German Car Forum

It's a highly R&D orientated company and Ron Dennis is a rationalist, and the car is a testament. I read the full press release and good god this car is technical. 0-200 in under 10 seconds are amongst the highlights but then there are the extents to which they went in cutting weight, lowering center of gravity and optimising the car in other ways is mind blowing.

The fact that they let Journalists tour behind the seens and see the full guts of the car is rather kind too. I'm very keen on reading the first reviews as I truly believe that this is a very special car. The driving experience must be beyond my imagination.

• Standard composite brake system of forged aluminium and cast iron is lighter than the optional carbon-ceramic brake system, saving five kilos
• Low-weight Lithium-Ion battery saves 10kgs
• Lightweight magnesium structural beam supports the dashboard
• Small, twin-turbocharged V8 engine delivers 600PS from 3.8-litre capacity
• Rear mounted engine cooling radiators minimise the pipework, the fluids contained within them, and therefore weight. They were also mounted in car line to minimise vehicle width and weight.
• Hexagonal aluminium wiring saves four kilos over circular wiring.

• Brake Steer aids balance and grip through fast corners either acting as a safety control or an aid to performance on the track
• The Airbrake increases downforce and therefore grip at speed and moves the centre of pressure rearwards under heavy braking
• Proactive Chassis Control negates the requirement for mechanical anti-roll bars and distributes damper control hydraulically between wheels and axles resulting in minimal roll at high speed combined with compliant suspension articulation in a straight line and over uneven road surfaces

If it lives up to the hype, and I have very little doubt it won't, I'm willing to overlook the generic shape. I do find it odd that, after bringing in a guy like Frank Stephenson, there isn't more character to the design.

That said, I do like the rear. And it's good thing, because, I'm sure, that's the portion I will be seeing most often.

According to EVO mag, Frank arrived a bit too late, the basic design was set and all Frank could do was alter the front end styling.

The design could have benefitted from some flair. Porsche took the form-over-function route too with the Carrera GT but the car still manages to evoke emotions when you look at it. MP4-12C looks a bit too much like a modern day Mclaren F1. At least it's not trying too hard to look Italian or something else. I prefer this design to the SLS.

The thing with the C-GT is that, while it is a form-over-function, it manages to evoke emotion because its shape is a derivative of the 911. The same basic design principles (the front and rear fenders, the headlights, etc.) have been exhibited in the 911 and 959 for the last 50+ years. If that car was divorced from all that history, would we be saying the same thing? I don't know.

The MP4-12C is derived from the F1, which itself, is your run-of-the-mill generic wedge supercar shape.

Interesting to see what his influence on the supposed true F1-successor ought to look like

Well Frank Stehenson is notoriously much better on small cars like the Mini or 500 than on sportscars, where he designed the F430 (arguably, at least for me, the worst-looking two-seats Ferrari of modern times) and the Scaglietti (I love that car, but it definitely looks like shit).

So no surprise here, the Maca looks average and unexciting, that was to be awaited.

The technical sheet however is yummy!!

I absolutely love the F430

The MP4-12C has an understated, yet sophisticated look. The interior is simple with some nice touches.

The only problem I see are the di-hedral doors. They seem to require a lot of space to open fully. Apart from that, I quite like the MP4-12C.

I knew he did the Mini, but I didn't know he had profound influence on the 500. The 430, especially in Scuderia guise, is epic. But I got to agree with you on the 612....it's not bad, it's just bland. Did he also have a hand with the Enzo, or was that all Ken Okayama (I have feeling i mispelled his name)?

And yes, the spec sheet looks

The dry curb weight that C&D released was 2870 lbs. That's the number that gets me. The 600 hp, 443 lb-ft out of a bespoke, Ricardo-made turbo 3.8L V8 is ridiculous, but couple that with a light andf strong chassis...well, that's going to be epic.

BTW, here's the C&D link:
McLaren Gives MP4-12C Acceleration Estimates: It’s Going to Be Fast - Car and Driver Blog

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton test McLaren's new car at Goodwood.

Stepehenson didn't design anything for italian super powers besides the Maserati based on the Enzo.