Anyone with even a rudimentary awareness of driving games will know about the two goliaths of the genre, Sony Playstation’s Gran Turismo (GT5) and Microsoft Xbox’s Forza 4.

To say they dominate the marketplace would be something of an understatement – and with driving games now a $2.5 billion industry, according to market researcher EEDAR, it would take a brave man to place any bets on a newcomer.

Ignite Game Technologies is that newcomer and Simraceway is the game they’ve invested more than $12.2 million and 2 years of their lives in developing. That may sound a lot, but as already mentioned, gaming is now a huge industry.

To provide some perspective, Polyphony Digital, maker of Sony Playstation’s Gran Turismo 5 is known to have invested $80 million over a 5 year period, so you’ll understand why we were keen to speak with the guys behind Simraceway to find out if they were trying to bite off more than they can chew.

Let’s talk about the McLaren deal first, then we’ll come back to a behind-the-scenes Q & A with Ignite.

Prepare to race the McLaren of your dreams..

Prepare to race the McLaren of your dreams – that’s how McLaren led into their own announcement earlier this month.

The significance of the deal with Simraceway is two-fold, firstly no other racing game is licensed by McLaren to include its cars and it’s not just the F1 and MP4-12C that are on offer, McLaren has chosen to provide its entire catalogue of road and race cars – 60 in total – all exclusively rendered for the Simraceway virtual environment.

That’s a huge commitment, don’t you think? Not only does this involve a room full of geeks and designers slaving over their Macs, but also a team of engineers scanning, measuring and gathering data on each and every car. The partnership breaks new ground for the videogames industry, representing the first time McLaren has licensed its entire catalogue of F1, Can-Am, sports and road cars for use in a game.

It also represents the first time that anyone outside the McLaren team will be able to experience the brand’s greatest cars.

Included in the line-up is the iconic 800hp, turbocharged MP4/4 F1 car that was driven into the history books by the legendary Ayrton Senna and his teammate Alain Prost. The MP4/4 is still the most successful car in Formula One history, having won 15 of the 16 races it entered in the 1988 season, capturing the same number of pole positions and leading no less than 1003 of the 1031 laps raced that season.

Joining the MP4/4 are the F1 cars driven by Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt (in 1974 and 1976) and of course this season’s Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-26, currently being driven by Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. In total, 36 F1 cars, with the exception of the MP4-26 (which is already licensed for Codemasters F1 2011), will be exclusive to Simraceway.

Jonathan Neale, Managing Director of McLaren Racing said: “Choosing Simraceway as our licensor for all 60 McLarens makes perfect sense. We’re highly impressed with their gaming products, innovative technology and the drive of their people. We are very optimistic that this will represent the start of a successful co-operation between the two companies, and we look forward to seeing our rich and beloved heritage brought to life in the virtual world.”

To save me introducing them all, but realising that many of you would love to know the details, all 60 cars are listed in the drop-down display below.

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Let’s take a look at the game..

When we think of PC driving games, it’s all too easy to imagine controlling it via a keyboard or joystick, or if you’re a serious gamer then perhaps a dedicated gaming seat, complete with steering wheel and pedals.

Ignite chose a different approach, joining forces with gaming peripheral maker SteelSeries to develop the SRW-S1 Steering Wheel. The SRW-S1 is an affordable, high-performance PC controller that aims to open up a whole new racing world to players frustrated by the limitations of joypads.

The handheld hybrid racing controller combines the features and functions of a high-end steering wheel, with the portability and convenience of a joypad – the SRW-S1 includes a motion-sensor for steering and a patent-pending throttle and brake paddle system for a fully simulated driving experience without the need for floor pedals.

Sound like a gimmick? Well take a look at the video below..

Ignite Gaming Technologies recently launched the Simraceway wheel, a joint effort between the Steel Series peripherals specialist and Simraceway.

The controller was designed, tested and approved by a team of world-class drivers, including four-time IndyCar Series winner Dario Franchitti, double Indy 500 Champion, the late, great and much missed, Dan Wheldon, and SimRacing stars David Greco and Bruno Marques.

