Talk about a car of the moment.
Right now, the 12C Spider is crucial to the evolution of McLaren Automotive, the brand. No one has ever been in any doubt that the 12C can deliver the goods dynamically, where it counts.
Emotionally, though, there still lingers a question mark about its ability to hit the automotive g-spot, at least in the same way that its equivalents from Ferrari and Lamborghini so clearly do. And it’s the one key criticism that the new Spider must seek to put right.
Roof up, the 12C Spider feels, well, much like a 12C coupe, albeit with a bit more poke at the top end and an even sharper gearbox than before.
But drop the roof and the transformation is extraordinary. The extra noise provided not just by the exhaust but also the engine, the wind and whatever else the world chooses to fire at you makes the Spider feel way more dramatic – more emotional, if you will – than the coupe.
The mild sense of polite Britishness that underpins the coupe’s personality disappears when the hood goes down, and what you get in its place is a car that, metaphorically at least, appears to be grinning from ear to ear most of the time.
On the road – or on a track – the 12C Spider feels quite different from the coupe, subjectively. It feels more alive, more urgent and just more exciting to drive. Not only has the peak power figure risen to 460kW, but the revs at which it arrives have also climbed by 500rpm, which makes the 12C feel notably more crazed.
It sounds quite different, too, thanks to the tweaks that McLaren has applied to the induction and exhaust systems. Under load, the combination of induction suck and exhaust scream make the Spider sound much angrier, and more like the outrageously rapid supercar that it is.
Removing the roof and turning up the volume where it was needed has unlocked the 12C’s personality and allowed it to dazzle rather than merely impress beside the rivals with which it was designed to compete.
No wonder McLaren expects more than 80 percent of customers to choose this model when it goes on sale next month – because if you were in the market for a 12C, you’d be mad not to go for the Spider.
A 26-year-old Bruce McLaren founded his new company, Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd, in a small south London lock-up on September 2, 1963, and tragically, only seven years later, the Kiwi racing ace was killed testing one of his M8D Can-Am sportscars at the Goodwood circuit, in the south of England.
Since McLaren’s death, the company he started has become a global household name in Formula 1 racing, with world champs Fittipaldi, Hunt, Lauda, Prost, Senna, Hakkinen and Hamilton winning titles with the team.
As well, continuing success in sportscar, Can-Am and Indycar racing, plus an incredible run of exotic road cars, has positioned McLaren Automotive as a significant force in the broader automotive world.
As part of its 50-year celebrations, McLaren has commissioned production of the three short films; part one of the heritage trilogy, directed by Swedish music-video maker Marcus Soderlund in his trademark, dreamlike style, following the ghost of Bruce McLaren as he retraces the scene of his Goodwood crash.
Mercedes-Benz’s performance and motorsport division, AMG, has produced an even wilder version of its C63 hot rod, scheduled to go on sale here later this year.
Producing 373kW/610Nm, the 6.2-litre V8-powered ‘Edition 507’ (for 507hp) is claimed to sprint from 0-100km/h in just 4.2sec, and is offered in sedan, coupe and wagon variants.
Most distinctive exterior features are an alloy bonnet with twin vents near the nose, new design 19 inch alloy rims and a choice of high-sheen grey, or matt black paint finishes.
The car will debut at the Geneva Motor Show (7-17 March, 2013), go on sale in Europe in April, and arrive in Australia in the second half of the year. Expect a price tag North of $160K.
Toyota has confirmed it will unveil a concept convertible version of its smash-hit 86 sports car at this year’s Geneva Motor Show (7-17 March, 2013).
According to the Japanese maker, the ‘FT-86 Open Concept’ has been created to, “Gauge customer reaction for an open-top version of the 86.”
Judging by the massively positive reaction the rear-wheel drive 2+2 has received since its global launch last year, pressing the green light for production of a drop-top version is a no-brainer.
Interestingly, not long after the 86 was launched in the USA (wearing the Scion badge), California custom car specialist, Cartel Customs produced its own high-performance, two-seat speedster version.
Holden is ramping up the hype, as the February 10 launch date of its new VF Commodore approaches, with a unique scavenger hunt competition.
To win one of the first examples of the new tech-laden model competitors have to locate 101 virtual puzzle pieces hidden around the country (in physical and online locations).
