McLaren MP4-12C GT3 pricing announced

A few days ago McLaren GT had its official launch press conference. It’s the separate company set up by McLaren and CRS Racing Team for the development and running of the MP4-12C GT3 program.

They’ll be racing their own cars, of course, but if you’ve got nothing better to do with your Sunday afternoons in 2012 you too can race a 12C GT3. All you’ll need is £310,000 for the “race ready” car and a racing budget. Too easy!

For the 2012 season McLaren GT will have 20 cars ready to race, so if you get saving now you just might be in luck.

After the break you can see a nice selection of images of the McLaren MP4-12C GT3 in its stunning orange livery, along with some highlights from the press conference and more.

MP4-12C GT3 pricing announcement captured in video of McLaren GT launch press conference

• Ready-to-race new McLaren MP4-12C GT3 to be priced at £310,000*
  
• 12C GT3 pricing and development programme details announced at a McLaren Technology Centre press conference and captured in new short film
  
• See the MP4-12C and its ‘evil twin’ in action

McLaren GT will build 20 new MP4-12C GT3 cars for privateer teams to race in 2012. At a press conference held at the McLaren Technology Centre, senior McLaren GT executives revealed to the world’s media and a group of prospective 12C GT3 clients the price and development programme details of the first non-Formula 1 race car built by McLaren since the McLaren F1 GTR.

Andrew Kirkaldy, CRS Racing Team Principal and Project Manager for McLaren GT said: “Having been a customer of GT car manufacturers for many years, I’m delighted we are now able to offer a carbon chassis based GT3 car for £310,000. There will be no hidden costs and we will work as hard as we can to support as many races as we can.

“We will spend the 2011 season developing the car with a team from McLaren Racing, McLaren Applied Technologies and McLaren Automotive and make sure this is the most efficient, reliable and easy to drive GT3 car on the grid when we deliver cars to customers next year.”

Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren Group CEO said: “The new MP4-12C sports car is the essence of a race car and we used Formula 1 simulation technology to get us ahead in our development programme. We have a unique mix of experience in the McLaren GT team and I expect the 12C GT3 to be the start of our GT racing plans. We have had great success outside of Formula 1, from the US, to France, to Japan and there is no reason why we can’t repeat that success in sports cars after 2012.”

* Excluding taxes

**Professional race teams interested in being the first to own and race the new MP4-12C GT3 should register at www.mclarengt.com

McLaren’s Racing Pedigree

• Defined by race wins in a broad series of global racing championships, McLaren is the most successful motor racing team in history. No other racing team has won the ‘triple crown’ of Le Mans (on debut), Indy 500 (three wins) and Formula 1 World Championships. In the North American Can-Am race series McLaren won 43 of 71 races, taking five titles between 1966 and 1972.
  
• In Formula 1, McLaren has won 170 races: better than one in four of the races in which it has competed since 1966, and more races won per season competed than any rival (3.75). These wins have resulted in eight Constructors’ Championships and 12 Drivers’ Championships. McLaren, and Ron Dennis’ influence on Formula 1 has been manifest. In 1981 (Dennis’ first season as team principal), the McLaren MP4/1 became the first-ever race-winning car featuring a carbonfibre-based monocoque chassis.
  
• This revolutionary design, inspired by aerospace technologies, has since become the standard chassis structure for racing teams: lightweight, safe, strong, and dimensionally predictable.

McLaren’s Road Car Heritage

• 1993 – 1997: McLaren F1: The McLaren F1 was, and in many eyes remains, the definitive sports car: the first road car with a carbonfibre construction.
  
• Just 106 examples of this iconic supercar were made (72 road cars, 28 racing cars, six prototypes), but recent auction prices for F1s value the standard F1 road car at between £2 – £2.5 million, almost five times its original retail price: appreciation unheard of in a modern car. It was also the last true road car to win Le Mans and the first to achieve this feat since the ‘60s.
  