“When we set out in 2008 to create a new kind of racing game, one of the first issues we had to confront was the age-old ‘interface problem’,” said Ignite CEO Jonathan Haswell. “For decades now, racing game players have been faced with the unenviable choice of spending a huge amount of money on a wheel-and-pedal set that is tricky to set up, store and transport or settling for a binary joypad that simply isn’t fit-for-purpose.

“It soon became clear that the only solution was to produce something completely new and unique. A controller that would be affordable enough for those who can’t justify spending fortunes on top-end racing wheels but authentic enough to convey the full exhilaration of the virtual racing experience.”

As an extra bonus the SRW-S1 controller is compatible with other PC-based driving games, which makes its €119.99 ($119.99) price seem even more reasonable. You can find out more at http://steelseries.com/srws1.

Q & A with the Simracing Developers

So far the Simraceway experience sounds worthy of a closer look, so we got in touch with the developers and put them on the spot.

We’re not developing a brand new physics engine — we’re perfecting an existing one using extensive real-world racing expertise. It’s also important to emphasize that, despite their popularity, we don’t accept that Gran Turismo and Forza constitute the last word in physics.

As with real-world racing, there’s always room for innovation! With Simraceway we believe we can not only match other titles, we believe we can offer a superior racing experience thanks to a number of important innovations we have made during the title’s development.

Not only has our development team been able to call on the expertise of three world champion drivers, we also have a real-world racing facility permanently available to us for research and development. We believe both of these factors have given us a vital edge over other games in terms of authenticity on the track.

Simraceway CEO Jonathan Haswell joins in the celebrations with 2010 IndyCar Series Champion, Dario Franchitti.

We’ve partnered with SteelSeries to produce a financially-accessible, high-performance steering wheel that integrates fully with Simraceway, giving players a viable alternative to joypads, which are patently not fit for purpose in the context of a racing game.

We have experts in the field of skill quantification developing and perfecting a skill-matching system that will blow existing methods out of the water, effectively bringing sim racing to the masses by producing perfectly-matched contests for drivers of all skill levels.

As well as racing for pride and points, our players can choose to compete in paid-entry competitions which will give them the chance to win big prizes and pit them against real-world professional drivers.

Unlike “packaged goods” games, Simraceway can be constantly updated, allowing us to add new licensed content, features and upgrades and keep the game in sync with the real world.

Simraceway is a PC game that employs a client-server model similar to that used by popular online games such as World of Warcraft™. However players will also be able to enjoy an ongoing connection with the game—and perform many gameplay-related actions like viewing leaderboards and engaging with the game’s community—using any web-enabled device.

To date, Simraceway has agreed over 600 licenses for modern and historic race and road cars from some of the biggest brands in the automotive industry, including Bentley, Bugatti, Mitsubishi, and Saleen. Many of these will be exclusive to the game.

By the start of 2012, we expect to be releasing over 30 laser-scanned models each month as we build up a comprehensive simulation library of motorsport history, which our players will be able to purchase content from. We like to think of it as an “iTunes for racing”.

Simracing drivers will be able to race on a combination of real-world and fantasy street circuits, ovals and road courses.

We currently have licenses for over 60 real-world tracks which we are in the process of laser-scanning for deployment in the game.

So, how can you get involved?

Simraceway entered into open beta last week and the Simraceway wheel was launched at the same time. You can sign up now at the Simraceway website, then download the game and try it for yourself. The software is free and you can win points and prizes in the Simraceway competitions.

Sound interesting? Let us know how you get on.

The reason for my request was to provide some background to the BBC’s coverage of McLaren’s new £50m Production Centre (MPC), which is being opened by British Prime Minister, David Cameron, this afternoon.

Journalism student, Beth Andrews, was one of the first to respond and selected to appear on BBC Surrey alongside Professor John Watts, from the University of Surrey. Here’s what they both had to say..

The MPC is the new production facility for McLaren’s MP4-12C supercar and will also house the bulk of McLaren’s race car collection, which up until recently was housed at the secretive Unit 2 Access Point in Portsmouth.

