McLaren MP4-12C Spider Re-Reveal
The McLaren MP4-12C Spider, essentially an MP4-12C with a power-retractable roof, was revealed a couple of months ago and officially debuted at the Pebble Beach Concours two weeks ago. But, perhaps to amortize the cover’s cost, McLaren threw it back on the car for another unveiling this morning at AutoWeek Publisher KC Crain’s Vinsetta Garage restaurant. Overly generic? Or timelessly clean? You decide.
The 12C’s performance is reportedly beyond reproach, thanks to a carbon fiber-enabled 3,249-pound curb weight (up only 88 from the regular car), mid-mounted 616-horsepower turbocharged 3.8-liter V8, and hyper-complicated electro-hydraulic suspension. As with the 12C’s archrival, the normally-aspirated, aluminum-rather-than-CF Ferrari 458 Italia, the only transmission option is a lightning-quick, highly configurable seven-speed automated dual-clutch unit.
If you’re worried about serviceability, this isn’t the right car for you.
Pricing starts at $268,250, which McLaren considers a bargain given the car’s carbon fiber construction and technology. You can use McLaren’s configurator to determine whether your desired options bump the price out of reach.
McLaren provided a tasty breakfast.
Michael Karesh lives in West Bloomfield, Michigan, with his wife and three children. In 2003 he received a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. While in Chicago he worked at the National Opinion Research Center, a leader in the field of survey research. For his doctoral thesis, he spent a year-and-a-half inside an automaker studying how and how well it understood consumers when developing new products. While pursuing the degree he taught consumer behavior and product development at Oakland University. Since 1999, he has contributed auto reviews to Epinions, where he is currently one of two people in charge of the autos section. Since earning the degree he has continued to care for his children (school, gymnastics, tae-kwan-do...) and write reviews for Epinions and, more recently, The Truth About Cars while developing TrueDelta, a vehicle reliability and price comparison site.
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The best interior layout I have ever seen: 1) Narrow center stack to allow more knee room (sideways). The need for knee room is not symetrical as the gas pedal is at the right side, the driver need more room to the right side of the right knee. 2) Side "stacks" that flow well into the doors and provide controls that's close to hands. The exterior provides just enough detail to indicate it's a mid-engine. I would say it's "timeless clean" that won't sell well, because rich people like it dirty.
Timelessly generic. And a missed opportunity.