McLaren MP4-12C: Inside story

It's been arguably the most eagerly anticipated car of 2011. The McLaren MP4-12C doesn't just have the likes of the Ferrari 458 Italia and Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 to keep at bay, it's also got to live up to the standards of the iconic 1990s F1 -- a car that has cemented its place in supercar annals as an all-time great.

The Carsales Network hasn't as yet driven the McLaren, but we at least had the opportunity to pore over the car at its Middle East unveiling. Chief stylist Frank Stephenson -- the same bloke who penned the New MINI -- was on hand to do the honours and what he had to say provided fresh insight into the design of the 12C.

Some critics have argued the new McLaren lacks visual presence, but Stephenson -- an immaculately presented 51-year-old -- says he and his team "were going for a look that didn't shout that it was a McLaren".

He adds: "We are going for a more subdued look, and if you think the car doesn't look dramatic enough I challenge you to put it outside and see how many people tell you otherwise. It's calm, cool and collected, but we did give it a face.

"We made sure there's no other car on the market that has the same image. We have very good proportions. The driver is sitting well forward -- what we call cab-forward -- which makes you feel in tune with the road, yet we have one of the biggest luggage bays in the segment, which makes it a good daily-use car. A lot of the cars in this segment don't allow you to store enough luggage to make a nice trip."

Stephenson says comfort and visibility were key design parameters and points to features such as the cupholders and rear parcel shelf, which he suggests are rare in this class of car.

The Morocco-born designer adds: "Up front we've made the highest point directly above the centre of the wheels, which makes it very easy to accurately place the car on the road as you can gauge exactly where the wheels are."

He says the dihedral door system (essentially like scissor doors) is very dear to his heart, not because it's dramatic but because it's very light. "You'll see there are no door handles and anything we can take off the car helps in terms of reducing weight and managing the airflow. Once the door is open there's no sill panel to get in the way of your feet, making it much easier to get in and out."

Inside, there are very few buttons. It almost looks too simplified, but Stephenson says that was the team's objective. "Having loads of buttons on the steering wheel makes it look very racy, but that's only okay when you're a racing driver and that's your office," he says.

"When you're on the road you want as few distractions as possible, so we've put everything you need on the touch-sensitive console in the middle. This car has everything that a BMW 7 Series or Mercedes S-Class has, but we've just put it on the screen."

McLaren has made much of the 12C's carbonfibre MonoCell construction and Stephenson says that while this creates some limitations in terms of styling freedom, it's the optimal material available today.

"The MP4-12C's carbonfibre MonoCell chassis is the biggest difference between us and anyone else out there and it's a huge part of the design," he says.

"The '12' in the 12C designation is the result of a complex algorithm that factors in the car's horsepower, weight, aero efficiency and CO2 emissions. We've punched in the numbers of all the other competitors to measure their efficiency and, believe me, we come out on top," Stephenson says matter-of-factly.

"It's very fuel efficient and CO2 efficient. Normally people think supercars are a waste of money and bad for the environment, but it's not so in this case."

Although aesthetics are obviously important in an aspirational supercar, Stephenson says it's not form without function in the case of the 12C.

"Look towards the rear flanks of the car and you'll see we have a fairly dramatic looking air intake. This panel was not styled, it was engineered as the blades have been designed to turn air inwards at 90 degrees to channel enough flow through the radiators. All the air coming into the engine bay has to then get out, so the rear panel might look like Swiss cheese but it's very efficient at getting the air out."

Also designed to be functional is the rear-mounted air brake. Stephenson says: "If you brake with any sense of urgency the air brake comes straight up and settles the back end of the car, so you don't have the pitching motion with the transfer of the weight to the front. You feel a lot more glued to the road and in control of the car.

"If you look for the taillights you won't find them because they're pretty much integrated into the rear of the car, and you only see them when they're on. The exhaust pipes also look very dramatic -- a lot of people ask if they're dangerous, but they're not, even though they might appear to come out at a dangerous position for men.

"The design reduces the length of tubing needed for the pipes and it also cleans up the bottom of the car for maximum aero efficiency as the diffuser is much more effective if all the air can be cleaned up around it."

Although the engine sits below a glass cover, Stephenson laments the fact it's not really visible as it's mounted as low as possible in the quest for optimum dynamics.

But then, that sums up the whole design approach to the car. In Stephenson's words: "The car doesn't shout its potential, but it's intended much more for the technically savvy client."

Time -- and the sales charts -- will eventually reveal whether McLaren's measured, scientific strategy is able to trump the more passion-infused approach of its Latin rivals.

MAC WHO?
Formula One and supercar aficionados hold the McLaren name in high regard, but how will the brand target the non-cognoscenti, who still might fall within the company's target market?

McLaren spokesman Mark Harrison says the strong following Formula One enjoys in Australia certainly helps the company's cause, as does the brand's previous forays in the road-car arena.

Harrison says many people remember the McLaren F1 road car of the 1990s and says even the Mercedes-McLaren SLR has been a big influence.

"The SLR did great things for us as we had to build it to Mercedes-Benz's set quality standards. McLaren's approach whenever we're given a target is 'that's a point to start, let's do better than that'. 

"So the quality of the SLR was better than anything Mercedes had done before. That gave us great experience in how to build a supersports car to a high standard. What we didn't have was the relationship with the dealers and owners, because we built the car for Mercedes and passed it on to them."

However, Harrison argues the 12C is a different entity because Mercedes conceived the SLR as a design study for a motor show and then asked McLaren to build it for them. This meant the Woking-based firm started with a pre-existing design and engineered within that design, which Harrison says is a far bigger challenge than starting from scratch.

"With the MP4-12C we've started with the driver -- as you'd do with a racing car -- and worked out the best position for him or her to sit, where the steering and pedals should be, exactly where and how big the windscreen should be so the car would be easy to drive.

"So rather than starting with the shell and working in, we've started with the driver and worked out. In the 12C the seats, steering wheel and pedals are perfectly aligned, which isn't the case with a lot of sports cars.

"Once we had the seating position optimised we built the carbon chassis around it to create the perfect space for the driver, which is exactly the same process we use in Formula One. The first job Jenson [Button] and Lewis [Hamilton] have at the start of the season is to sit down and have their seat moulded around them.

"The result with the 12C is that we have a car with more space and which is easier to drive than the competition, yet it's smaller on the outside. The car is also easier to service and maintain. For example, the front aluminium crash structures are bolt-on and bolt-off, so if there's a crash they soak up the impact and you can easily remove and replace them."

Harrison confirmed the MP4-12C will be followed by additional models and variants in 2012, 2013 and 2014 -- at the rate of one per year. But don't hold out for an SUV, because "they will all have two doors, two seats and the engine in the back."

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