure.mclaren.com.

The 12C Spider may be personalised with a selection of exterior and interior finishes, a range of wheel designs and attractive carbon fibre appliqué.

Orders for the new 12C Spider are now being taken by the 38 McLaren retailers in 22 countries worldwide.

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McLaren take on Ferrari 458 Spider with 12C Spider folding hard top

McLaren take on Ferrari 458 Spider with 12C Spider folding hard top

By on 03/07/2012 in News

The McLaren 12C Spider is looking to take on the new Ferrari 458 Spider as the new car from Woking appears with a folding hard top roof.

Officially announced today, the second model in the MP4-12C range, the 12C Spider, is destined to hit the road in early November with a price tag of £195,500 in the UK.

As the 12C was originally designed as a convertible, its 75kg ‘MonoCell’ requires no additional strengthening for the construction of the 12C Spider. The result is a sports car almost identical to its fixed roof equivalent in performance terms, and weighing only 40kg more with the addition of a convertible roof system.

This new retractable hard top of the 12C Spider is operated using a switch in the lower section of the centre console inside the cabin. The process takes less than 17 seconds to raise or lower and allows, the roof to be operated whilst the 12C Spider is moving at speeds of up to 19mph /30 kph.

 Antony Sheriff, McLaren Automotive Managing Director said: “I am really excited to announce that the new 12C Spider is now available to order at new McLaren retailers worldwide. The launch of our second model is an exciting milestone in the growth of our company.”

“While the 12C is the technological essence of a race car, the 12C Spider incorporates an additional dimension. 12C Spider owners will love the opportunity to lower the roof and hear the unhindered howl of a V8 twin turbo engine at full throttle. It undoubtedly enhances an already euphoric 12C driving experience.”

“The 12C Spider delivers all the thrills characteristic of a high performance roadster, and yet transforms into a raucous track beast at the flick of a switch. I can’t wait to see it on road and track with customers later this year.”

McLaren 12C Spider

 The new convertible is powered by the recently revised 3.8-litre V8 twin turbo engine producing 625hp and has the same 7 Speed SSG dual-clutch transmission. As with other manufacturers, McLaren has added a glass screen over the engine to show off their powerplant

Vehicle dynamics technology including Brake Steer, ProActive Chassis Control and the unique McLaren Airbrake combine to offer a stable and comfortable driving experience on the the road with race car performance and handling on the track.

An overview of 12C Spider performance compared with the 12C is below:

  MP4-12C Spider*
(625 PS/616 bhp)		 MP4-12C *
(625 PS/616 bhp)
0-62 mph (0-100 kph) 3.1 sec 3.1 sec
0-100mph (0-161kph) 6.1 6.0
0-124 mph(0-200 kph) 9.0 sec 8.8 sec
¼ mile (400m) 10.8 sec @ 134 mph
(216 kph)		 10.6 sec @ 136 mph (219 kph)
V Max 204 mph (329 kph) 207 mph (333 kph)
Fuel efficiency, EU MPG
(litres/100km)		 24.2 (11.7) 24.2 (11.7)
CO2 g/km 279 279

* when specified with PZero Corsa tyres

Technical specification highlights

Behind driver and passenger sits a rear windscreen which may also be electronically lowered and raised. With the roof lowered this acts as wind deflector to minimise disturbance to the 12C Spider’s occupants. With the roof raised the rear window can be lowered, allowing the exhilarating noise of the 12C Spider’s V8 twin turbo engine to flood the cabin on demand at any time.

With the roof raised the area under the tonneau can be used as an additional luggage area which provides 52 litres of useful storage space.  Bespoke luggage has been designed specifically to fit this space and is supplied as standard with every 12C Spider.

The 12C Spider also features a passive Roll Over Protection System to maximise occupant safety. Each buttress contains a steel structure designed to absorb impact energy and protect both driver and passenger.

Creating one in a million: 12C Spider personalisation highlights

Launched in Volcano Red – one of 17 exterior paint finishes currently available for the 12C and 12C Spider- both 12C derivatives will also be available in optional Volcano Yellow, a striking new high quality paint which features in the ‘Elite’ range of exterior finishes.

Inside, an exclusive new interior trim has been developed for the 2013 model year 12C and new 12C Spider. High quality semi-aniline perforated leather and Alcantara may be selected in a variety of combinations to suit an owner’s personal taste.

A new wheel design, and ‘Diamond Cut’ finishes for existing lightweight and super lightweight forged wheel designs may be selected for the 12C Spider. Standard Silver or Stealth finishes are offered for all wheel designs.

Vehicle Lift will be available as an option on 2013 model year vehicles. The system allows the 12C Spider to be raised front and rear for improved ground clearance. This technology permits the vehicle to be raised by up to 40mm at the front and 25mm at the rear of the 12C Spider, and may remain in position at up to 60kph (37mph).

Prospective customers and sports car fans alike are encouraged to visit the new 12C Spider online configurator, and discover a range of exciting options that may be specified in literally millions of unique combinations.

If you would like to configure your own 12C Spider then visit www.configure.mclaren.com

 

 

Video: The Ferrari 458 Spider flies at the Goodwood Festival of Speed hill climb

Video: The Ferrari 458 Spider flies at the Goodwood Festival of Speed hill climb

By on 02/07/2012 in News, Videos

Ferrari showed the Goodwood Festival of Speed crowds the new 458 Spider this weekend.

