Design McLaren MP4-12C

McLaren Press Release

The McLaren MP4-12C is revealed as the first in a range of high-performance sports cars from McLaren Automotive, the independent car division based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. The 12C, and future models within the range, will challenge the worlds best sports cars, benefiting from the expertise and virtuosity of the McLaren Group.

Twenty years of sports car design, engineering and production combined with inspirational success in Formula 1 have driven Ron Dennis, McLaren Automotive Chairman, to announce his plans for the ultimate line-up of technology-led and customer-focused performance cars for the 21st century. The rules in the sports car world are about to be re-written.

Through a rich modern history, McLarens automotive division has already built the worlds most critically acclaimed supercar, the McLaren F1 (1993-1998) and the worlds best-selling luxury supercar, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (2003-2009). McLaren Automotive now looks to the future with a new range of revolutionary sports cars.

It is a long-held dream of mine to launch a range of high performance sports cars that set new standards in the industry, said Dennis.

We began designing and building cars for aficionados of thoroughbred sports cars almost 20 years ago. Incorporating the leading edge technologies that the McLaren Group has built up within its various companies, I believe we are now perfectly placed to open up this new chapter in McLarens history as well as play a part in the regeneration of high-tech manufacturing in the UK and global automotive environment, he concluded.

At its heart, the McLaren MP4-12C features a revolutionary carbon fibre chassis structure, the Carbon MonoCell: the first time a car in this market segment is based around such a strong and lightweight racing car engineering solution and the first time any car has ever featured a one-piece carbon fibre structure.

This step change in sports car design means that the 12C introduces new standards not just in handling, ride and outright performance, but also safety, economy and practicality in an already competitive sector.

Martin Whitmarsh, Team Principal of McLarens racing team highlighted the integral part that McLarens motorsport and road car experience played in developing the 12C: McLaren has for years offered a potent mix of race car and road car technologies. This combination of McLarens performance heritage, and future demands on what is expected of high performance sports cars in the 21st century, gave us a head-start when we embarked on this project. The 12C, and future variants, draws on the spirit of Formula 1 and delivers real-world technological advances.

The first car from the new company, the McLaren MP4-12C, is a high performance two-seat mid-engine model in the core sports car market segment for cars costing between £125,000 and £175,000. The 12C is pure McLaren, featuring no carryover parts from any other car, and will be produced by McLaren in the UK. It goes on sale through a dedicated, worldwide retailer network in early 2011.

McLaren is already a car maker with maturity and experience, having produced iconic cars such as the F1, said Antony Sheriff, McLaren Automotive Managing Director.

The next step was to construct a range of pure McLaren high performance sports cars that are true to the company’s philosophy and reflect our position as an absolute technology and performance leader. So, when we embarked on the 12C project, we wanted to re-write the rules of sports car design. Indeed, the 12C offers performance and technology that exceeds that of the worlds most expensive and sophisticated supercars, while competing in a much more accessible market segment. And to achieve this result, we designed every component from scratch to meet the extreme goals of the 12C and avoid any compromise.

Forget what you know about sports car companies, McLaren is different, he concluded.

Technical Specifications
Engine: 3.8 litre V8
Aspiration: Twin turbocharged
Maximum Power: 600 hp (approximate)
Maximum Torque: -
Transmission: Seven-speed dual clutch gearbox
Drivetrain: Rear-wheel drive

Jaguar Luxury Sports Cars New XK-S

Jaguar will be launched a new XK limited edition model this month, the Jaguar XK-S. Like every Jaguar to carry the XK badge, the XK-S is all about performance with style – plus a large helping of individuality. The Jaguar XK-S offers its own spin on the 4.2 liter V8 XK in coupe form.

2010 Jaguar Luxury Sports Cars New XK S

As well as introducing the exciting new XFR at Detroit auto show, Jaguar also decided to overhaul the XK coupe and convertible range. All the cars get revised exterior styling with a different front bumper and rear valance, rear LED lights, and color-coded side vents. Inside, Jaguar has changed the center console to incorporate its unique gear selector, a rotary control that pops up after starting the engine.

The new engines feature direct injection and variable camshaft timing that is activated by torque generated by the opening and closing of the valves rather than by oil pressure. 