• 2003 – 2009: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren: The SLR was conceived and styled by Mercedes-Benz as a powerful, touring sports car before being presented to McLaren Automotive to engineer, develop and manufacture. The SLR was prodigiously fast, exclusive and a technological tour de force. With over 2,100 examples produced, the SLR became the most successful ultimate supercar ever built, selling twice as many as the next best-selling carbon based car (Porsche Carrera GT).

McLaren F1 in Le Mans

• 1995: with an F1 GTR piloted by J.J.Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya, McLaren won on debut; four other F1s finished 3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th.
  
• 1996: six F1 GTR ‘LM’s finished 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th and 11th.
  
• 1997: two ‘Longtail’s finished 2nd and 3rd.
  
• 1998: one ‘Longtail’ finished 4th, with a second withdrawn after an accident.

McLaren MP4-12C GT3 Technical Specification

• Width (mm): 1995mm
  
• Height (mm): 1145mm
  
• Wheelbase (mm): 2670mm
  
• Fuel tank capacity: 120 litres
  
• Chassis/body: McLaren carbon fibre MonoCell with aluminium front and rear frames and bespoke carbon body panels
  
• Aerodynamics: Front and rear diffuser, front splitter, dive planes and adjustable rear wing.
  
• Transmission: 6 speed sequential using actuation via steering wheel mounted paddles; Limited slip differential with a range of ramps and adjustable pre-load; Wet sump; Sintered clutch hydraulically operated; Driveshafts with tripod joints
  
• Engine type: V8 twin turbo McLaren M838T
  
• Engine capacity: 3.8L
  
• Bore x Stroke: 93 x 69.9
  
• Max. Engine speed: Limited to 7500rpm
  
• Cylinder block: Cast aluminium , 90 deg V angle, dry sump scavenge, Nikasil coated liners
  
• Crankshaft: Forged steel flat plane
  
• Pistons: Forged aluminium
  
• Conrods: Forged steel
  
• Cylinder head: Cast aluminium with plastic composite cam covers, inlet & exhaust variable cam timing
  
• Valvetrain: 32V with 40 deg variable cam timing on intake & exhaust. Low mass with sliding contact end pivoted pinger followers, single variable rate springs and hollow cast chilled iron camshafts
  
• Intake system: Two water/air charge air coolers. Plastic composite plenum.
  
• Exhaust system: Cast stainless steel exhaust manifold with compact MHI fixed geometry turbo chargers. 970 deg C turbine inlet temperature.
  
• Fuel system: Returnless fuel rail with twin fuel tank mounted pumps and twin spray injectors
  
• Engine management: MESL TAG400 ECU & CIU 100; Interfacing with Bosch ABS and Shiftec control units
  
• Wiring harness: Modular installation: Engine, chassis, fuel cell
  
• Lubrication MOBIL1: engine and transmission
  
• Cooling: Air/water heat exchangers for engine water and charge air cooling combined with water/oil heat exchangers for engine, transmission & PAS.
  
• Front axle: SKF integrated axles with handed single wheel retaining nut
  
• Rear axle: SKF integrated axles with handed single wheel retaining nut
  
• Front suspension: Double wishbone adjustable for ride height camber and toe
  
• Rear suspension: Double wishbone adjustable for ride height camber and toe
  
• Dampers: Coil over Multimatic dampers with DSSV technology with independent bump and rebound adjustment
  
• Front brake system: Akebono 6 piston monoblock calliper; 378Ø x 36mm Iron ventilated disc
  
• Rear brake system: Akebono 4 piston monoblock calliper; 355Ø x 32mm iron ventilated disc
  
• Steering: Electro-hydraulic PAS
  
• Wheels: Forged Aluminium; Front 12” x 18”; Rear 13” x 18”; MESL TPS system compatible
  
• Cockpit electronics: Multifunction steering wheel with integrated driver display; Central switch panel with systems display screen
  
• Steering wheel: Derived from MP4-24 Formula 1 wheel retaining integrated driver display, paddle shift and switches