The Prime Minister met with the team’s F1 drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button and was escorted around the MTC and MPC by McLaren’s Executive Chairman, Ron Dennis.

When speaking to a small gathering of media and invited guests, the Prime Minister said, “Thank you for inviting me. It is incredibly inspiring to be here. I’ve been to a few car factories in my time but I have never been to anything like this. Formula 1 is an incredible British success story. It is not just McLaren. When Michael Schumacher races it is in a car built in Britain. Perhaps that is a point I will make to Chancellor Merkel tomorrow to break the ice!”

Ron Dennis was keen to point out that McLaren Automotive had already sold 2,000 MP4-12C road cars in 2011, and was well on target to achieving 5,000 cars in 2012.

“Just like our racing cars, the McLaren Group never stands still – and you may like some of the pioneering new directions we’re taking.”, said Dennis.

“McLaren is more than just a builder of beautiful and successful Formula 1 cars: we’re a relentlessly competitive entity, bred on high-performance and determined to bring to market ground-breaking products and solutions that are set apart by their top quality and dependence on totally unique and highly innovative steps in performance.”

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]]> http://skiddmark.com/2011/11/prime-minister-david-cameron-opens-the-new-mclaren-production-centre-mpc/feed/ 0 http://skiddmark.com/2011/09/mclaren-automotive-sets-its-sights-on-becoming-a-multi-billion-dollar-business-wvideo/ http://skiddmark.com/2011/09/mclaren-automotive-sets-its-sights-on-becoming-a-multi-billion-dollar-business-wvideo/#comments Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:31:38 +0000 Steve Davies http://www.skiddmark.com/?p=25155 This weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix was a fitting occasion for McLaren Automotive to announce that its Asia Pacific network will be managed from a wholly-owned McLaren subsidiary, McLaren Automotive Asia Pte Ltd, based in Singapore.

McLaren Automotive Asia Pte Ltd will be responsible for all of McLaren Automotive’s regional operations throughout its Asia Pacific network including importation, distribution, logistics, sales, marketing, technical support and financial services for McLaren’s range of high-performance sports cars.

The wholly-owned McLaren subsidiary will be based in Singapore with an initial team of around 10 McLaren Automotive employees managing retailers in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. Plans are under consideration for expansion into mainland China.

McLaren already have a strong reputation in the region from its Formula One success, having won races in the Asia Pacific region every season since 2007.

One fascinating statistic revealed last night is that around a quarter of all existing McLaren F1 road cars have their homes in the Asia Pacific region, so McLaren Automotive naturally assume existing owners will be keen to add an MP4-12C to their collection and indeed this is borne out by news that the 5 McLaren Automotive retailers in the region already hold an 18 months order book on average.

Ron Dennis, the company’s Chairman, also made his ambitions clear at a press conference last night – to grow into a multi-billion dollar business within the next 10 years.

Dennis confirmed that McLaren’s future was still very much in F1, but that racing would only account for around 10 per cent of the group’s income as other divisions expand.

They aim to sell around 4,000 cars each year (around 1,000 cars have been sold in the MP4-12C’s first trading year), with 43 per cent of sales in North America, 35 per cent in Europe and the rest in the Middle-East and Asia Pac. This compares with around 7,000 cars sold by Ferrari today, although their President Luca di Montezemolo has previously stated their ambition to reach 10,000 cars within the decade.

Dennis is determined to “..reach a turnover in the billions” and he said “we will achieve it.” Watch out Ferrari..

What better excuse to wheel out McLaren’s new supercar, the MP4-12C and cruise around the town pursued by Milan’s indigenous paparazzi.

If you’ve ever been to Monza circuit then you’ll probably have visited the remains of the heavily banked section of the old track, as it gently decays in the surrounding woodland. I’m fortunate to have visited a great many tracks around the world, but Monza is the only one that sends chills down my spine whenever I visit, especially on a non-race day.