Not only could people get up close to this new convertible but they were also shown its tremendous performance and heard the screaming V8 exhaust note as it raced up the hill outside Goodwood House.

The Ferrari 458 Spider

The new mid-rear engined two-seater 458 Spider features a fully retractable aluminium hard-top roof which is a world first for a sports car with this layout. The folding hard-top is 25kg lighter than a traditional soft-top while, according to Ferrari, being both quieter and more thermally efficient  Ferrari have used a very compact folding mechanism that, when raised, provide almost identical lines to the 458 coupe.

Also making its debut was the new lighter and more powerful Ferrari California 30. The front-mid mounted V8 now has 490hp, an addition of 30hp, with overall weight also being reduced by 30kg, which has been achieved through cutting-edge aluminium fabrication techniques and construction technologies.

Alongside these two UK debuts was the Ferrari FF, the V12-powered four-seater flagship of the Ferrari range. This is Ferrari’s first vehicle to feature the innovative 4RM four-wheel drive system which allows up to 30% of the V12’s 660hp engine to be transferred to the front axle in low grip situations.

The 458 Spider, FF and California 30 appeared on the track throughout the weekend where Scuderia Ferrari driver, Marc Gené, put the 2010 Ferrari F10 single-seater Formula One car through its paces up the famous 1.16 mile hillclimb course.

There were also several fine examples of classic Ferraris from the 1950s, 60s and 70s on display at the Festival of Speed, including a very rare 250 MM from 1953, the ex-Carrera Panamerica car still running in its original livery.

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The Mclaren MP4-12C Spider is here – almost – and Jenson likes it

The Mclaren MP4-12C Spider is here – almost – and Jenson likes it

By on 29/06/2012 in News
The new McLaren 12C Spider is here….almost and Jenson Button seems to like the experience.

It is now 12 months since the MP4-12C first went on sale and so it seems the right time for McLaren to launch a new version of their supercar.

This new convertible, the 12C Spider, will provide an exhilarating experience with its 625PS, twin-turbo V8-engined and lowered roof. But don’t take our word for it listen to Formula One World Champion Jenson Button.

McLaren questioned Jenson at last weekend’s European Grand Prix about what speed means to him, the connection he feels with the machine he drives and about what he senses when driving a 300 km/h open top car.  But it might not be his MP4-27 Formula 1 car he is describing, rather the new 12C Spider!

The 12C Spider

The 12C Spider is based on the same super stiff carbon fibre MonoCell chassis as its hardtop sibling the MP4-12C.  With the removal of  the roof the sensations experienced and the noise heard will provide a new increase excitement for both passenger and driver.

McLaren are promising not just a high performance convertible with the 12C Spider but also a car ‘more usable than any car this exciting has a right to be‘. We’ll have to wait and see on the 3rd July when more information is released but if it is anything like the current model we should be in for a treat!

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Ferrari customers head to Italy for historic drive

Ferrari customers head to Italy for historic drive

By on 27/06/2012 in News

From tomorrow, Thursday 28th June until Saturday 30th June, more than 100 Ferrari customers from all over the world will discover places in Emilia Romagna and Tuscany connected to the birth of the manufacturer from Maranello, on the legendary roads of these Italian regions.

Ferrari

They will drive on the roads of the Mille Miglia and on the Savio circuit, but also on the tracks where Ferrari has raced and won several times, such as Imola and Mugello as well as Fiorano, where the cars from the Prancing Horse are developed.

The Ferrari Cavalcade will start in Bologna , heading towards Imola and the “Dino e Enzo Ferrari” race track at the Santerno river, where the participants will carry out ability tests for the regularity race. The first day will be dedicated to the roads of the plain in Emilia-Romagna: Lugo, home of the Baracca family, where the Prancing Horse will be celebrated, along the roads of the river Po delta to visit the Pomposa Abbey, coming back via Ferrara degli Estensi on wonderful roads through the so called Pianura Padana.

Friday will be dedicated to the area around Modena and the places connected to Ferrari with a visit in Maranello and laps on the Fiorano track. On the final day, the cars will drive through the Apennine to arrive at the Mugello circuit and later on at the Piazza della Signoria in Florence. The final stage of the 600 kilometres will lead to Bologna on the roads of the Mille Miglia with the legendary Futa and Raticosa passes.

The list of the participants’ countries underlines the internationality of the Ferrari brand: USA, China, Lebanon, Hong Kong, UAE, Mexico, South Africa, Russia, and naturally Europe with France, Germany, Belgium and the UK, just to name a few. The Cavalcade event is a way to introduce the customers of the Prancing Horse to the wonderful landscape, the artistic wonders and the exceptional cuisine of Italy. This will also be the philosophy of the upcoming Cavalcade events, which will bring Ferrari clients to Italy’s most important places to discover hidden gems of this marvellous country.

The final check of the route has been carried out by the official website Ferrari.com with a 458 Spider, the perfect open car for such an exciting tour, with its stunning sound of the 570 hp V8 engine, which won the “Best Performance Engine of the Year” Award for the second year running.

Updates from the Ferrari Cavalcade stages will be available on Ferrari.com with exclusive photos and videos.

If you’re heading to Italy and driving to Ferrari then do call in at Plunhof.

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