The naturally aspirated engine has a new variable intake manifold and camshaft profile switching in the intake cam, where there is lower lift at low rpm, helping gas mileage and torque below 3000 rpm.

The car offers a host of additional extras beyond the XK’s already impressive specification at no extra cost. In true Jaguar tradition, every XK-S will be a highly desirable car with an impressively accessible price tag.

The Jaguar XK-S customer will benefit from dramatic 20-inch Senta alloy wheels, luxury sports interior, a sporty brushed aluminum gear knob and bright finish pedals plus distinctive body enhancements: new front and rear valence panels, chrome-finished side vents and bright finish upper and lower front mesh grilles, special tailpipe finishers and appliqués on both sides of the car.

Jaguar said," Our cars meet the challenges of the modern world and the needs of today's consumers – and they're also true to the Jaguar philosophy of creating beautiful fast cars.'

While Jaguar was at it, the range has been simplified to two models—the Portfolio and the R. The revised XKs go on sale this summer as 2010 models.

Lotus Sports Cars Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar

Proton-owned and British-based sports car maker Lotus has announced the Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar (pronounced One Twenty Four). Based on the Evora road car, it is powered by a mid-mounted Toyota V6 powerplant. The engine is race-tuned and can output over 400PS, depending on race regulations. The power unit is linked to a 6 speed sequential transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. It can weigh less than 1,200 kg, again depending on race regulations, thanks to an aluminium chassis, very strong lightweight forged aluminium wishbones and lightweight composite and carbon fiber panels.

Lotus Sports Cars Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar

The Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar has been developed from the award-winning Evora road car and is built to FIA regulations and safety standards. Based on the standard Evora road car, the Evora Type 124 (pronounced One Twenty-four) will make its 24 hour racing debut at the ADAC Nurburgring 24 hours race. According to Lotus, the Evora was designed for racing from the start and this made it very easy for the team to convert the Evora into a racecar, thanks to the mid-engine layout, stiff bonded aluminium chassis and lightweight forced aluminium wishbones for the suspension.

The Type 124 (pronounced One Twenty Four) Endurance Racecar is the next step in the evolution of the Evora. The car will make its 24 hour racing debut at the ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hours which provides a great test for the Evora’s performance, efficiency and durability under tough and demanding endurance race conditions.

The Evora gets a race-tuned version of the Toyota V6 mated to a 6-speed sequential paddle shift racing gearbox, and it now produces over 400 PS which is well over the 100 PS per liter ratio. I wish they’d listed out more specifications as to the specs of the engine – I dig this kind of stuff. In stock form, the Evora makes 280 horsepower from its 3.5 liter V6 engine, but even for the road car its said that a supercharged version could come later putting out over 400 horses.

At the heart of the Lotus Evora are fundamental racecar elements: mid-engine layout, high-tech and super-stiff extruded and bonded aluminium chassis and very strong lightweight forged aluminium wishbones. All these elements mean that it is a natural evolution from the road going Lotus Evora to a competitive endurance racecar.

From the outset the design team had intentions to take the Evora racing and the chassis was designed with this in mind. Endurance races are the perfect events to showcase the efficiency, handling and durability characteristics that have been fundamental to the concept of the Evora.

The Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar has a race-tuned version of the mid-mounted Toyota V6 engine, with power increased to over 400 ps (depending on race regulations). Vehicle mass is expected to be reduced by up to 200 kg, bringing the weight of the racecar to less than 1200 kg (depending on race regulations).

Further changes for the Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar include a six speed sequential paddle shift racing gearbox, full FIA specification roll cage, FIA-compliant 120 litre ATL fuel system, FIA fire extinguisher system, competition carbon fibre rear wing, diffuser and front splitter.

The racecar is fitted with AP Racing 6 piston callipers front and rear, with a race-tuned Bosch ABS system, 4-way adjustable dampers and adjustable anti-roll bars. The racecar runs on 18” rims shod with Pirelli racing slicks and the wheels widths have been increased over the roadcar to 9 ½ J on the front and 11 J on the rear.