To describe the sensation as haunting would be an understatement, there’s something so steeped in history about the place that you can almost still hear Fangio and Moss dicing just inches apart as they fight for the win. Little remains of the 4.25 km high-speed banked ‘speed circuit’, but you get the feeling that what does, retains the very essence of motor racing – all the reasons why young men risk their lives in pursuit of the chequered flag. Distilled into one stretch of track.

So, it’s fitting that we look upon a photo of McLaren’s MP4-12C, a car which in McLaren’s own words, “..captures everything McLaren has learned in Formula 1 – distilled into a road car”.

I like to imagine Fangio looking on at this image, knowing that it was men like him who contributed to making modern supercars, like the MP4-12C, the great machines that they are.

Feel free to download a copy of the image for your own personal use, and then immerse yourself in the full gallery of McLaren’s MP4-12C in Milan.

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Bonus Gallery

A one-off Lamborghini-engined test car, as driven by Ayrton Senna, lies in a corner. The MP4-18 test car, which never raced, sits amidst a range of Formula 1 cars. Underneath a cover there’s an F1 GT road car, a long-tailed version of the McLaren F1, which is one of only three in existence.

McLaren recently released a video showing F1 World Champions, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton paying a visit to the Unit 2 garage and taking a look at Ayrton Senna’s legendary MP4-4 .

Redundant wheels and tyres are stacked neatly on top of each other, while tools and spare parts are packed away in boxes just in case the legendary race cars are revived for use in festivals or historic events.

Consultant Ian Gosling helps who looks after Unit 2’s treasures said, “Since McLaren International was formed in 1981, no MP4 (post 1981) car has been sold in the open market,… Its pre-1981 M series cars are mostly in other people’s hands now though – they used to be sold off to privateers at the end of each season to help fund the team’s operations in the following year.”

At its peak there were around 75 cars stored at Unit 2, however this has dropped to around 50 since cars began being distributed across McLaren Automotive’s 35 new retailers and the Donington Grand Prix Exhibition.

When the brand new MPC (McLaren Production Centre) factory being built to produce McLaren road cars, is opened later this year, the remaining cars in Unit 2 will be spread over a wider area making them easier to maintain – but more importantly be seen by enthusiasts.

Take a look at the complete gallery of Darren’s images at mclaren.com, there’s something quite surreal seeing such monsters of speed sitting so quietly.

Images: Darren Heath

For Sale: One Careful Owner

McLaren describe Unit 2 as a ‘secret location’, but in fact we know where it is – Unit 2 Access Point, North Harbour, Portsmouth. The 40,004 sq ft leasehold unit, which has been in McLaren’s hands for nearly 10 years is now surplus to requirements and property agents Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) are in the process of finding it a new owner.

In addition to being the storage unit for McLaren’s ex-racing cars, the facility was also used for constructing the carbon-fibre body shells of the SLR McLaren Mercedes sports car, however with the new 350,000 sq ft facility being built to house MP4-12C production, a chapter in McLaren’s recent history is closing its doors

The opening, hosted by Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, and McLaren Group and McLaren Automotive Executive Chairman, Ron Dennis, celebrated ‘Defining Moments in Time’. Recognising the launch of the global network of McLaren car retailers, and the arrival of the first ‘pure’ McLaren sports car, the event also presented past McLaren track successes with iconic trophies and two of Lewis Hamilton’s race-winning Formula 1 cars.

Ron Dennis said: “We are fiercely proud of the McLaren brand and I am personally proud that we are welcoming into the McLaren family some of the world’s best car retailers, many of whom are with us tonight. I look forward to delivering great cars to them, as I know we share a common objective: we are driven to succeed and we try to be the best at everything that we do.

“Jenson, Lewis, our hosts, and many of our guests represent tonight a group of people who share a particular value: that is that somewhere along our careers and lives we have experienced an iconic, or defining moment. Tonight is that moment for McLaren Automotive,” Dennis concluded.