Daily clues will be posted on the competition microsite, and the first to make up a complete image of the new Commodore and share it online will be entered into a prize draw to win one of the first VFs to roll off the production line.
And don’t forget, MOTOR is bringing you the world magazine exclusive of Holden’s VF Commodore in its March issue (on sale Wednesday, Feb 13), including official images, details, behind the scenes coverage and interviews.
The big Lexus slipped into EV mode and rolled silently to a halt behind a black HSV GTS. As I waited for the lights to change, the 325 badge on the rump of the GTS caught my eye. This Lexus LS600h F Sport out grunts HSV’s hardest current model by 2kW.
And given how difficult HSVs can be to get off the line, it would take a well-pedalled Aussie muscle car to beat the LS’s 5.7-second claim to 100km/h – a figure the LS600h would nail with ease thanks to its all-wheel-drive traction.
But while Lexus is keen to push the F-Sportiness of the new LS, no one is going traffic-light grand prix racing with HSVs. Instead, Lexus wants the new range-topping LS to compete dynamically with the sporting limos from Audi, BMW and Mercedes while beating them on price, refinement, equipment and aftersales support.
Previous generations of the LS have often beaten the Germans on value, equipment and refinement, but dynamics have never been a brand identifier. At the heart of the changes made this time around is a vastly stiffer body shell. While the doors and turret are carry over, there are 3000 changes to the old car, some of which result in a 60 percent improvement in torsional rigidity and 20 percent stronger steering.
On the road, the LS is a huge improvement on the previous car but it is coming off such a low base that that might sound like faint praise. It’s still no BMW 7 Series, but there is some steering feel and huge grip from the 245/45R19 Bridgestone rubber. The biggest dynamic fault is the truly awful brakes. There’s nothing wrong with the hardware, but the pedal is emo-sensitive in the first few millimetres of travel and then mushy and vague thereafter.
In Comfort or Eco modes, the throttle pedal takes a swift kick before there’s any response, but in Sport-plus, the 5.0-litre V8 comes alive with a crisp note. The combustion engine produces 290kW at 6400rpm and 520Nm at a peaky-sounding 4000rpm. The 650-volt electric motor kicks in 165kW and 300Nm. The combined system output of 327kW makes the LS600h the most powerful production hybrid in the world.
With the $750,000 LFA supercar sold out, the $217,900 LS600h is the brand’s most expensive offering and sits atop the LS range, which starts at $189,900 for the non-hybrid LS460 F Sport.
Paris based photographic artist Renaud Marion has created a new series of computer render images, that literally pull the wheels out from under the motor car.
It captured the MOTOR magazine team’s interest, and it turns out this isn’t exactly a new idea.
Others, including Noah Nipperus and Beni Bischofin in the USA have been electronically wiping away wheels for some time, to let a car’s lines flow without interruption, and cause it to hover in mid-air.
Surprise, surprise, R&B heavyweight Chris Brown is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Again.
This time, though, he isn’t abusing women, he’s punching pop stars. Brown allegedly brawled with fellow singer Frank Ocean over an argument about a parking space in LA – which naturally got us thinking, what was Brown driving?
Turns out Brown has a penchant for expensive and heavily customised cars. We just hope he doesn’t punch them…
We headed back out to Sydney Motorsport Park on Thursday, January 24 for our third Twilight Track Night.
More than 30 punters turned up to run their cars through the afternoon and into the night at the Western Sydney circuit, enjoying plenty of track time.
The pits were stacked with a huge range of cars, including a display of exotics from Ferrari Australia and the Ecurie25 Supercar Club. There were Fiat 500s, Holden utes, race-spec Ferraris and Porsches, high-performance BMW and Mercedes sedans and hard-tuned Japanese turbo monsters.
We’ll be holding more Twilight Track Nights in February and March, so keep an eye on MOTOR’s Facebook page for more info.
Youtube sensation Ken Block has revealed his new HQ, a custom built pad that took two years to construct. Block also used the reveal to announce a new name for his race team – now officially called the Hoonigan Racing Division.
The new HQ is divided into two spaces. One consisting of creative offices to hold 25 employees, the other a top-level workshop for Block’s insane cars. The all-new turbo-charged machinery, seen here under dust covers, will be revealed to the world in the coming weeks.
But just because he uses petrol like he does oxygen doesn’t mean Block isn’t aware of the environment. 17 shipping containers were recycled to build his new HQ.
