Road tests McLaren MP4-12C : First road tests

[martinbo]

Nonetheless - still faster than the Veyron SS and the fastest closed cockpit car ever tested on this circuit by Topgear. Cinical? Definitely. Massively fast? Undeniably!

McLaren's PR machine just got one notch back in their bedpost.

 

[Mafalda]

Fast time for sure, but I'm not so sure it's impressive. The car has been tuned on it for around 4 years now, so of course with the best-in-class specs and perfect setup it should be blinding. In the intro to one of the recent TG mags, it said McLaren were doing setup work in preparation for this test so it's not a level representation for how other cars would perform IMO. This would be a different Stig too, I think. In any case, the lap time would not be a decider of which car I'd choose. The McLaren seems relatively deficient in areas that matter most to me.

I didn't know it.

 

[LaArtist]

I dont trust this time much..
1. its been developed on the track.
2. At 10:12 he says that mclaren has been fiddling with the car since he drove it..
I think they optimized it for the TG track..
Its wierd that its 2s faster than the 458 on such a tight track..while on larger tracks ( where it should be faster) its slower than the 458??

Things dont add up

 

[Zafiro]

The engine sound is ridiculously boring. Gasp!

 

[330CIZHP]

The engine sound is ridiculously boring. Gasp!

That is a turbo engine for you (though, it is an ultra-rare high-revving turbo). The only perfect execution of turbo with high-revving engine in history were the Ferrari F40 and the Nissan R34 GTR. Both of which were turbo, but revved up to 8500 rpm while sounding like symphony of true race cars in the process.

 

[martinbo]

Merged threads to keep as much MP4-12C discussion in one place as possible.

 

[Tarek]

A whole three seconds faster than Italia?..i'd never buy that..

 

[Cashmere]

Well it completely destroyed the 458 on the track.

Probably not as fun to drive as the Ferrari and generic looking for some but I think the car isn't as bad as some reviews may have made it out to be. It was obviously designed to be a car you could use daily and fast around a track and it does both very well.

 

[Guibo]

Its wierd that its 2s faster than the 458 on such a tight track..while on larger tracks ( where it should be faster) its slower than the 458??
Things dont add up

The TopGear track has been described as a "power track." It doesn't have as many chicanes as, say, Bedford where Evo say the 458's very fast steering can give it an edge. I doubt the MP4 is 2s clear of the 458 on Super Sport tires, and the current Stig could make some difference too.




From Jalopnik:

"Jul 11, 2011 1:30 PM
McLaren celebrates a magical number from Top Gear



Given that McLaren tuned the MP4-12C on the damp tarmac of Top Gear's Dunsfold track, its not surprising it would perform well under the New Stig's guidance. But the MP4-12C's official time was so outstanding McLaren staff celebrated the moment today in frosting."


Not exactly classy, but perhaps any celebration is good after the drubbing the MP4-12C has received at the hands of British press (and disaster at the UK GP).

 

[Mafalda]

if an Italian magazine'd celebrate Ferrari in this way, it'd surely lose its credibility...

 

[Levi68]

Very strange. If it is only a question of setup, McLaren should have programed the best setup for every track on the car.

 

[lambornima]

buuuuuulllll shiiiiiit

 

[Cashmere]

5th Gear's Jason Plato tweeted the following in response to Jeremy's review of the fax machine

 

[330CIZHP]

Plato and Needel have somewhat more credibility than Clarkson, I reckon.

TopGear has turned more into a farce lately. They are almost blatantly (and somewhat shamelessly) biased towards certain cars and they make no apologies about it. MacLaren is a British brand and I never expected it otherwise.

Ben Collins had written extensively how he distinctly at many occassions got into heated arguments with Jeremy Clarkson over several cars where he would put a car down or elevate it to a level it did not deserve or was capable of. It was a very interesting read.

 

[Deleted member 25]

Do you have any links for those heated arguments.

 

[330CIZHP]

Do you have any links for those heated arguments.

It is in Ben Collin's book "The man in the white suit".

 

[donkeykong]

LENO GETS MCLAREN DRIVING LESSON

 

[Deckhook]

What is the chances we have a repeat of what Ferrari did with it's FXX where Stig was actually not the normal Stig but none other than Schmacher. Is it possible the McLaren was piloted by their own test driver and not the Stig from the show?

 

[Laurent T]

What is the chances we have a repeat of what Ferrari did with it's FXX where Stig was actually not the normal Stig but none other than Schmacher. Is it possible the McLaren was piloted by their own test driver and not the Stig from the show?

Recent Top Gear times are quite impressive, new GT-R just did 1'17"8. So I would assume the McLaren's time is honest.

 

[330CIZHP]

Come to think of it, that is very plausible. If you read Ben Collin's book, he does say some visiting drivers would do the powerlap as a "guest Stig".

That is the drawback of not knowing the identity of the driver since it could be changing many times thus introducing a huge variable rendering the lap time comparison invalid.

What is the chances we have a repeat of what Ferrari did with it's FXX where Stig was actually not the normal Stig but none other than Schmacher. Is it possible the McLaren was piloted by their own test driver and not the Stig from the show?