McLaren MP4-12C officially enters production

Today is a very important day in supercars history. Following the debut and all the hype build around the McLaren MP4-12C, the car officially entered production today at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England.

McLaren Automotive said that it plans on building up to 1,000 units of the MP4-12C in 2011. In the United States, each McLaren MP4-12C unit will sell for a whopping $231,400.

[slider id=74304]

Click here for more news on the McLaren MP4-12C.

Check out a new video after the jump of the MP4-12C as McLaren Automotive highlights the year of the car in 2010.

Refresher: Power for the 2011 McLaren MP4-12C comes from a 3.8L V8 twin-turbo engine producing around 600-hp mated to a 7-speed Seamless Shift dual-clutch gearbox (SSG). 0 to 60 mph comes in the low 3 second range with a top speed of more than 200 mph. Sales in the United States begin in the summer of 2011 with prices starting at $231,400.

McLaren Automotive and the MP4-12C best of 2010:

Press Release:

McLAREN AUTOMOTIVE’S FIRST MAJOR MILESTONE OF 2011 AS MP4-12C ENTERS PRODUCTION

First McLaren MP4-12C (‘Chassis 01’) production car takes shape in McLaren Technology Centre
2011 milestone announced with a new high quality ‘best of’ short film capturing highlights of the 2010 12C launch programme: available to view at www.youtube.com/mclarenautomotivetv

WOKING, UK (02 February) – Following a successful public world debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed, and a series of exclusive presentations to prospective customers and media across the globe in 2010, the first McLaren MP4-12C high-performance sports car has begun production at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Woking, England.

McLaren Automotive plans to build up to 1,000 12Cs in 2011. Most will be manufactured in a bespoke new £40m McLaren Production Centre, which is due for completion in May on a site adjacent to MTC. However, ‘Chassis 01′ is being built in the existing MTC production facility, where outstanding quality and highly efficient production methods have been fine-tuned since the Foster + Partners-designed building opened in 2004.

The innovative 12C was first presented to the public at the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed in southern England in July 2010, prior to a North American debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August. 12Cs were then presented at exclusive events to prospective customers and media around the world as McLaren Automotive toured many of the cities that will form a network of 35 retailer launch locations.

Milestone events in the 2010 launch year for the 12C have been captured in a new short film, which can be viewed online at McLaren Automotive’s official You Tube channel: www.youtube.com/mclarenautomotivetv

This short film features appearances from Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, the 2008 and 2009 FIA Formula 1 Drivers’ World Champions. Both have enjoyed testing prototype 12Cs and continue to feed back their thoughts on the car’s development. The video also captures visitors’ reactions to the 12C at its debut events. Brand new footage reveals McLaren Automotive’s Chief Test Driver Chris Goodwin taking the car winter testing at Dunsfold Aerodrome – also known as the BBC Top Gear test track – as he assesses ESP calibration on Winter settings as part of the 12C’s variable Proactive Chassis Control system.

Antony Sheriff, McLaren Automotive Managing Director said: “Meeting our prospective customers at launch events around the world, from Dubai to Cape Town, Paris to Los Angeles, has filled us with inspiration. There is genuine desire for McLaren to be launching our own range of sports cars, and an exciting appreciation of what McLaren stands for: innovation, technology leadership, and a winning mentality.

“In five years, the MP4-12C has evolved from a concept we developed in our own Formula 1 simulator, to a groundbreaking high-performance sports car offering unique technologies and outstanding dynamic performance. It has been an intensive development programme, but now the fun really begins as our future owners look forward to taking delivery of their 12Cs.

“Feedback from our customers shows they understand McLaren Automotive is as committed to delivering a high quality sports cars and a fantastic ownership experience as a our Formula 1 team is to winning races. With ‘Chassis One’ now in production, our new network of 35 retailers in 19 countries worldwide is ready to deliver on this promise.”

– By: Omar Rana