Loads of goodies are added to the car – AP Racing 6 pot brakes on both front and back, a race-tuned Bosch ABS system, 4-way adjustable dampers, adjustable anti-roll bars, 18 inch wheels (nice and wide 9.5 from and 11 at the rear) with Pirelli slicks, a full FIA rollcage, an FIA 120 liter ATL fuel system, FIA fire extinguisher, yet weight is cut down from the production car to under 1200kg depending on race regulations. This is thanks to the use of carbon fiber extensively in the rear wing, diffuser, font splitter, and body panels.

The aerodynamically efficient Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar body design, made from lightweight composite and carbon fibre panels, remains predominantly unchanged from the road car, with the only modifications being to the lower sections of the front and rear clamshells and the side sills.

Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars Limited, said, “Motorsport has been in our blood ever since our founder, Colin Chapman, built the first Lotus back in 1948. We are proud of our motorsport history, which includes victories in Formula One, Le Mans, saloon car, rally car and sportscar racing around the world; more recently, we won the British GT3 Championship in 2006 with the Lotus Exige. The Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar is from the same unique stable and we expect it to be a competitive racecar when we enter various endurance races next year.”

Roger Becker, Vehicle Engineering Director for Group Lotus Plc said, “Every Lotus car is designed to be at home on the race track as well as the road, and the Evora is no different. Designed primarily as an everyday road car, the Evora’s lightweight and stiff structure, its aerodynamics and performance means that it is perfectly suited to taming race tracks around the world, and we are looking forward to seeing the new Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar line up on the grid for the 2010 season.”

The racecar is expected to compete in a number of endurance races in 2010/ 2011 forming part of a factory-supported race program. The races that are targeted are: The 2010 ADAC Nürburgring 24 Hours (Nürburgring Nordschleife, Germany) in May 2010, Merdeka Millennium 12 Hours (Sepang, Malaysia) in August 2010, BritCar 24 Hours (Silverstone, UK) in October 2010 and the Dubai 24 Hours (Dubai Autodrome, UAE) January 2011.

2010 New Porsche Sports Cars 911 GT3 R

Porsche has unveiled the 2010 new Porsche 911 GT3 R. The 911 GT3 R will be raced in series based on the international FIA GT3 regulations, thus succeeding the 911 GT3 Cup S. The 911 GT3 R is powered by a four-litre six-cylinder boxer engine delivering maximum output of 480 bhp (353 kW) transmitted to the rear axle by a sequential six-speed dog gearbox.

2010 New Porsche Sports Cars 911 GT3 R

The GT3 R offers 30 bhp more than the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup model. Both cars are based on the extra-wide body of the 911 GT3 RS street-legal sports car.

Porsche AG continues to work deep into the 2010 competition season. The new Porsche 911 GT3 R replaces the 911 GT3 Cup S in the range of competing models of the brand. The 911 GT3 R participate in the tests based on international regulations FIA GT3. A sequential gearbox six-speed is responsible for transmitting that power to the rear axle.

It is based on the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, presented in September 2009, and intended to compete in single-brand glass. With the increase in displacement at 0.2 liters, the GT3 R achieves 30 hp increase in power compared to GT3 Cup racing Both vehicles take the widened bodywork of the 911 GT3 RS series.

The antilock brake system (ABS), traction control and electronic throttle prepared to adapt the engine speed in each gear change, making it much easier driving in relation to its predecessor, so this new model will also most appropriate for amateur drivers.

The Porsche 911 GT3 R weighs 1,200 kg, comes with an anti-lock brake system (ABS), traction control and an e-gas with “throttle-blip” function make it much easier to get used to this new GT3 racing car than its predecessor, meaning that the new model is also more appropriate for the ambitious amateur racing driver.

The flared wheel arches, both in the front and the rear channels show a higher compared with the previous model. The underside of the vehicle are fully lined and features a rear diffuser. The possibilities of regulating the rear wing have also been increased. The race suspension has several settings.

Front, McPherson has a structure adjustable in height, with SACHS shock variables and two-way dual dock. Behind, the GT3 R has a highly rigid sub-frame, with a multilink axle adjustable height and the Sachs shock absorber adjustable two-way dual dock.

The Porsche 911 GT3 R is making its world debut on 14 January 2010 at the Birmingham Motor Show and the price is 279,000 Euros.