McLaren has invested nearly £800m since 2005 to establish itself as the world’s newest sports car company. That investment has focused on the development of a range of innovative, technologically ground-breaking, and bespoke high-performance sports cars, as well as the construction of a brand new manufacturing facility (the McLaren Production Centre – MPC) at the company’s headquarters.

The initial 35 strong retail network was recently completed with the confirmation of McLaren retailers in Frankfurt, Munich, Osaka, Singapore and Tokyo whilst attention now moves on to securing up to six more retailers in 2012. Markets that McLaren is considering include China, Russia and Scandinavia. The company’s first ‘pure’ McLaren sports car is experiencing high demand with over 18 months of production currently accounted for.

McLaren anticipates expanding its global retail network to around 70 locations by the middle of the decade when the full range of cars is under production at the MPC in Woking, England: as the MP4-12C goes on sale, three further models or derivatives are currently already under development.

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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.”

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The new McLaren MP4-12C GT3 will be the first McLaren car built for FIA GT series racing since the McLaren F1 GTR finished production in 1997. The 12C GT3 is based on the new MP4-12C high-performance sports car and a team of engineers, designers and test drivers with vast experience in Formula 1 and GT racing has been assembled to undertake the process of adapting the carbon chassis-based 12C to racing specification.

Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren Group Chief Executive Officer said: “McLaren has racing in its blood and it was a natural step to take our MP4-12C road car and turn it into the most reliable, efficient and easy to drive GT3 car. Every car on the grid will have its performance balanced by race rules, meaning our objective must be to select a technical specification that ensures any driver is able to access the 12C GT3’s performance limit with ease.

“We have worked with CRS Racing to ensure the 12C’s design and development programme is as close as possible to one McLaren Racing would employ in developing a Formula 1 car. The team at CRS is well qualified to shape decisions in this area as they have an outstanding record in racing GT3 cars, and understand what is required to be successful in that level of competitive motorsport.

“In return, McLaren Racing is able to bring new levels of technology to GT3 racing. No other GT3 car in 2012 will be supplied with a road-car carbon chassis, or a steering wheel and other associated technology from a Formula 1 car.

“The 12C GT3 will be supplied with the 12C’s carbon MonoCell and the same steering wheel design employed by Lewis Hamilton in his MP4-24 Formula 1 car. Plus, we are working closely with Formula 1 suppliers past and present: Akebono, Mobil 1, McLaren Electronic Systems, Ricardo and Michelin for example. This blend of road car and Formula 1 technology and experience will be a great advantage to anyone racing a 12C GT3 in 2012.”

Drivers and race schedule

A seasoned team of drivers will campaign the 12C GT3 in 2011 as they focus on developing the race car for McLaren GT’s customers. CRS Racing Team Principal Andrew Kirkaldy will be joined by 2010 Vodafone McLaren Mercedes test driver Oliver Turvey and Portuguese racing driver Álvaro Parente.

The new MP4-12C GT3 will debut at this season’s Blancpain Endurance Series race at Spain’s Circuito de Navarra, followed by Magny-Cours in France and Silverstone in England. As part of the development programme for the 12C GT3, McLaren GT also expects to enter the Total 24 Hours of Spa endurance race.

But our first opportunity to see the car here in the UK, will be at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (1st -3rd July 2011), where it will be driven up the hill past Goodwood House.

Specification and performance

Just as with the 12C road car, McLaren is working closely with specialist suppliers to deliver an innovative and lightweight car. The 3.8-litre McLaren V8 twin turbo ‘M838T’ engine supplied in the road car also features in the 12C GT3, but de-tuned to 493 bhp (from 591 bhp) in order to provide optimum power for this performance-balanced race car.

The new MP4-12C GT3 will feature a unique engine calibration, bespoke racing transmission developed in partnership with Ricardo (who also developed the engine with McLaren) and a suspension arrangement tuned specifically for racing.

