Edmonton Journal from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada • 46

D16 DRIVING TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2011 EDMONTON JOURNAL edmontonjournal.com l. tJ.W hi j.ii1iiiiiij,MiKu....yjJiw-j ft twit 1 -I- ill 1 II 1,., SUPPLIED: MCLAREN AUTOMOTIVE McLaren Automotlve's latest supercar, the MP4-12C, McLarens MP4-12C precise, polished Experienced drivers will be thrilled by the performance, novices will transform into driving gods McLaren boss Ron Dennis ontheMP4-12C GABRIEL GELINAS Postmedia News Question: Why is the car named MP4-12C? Answer: I came up with this idea in the shower that, as all McLaren race cars are MP4s, which represents the merger between McLaren and my company, which was called Project Four, the new car should also be an MP4. The question was what number would we give it? Our 2011 Formula One car is MP4-26, so should we keep the sequence and call it an MP4-27 and intermingle the road cars with the Formula One cars? McLaren being an engineering company, I asked my engineers to create a formula using the car's tech-. nical specifications of aerodynamic efficiency, horsepower, fuel economy and CO2 emissions to arrive at a specific number and, in the case of this car, that number is 12. 1 won't reveal what the formula is that's like the recipe for Coca-Cola; but all future road cars will be designated by that formula.

The letter stands for carbon, as I can't foresee that we will ever build a car other than by using carbon-fibre technology. Why is McLaren getting into the road car business? One hundred and seven Fl teams have come and gone since 1966, which is when I started in Fl, which is pretty scary Clearly, survival in Fl is challenging, the only two teams that have been in the business consistendy since that day is Ferrari and McLaren, and I looked at the model and I realized there was diversification required. What product could we legitimately claim to make efficiently other than a "sports car? We identified with the Fl McLaren Fl supercar introduced in 1994 to the worid that we could make a car. In the SLR, we made a car that was to Mercedes-Benz quality, be it in relatively low volumes. So we embraced that if you are going to have volume you are going to have to bring the price down.

We did a lot of research, we realized that the market was fiscally segmentized, primarily between 100 to 200, 200 to 700 and 700 and above, and we call our core segment that middle segment. THE TRIPLE CROWN has Ferrari's 458 Italia squarely In Its McLaren has also won 12 Formula One World Drivers Championships and remains the only team to have ever won racing's triple crown, with titles in the Fl World Championship and race wins at the Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans. Cabriel.Celinatsvideotron.ca up the bumps and ripples in the pavement. Go to the Track settings and it transforms into a full-blown race car, complete with lightning-quick shifts that jolt and an incredible soundtrack provided by the V-8 at full song all the way up to its limit. There is no turbo lag and the car is almost completely flat in corners.

The level of mechanical grip and the sights. vertically by the passing air flow, effectively blocking out the view through the rear window. Turn it into a corner and the car responds instantly and sharply. If you carry a little too much speed on entry, the cleverly designed Brake Steer system will selectively brake the inside rear wheel, helping to turn the car into the apex while virtually eliminating understeer. Get on the throttle at the apex to power out of the corner and the MP4-12C will let the tail get out a bit, but the stability control system will sub-dety intervene to keep everything in check.

Gendy pull on the left-hand side paddle and McLaren's Pre-Cog system will pre-load the clutch, allowing for an immediate shift when the paddle is pulled back a little farther. In short, experienced drivers will be thrilled by the cars incredible performance, and novices will be transformed into driving gods as the car effectively "teaches" them how to improve their skills. The MP4-12C is engineered with laser precision, polished and flawless. Starting in October, the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C will be sold by Pfaff Automotive Partners of Wood-. bridge, Ont.

the sole dealership for McLaren Automotive in Canada at a price of $247,500. McLaren Automotive stems from a racing team that has a deep and rich history In motorsports, having won more than 160 Formula One races since 1966 the last one being scored in dramatic fashion by Jenson Button on the very last lap of the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix. Team of the wide door sills that are part of the car's carbon-fibre tub chassis. Once settled in, the fantastic forward visibility is a marvel. The tachometer is front and centre.

The floating centre console houses the seven-inch multimedia screen, two dials with three set tings marked Normal, Sport and Track to adjust the handling, the power delivery and shift speed of the car, and a button to fire the twin-turbo V-8. .1 GABRIEL GELINAS Post media News SURREY, ENGLAND There's a new player on the super-car scene, McLaren Automotive. Seventeen years ago, McLaren developed and built the iconic McLaren Fl road car, which made every other supercar obsolete overnight. Now, it is at it again with the new MP4-12C, which has Ferrari's 458 Italia squarely in its sights. Built around a very light, very strong one-piece carbon-fibre chassis and featuring an innovative driver-adjustable hydraulic suspension, the MP4-12C is powered by a new McLaren-designed, twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V-8 built by Ricardo in the U.K.

which is mounted in the centre of the car. The engine is good for 592 horsepower, which is delivered to the rear wheels by way of a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox built by Graziano in Italy. Weighing 1,434 kilograms, the MP4-12C is lighter and more powerful than the 458 Italia. And now I get to drive it at Dunsfold Park in Surrey, the track used to film the BBCs Top Gear television show. Getting in the car requires some flexibility, not because the semi-gull-wing door is in the way, but because ROAD rp- Qrp overall balance is simply JwkJ J.

outstanding, as is the braking performance with the On the first few laps, I try all the available handling and power settings and realize the MP4-12C has a Jekyll and Hyde personality. It is incredibly fast in the Normal modes, but civilized, allowing for seamless shifts and some body roll as it quietly soaks optional ceramic brakes. The MP4-12C remains incredibly stable and well planted, even under very hard braking, thanks to its innovative air brake system that pops up the rear spoiler, which is raised almost.