Gautam Sharma•21 Nov 2012
NEWS
McLaren unleashes 12C GT Can-Am Edition
Iconic British sportcar brand confirms 30-unit build run for track-focused 12C GT Can-Am EditionMcLaren used the recent Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to unveil a one-off design study that previewed its 12C GT Can-Am Edition, and now the British sportscar manufacturer has unveiled the genuine article and announced it will build and sell no more than 30 examples – priced from £375,000 ($573,293) ex-factory.
Apart from enabling McLaren to increase the 12C’s racetrack exposure, the low-volume special also pays tribute to Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme, who successfully raced a series of McLaren models in the Can-Am (Canadian-American Challenge Cup) series.
The pair of Kiwis claimed a string of championships between them for Bruce McLaren Racing in an era when Can-Am cars were the biggest, baddest race cars on the planet.
The category was essentially a ‘formule libre’ for sports cars; the regulations were minimal and permitted unlimited engine sizes (turbocharging and supercharging were also allowed), virtually unrestricted aerodynamics, and were as close as any major international racing series ever got to anything goes.
As long as the car had two seats and bodywork enclosing the wheels, and met basic safety standards, it was legal. In this spirit, the 12C Can-Am Edition is billed as the ‘ultimate track car’ and will not be subject to the usual racing regulations of the 12C GT3 racer on which it is based.
Propulsion comes from a tweaked version of the familiar 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine with a remapped ECU and optimised cooling system. McLaren says the Can-Am Edition’s output of 470kW makes it the most powerful 12C produced to date.
The dramatic appearance of the 12C GT Can-Am Edition is dominated by the large carbon fibre rear wing, which forms part of a high-downforce aerodynamic package honed by McLaren Racing using Formula 1 technology and simulation. McLaren claims it increases downforce by 30 per cent.
Other carbonfibre body addenda that differentiate it from the GT3 racing version include door mirror mounts and covers, engine cover vents, side radiator intake vanes, sill covers and badges. Rounding off its purposeful stance, the 12C GT Can-Am Edition sits on black satin-finished forged lightweight racing alloy wheels, shod with Pirelli racing tyres.
Sharing the same carbonfibre MonoCell chassis as the MP4-12C road car, the Can-Am Edition is also fitted with a full FIA-approved race-specification rollcage.
The cockpit features a pair of black race seats with full six-point harnesses, and facing the driver is a McLaren GT steering wheel whose shape and grip is derived from the McLaren MP4-24 Formula 1 car. An integrated motorsport air-conditioning system is incorporated into the bespoke lightweight carbon fibre dashboard, adding a touch of racer comfort.
Explaining the rationale behind the track-focused car, McLaren GT boss Andrew Kirkaldy said: “The 12C Can-Am Edition concept shown at Pebble Beach earlier this year was purely that, a one-off design study. However, the reaction and response following the unveil was remarkable.
“The Can-Am name holds significant historical provenance for the McLaren brand, and those early racing cars of Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme were truly incredible machines. To be able to produce this unshackled limited edition version of the 12C, I think is a fantastic way to resurrect a glorious chapter in the company’s past.”
Each car will be built at the new home of McLaren GT in Woking, with production commencing next March.
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Written byGautam Sharma
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