Mark Williams said: “With the tyre grip balance moving forward on the GT3 racing tyres it was necessary to move the centre of gravity further forward and the only way to do this was to reduce weight at the rear. A six-speed sequential shift gearbox by Ricardo was selected because a race-specific transmission is 80kg lighter than the Seamless Shift, seven-speed gearbox used in the road car. All the internal components have been proven in other racing series. We then challenged Ricardo to reduce weight further, meaning the unit has a bespoke casing design. That is just one example of how we are continually looking to reduce weight and increase efficiency.”

McLaren GT has selected the TAG-400 Engine Control Unit for the new 12C GT3. The TAG-400 is a compact, self-contained engine management system and data logger for race engines designed and built by McLaren Electronic Systems. The procurement of components from suppliers used to working with partners in Formula 1 is another example of McLaren GT delivering on its objective to build a GT3 car of unrivalled quality and reliability.

Williams said: “McLaren GT is a smaller organisation than McLaren Racing, but we are applying Formula 1 methodology in every possible area.

“We have worked with Akebono in Formula 1 for many years, and I am delighted to be able to call on such a committed and reliable partner for McLaren GT. Akebono will supply brake callipers and has also designed a bespoke brake pad for the 12C GT3. Our own experts from McLaren Racing have worked closely with Michelin to develop the correct tyre model for the 12C GT3 simulation programme. And strong supplier relationships are important to the suppliers themselves. I am sure that Mobil 1 and Ricardo will learn a lot working together on advanced lubricants for the 12C GT3’s new transmission.”

Initial demand for the first 20 McLaren MP4-12C GT3s is high, with interest suggesting that McLaren and CRS Racing could sell the run five times over. However, neither company has any desire to stretch the market and lead to a risk of either oversupply or restrictions on customer service. Retained value in each GT3 car is also of high priority to McLaren and CRS, and the first customers when they take delivery.

Andrew Kirkaldy summed up the customer-oriented attitudes at both companies: “We will treat our customers with respect. Having spent time now at McLaren’s amazing headquarters, and seen at close hand their aspiration to launch a new type of sports car company, it is clear that they are, as ever, keen to do things better. Whether this is through race support, parts supply, or even the simple fact that the car’s list price is its price – there are no hidden extras – we want to make doing business with us a pleasure. If we can celebrate race wins together in spring 2012 then even better!”

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The McLaren MP4-12C GT3 will be built by McLaren GT – a new company that brings together the expertise of the McLaren Group and CRS Racing – and has successfully undertaken its debut tests at the MIRA proving ground facility and Silverstone Circuit in England.

The initial shakedown tests undertaken with the 12C GT3, whereby new components are calibrated and bespoke aerodynamic body structures are appraised for the first time, will be followed by comprehensive tests scheduled throughout March and April at a number of FIA certified circuits across Europe. News on the development programme, full driver line-up and planned competition for the 12C GT3 will be confirmed after these tests are completed.

Álvaro Parente signs for McLaren GT

Álvaro Parente, the 26-year old racing driver from Portugal whom we last saw competing in the Race of Champions in November, is today announced as the first new professional racing driver to join the McLaren GT race team.

The MP4-12C GT3 development programme

McLaren GT Project Manager Andrew Kirkaldy and McLaren Automotive Chief Test Driver Chris Goodwin drove the new 12C GT3 on its first outings. These real-world tests follow months of virtual testing in the McLaren Simulator at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, which is also used to develop the 12C production car and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes’ Formula 1 cars.

Andrew Kirkaldy said: “We have an extensive list of subjective and objective development targets set for the MP4-12C GT3. In the first tests, the car is achieving excellent results in many areas including handling, powertrain and other aspects of dynamic performance.

“The 12C’s carbon chassis and aerodynamic efficiency mean we started with a lightweight, dynamically-optimised sports car. Those characteristics are fundamental to any race car. The car is around 100mm wider than the standard production car and features a new suspension system which we have tested in the McLaren Simulator. Having now experienced this new set-up in the 12C GT3 car, I’m delighted with the progress we are making.

“The McLaren GT team is working with Formula 1 technology suppliers, and several of the senior technical personnel involved in this project have vast experience in Formula 1. This is a unique advantage in developing a GT specification car.”

From 2012, McLaren Automotive and CRS Racing will supply and support a limited number of FIA GT3-compliant racing cars based on the McLaren 12C high-performance sports car for privateers. Professional race teams who are interested in securing one of the initial cars should register their interest at www.mclarengt.com.

Technical Specification

As you would expect, the MP4-12C GT3 is based on the standard 12C road car, but uses a lighter carbon MonoCell chassis and race specification composite body panels and fixed rear wing. The chassis weighs just 75kg and is produced in a revolutionary one-piece mould. A new front splitter, door blade, rear wing, diffuser and louvres in the front fenders are added in compliance with FIA GT3 regulations.

The 12C GT3 uses the same 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 as in the production car, but tuned for racing – no word on the absolute power and torque figures, but these are likely to be limited by the technical regulations of the series rather than the engine’s design.

A bespoke paddle-shift system operating an all-new Ricardo-designed gearbox developed specifically for racing will be fitted. This system eschews the 7-speed SSG dual-clutch Graziano transmission supplied in the standard 12C.

McLaren’s new GT3 car will feature motorsport-specific braking and suspension components, including bespoke callipers by Akebono, official supplier to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team.

Due to regulations imposed by racing authorities, the 12C GT3 will not feature the road-going 12C’s ProActive Chassis Control System; negating the requirement for an anti-roll bar. Instead, the 12C GT3 will use a configuration comprising race-specific roll bars and dampers.

McLaren Automotive Chief Test Driver Chris Goodwin said: “Those who have seen the new MP4-12C production car won’t be surprised to learn that immense attention to detail has been applied in developing the GT3 version. Quality is a watchword. We know that our potential customers will expect McLaren GT to deliver a competitive car right out of the box and, starting now with a programme covering aerodynamics development and durability testing, we are determined to do just that.

“The McLaren GT team is committed to achieving unprecedented levels of performance, also guaranteeing the levels of quality, reliability and durability with which we expect to delight future race teams entering competitions with the 12C GT3.”

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The new £40m manufacturing facility, the McLaren Production Centre (MPC) remains under construction adjacent to the MTC site, and will open during the next few months. McLaren Automotive will then transfer production of the 12C from the existing MTC assembly line to the new MPC in April. All development processes have benefited from McLaren’s expertise in Formula 1, and constant integration with the racing team’s techniques and personnel will set new standards for such a road car.

Development

McLaren Automotive’s vehicle development team has been testing prototype versions of the new McLaren MP4-12C around the world since 2007, and the development programme recently completed the car’s final ‘sign-off’ 1,000 mile development drive.

Four Production Prototype 12C’s (PP7, PP9, PP10, PP11) departed McLaren’s Woking headquarters for the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve race circuit in Portugal, on Wednesday 12 January, taking a detour en-route to a Spanish proving ground to log the car’s definitive performance times. All four PP 12C’s arrived in Portimão on the evening of Friday 14 January where they undertook further ‘sign-off’ tests.

Dick Glover, Technical Director at McLaren Automotive, said: “We use professional racing drivers in our development team. Throughout the real-world testing programme we continually schedule time for them in the simulator to fine tune the performance and driving characteristics of the 12C. This experience is then validated back against real-world conditions at one of the test facilities we use around the world. It is an ongoing, dynamic, feedback process that mixes the best of technology with the best hands-on track work.”

The 12C development team has taken simulation to a new level as they seek to ensure the fleet of prototypes are pushed to their absolute limits, reproducing the impact of the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife at a Spanish test facility that they’ve named the Idischleife.

The Nordschleife in Germany is regarded as the world’s ultimate test circuit due to its combination of challenging surfaces and 20.81km (12.93m) length. McLaren Automotive has visited the Nordschleife on several occasions for periods of sustained testing, but with the circuit being closed during winter months, the development team sought a way to recreate the extreme conditions found at the Nordschleife in a different environment.

Dick Glover said: “We have a permanent test base at the Applus IDIADA proving ground in Northern Spain. Our team of engineers has taken data from the Nordschleife circuit including lateral g performance, vertical road inputs, engine throttle position and gearing, and created a programme which can then be run at IDIADA, which we call the ‘Idischleife Concept’.

“This programme allows us to undertake challenging and aggressive testing to the level experienced at the Nordschleife but at a location where we can run testing literally twenty-four hours, seven days a week and quickly move the 12C closer to its development targets,” Glover concluded.

Performance and Efficiency

The unique new M838T engine powering the McLaren MP4-12C is a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, designed by McLaren Automotive.

Weighing 199kg (439lbs), the M838T features a dry sump lubrication system and a flat plane crankshaft, which has allowed McLaren Automotive’s engineers to place the engine extremely low in the chassis, lowering the 12C’s centre of gravity and in turn optimising the car’s handling responses. Mated to the M838T is a dual clutch, seven-speed ‘SSG’ transmission used to transfer the twin-turbo V8 engine’s 592 bhp to the tarmac via its 305/30 R20 Pirelli PZero rear tyres (235/35 R19 on the front).

The MP4-12C’s performance is a consequence of McLaren Automotive’s core objectives which were to achieve; the lowest CO2 output and best fuel consumption in its segment, highest power with fastest acceleration and braking across all typical benchmark speed and distance parameters and lightest weight, and therefore highest power to weight ratio of any high-performance sports car.

The results are unsurprisingly spectacular.

• 0 – 200kph in 9.1s (8.9s on optional Corsa tyres)
• CO₂ emissions of 279g/km (equating to 24.2 EU mpg combined)
• 0 – 100kph in 3.3s (3.1s with optional Corsa tyres)
• top speed: 330kph (205mph)
• 100 – 0 kph in 30.5 m (100 ft)
• ¼ mile: 10.9s @ 135 mph
• dry weight (with lightweight options): 1301kgs / 2868 lbs
• carbon MonoCell chassis weight:  75kgs / 165 lbs
• power: weight (lightweight options): 461PS / 455bhp per tonne.
• power: 600PS (592bhp) at 7,000 rpm
• torque: 600Nm between 3,000 – 7,000 rpm

Not bad eh? But this is from the company that gave us the McLaren F1, which held the ‘Fastest Production Car in the World’ title for over two decades. Rather than repeat this achievement, McLaren Automotive have adapted to the challenges of the 21st Century and created the World’s Most Efficient high-performance sports car.

The 12C’s performance is clearly influenced by the McLaren F1 and Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren road car projects. Most notably, in the competitive step-changes seen on the 12C through carbon composite engineering, packaging, and aerodynamics.

But the development and manufacturing teams are also peppered with technicians and engineers from iconic periods in McLaren’s motor racing history: people with priceless experience in challenging design target-setting and innovative engineering problem-solving. And with an inherent ambition to win.

Dick Glover said: “We’re intensely proud of the 12C and how it stands against its key competitors: cars that are, in their own rights, some of the best sports cars the world has ever seen. The really exciting challenge for us was that to set new performance benchmarks against these cars, we had to introduce innovative new technologies. In that respect, we have worked technically like a Formula 1 team, where you are constantly trying to improve performance not against fixed parameters, but to win against competitors who are also constantly developing and improving.

“The 12C is a huge technical accomplishment, but also a car filled with the passion and dedication that comes with working at McLaren. I am very proud of the team behind its development,” he concluded.

Final Steps

McLaren invited the world’s press along during mid-January to drive the MP4-12C for themselves during an event at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve race circuit in Portugal. The event coincided with the car’s final ‘sign-off’ 1,000 mile development drive from McLaren’s Woking headquarters in England to the Portimão event.

By the end of 2010, McLaren Automotive had received over 3,500 registrations of serious interest in the 12C through its website (www.mclarenautomotive.com), plus enough commitment from prospective customers to cover at least 2011’s production allocation.

At a proposed price of £168,500 (including VAT) the MP4-12C will be a very rare and exclusive sight on our roads, but it could be considered something of a bargain given the performance benchmarks it will surely set.

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