McLaren may as well have been called Specsavers for the last few years, because despite bigging up the MP4-12C at every opportunity, it has refused to reveal the hallowed speed specs. Well, now they're in.
And you had better get to Specsavers if you're thinking of buying one of these, just to make sure you can see far enough down the road before you're catapulted there. The headline is this: 0-124mph in 8.9 seconds.
Yes, it's quicker than the
Ferrari 458 Italia (and any other production Ferrari), quicker than the
Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera and quicker than the Porsche 911 Turbo S.
The last of those is the only car that comes close, and in fact the McLaren has to cheat a little to beat its 0-62mph time. The Porsche hits 62mph in 3.3 seconds, which is exactly the same as the McLaren's, except that the British car is available with an optional Corsa tyre pack that takes it down to 3.1 seconds. Top speed is 205mph.
Only a
Bugatti Veyron or a Koenigsegg should be avoided in a drag race, basically - cars that cost many, many times more than the £168,500 of the McLaren.
The twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 engine produces 592bhp, compared to the 570bhp unit of the 458 Italia, and returns 24.2mpg combined.
Extensive use of carbon fibre and aluminium, including a one-piece moulded carbon chassis, gives it an amazing 455bhp/tonne power-to-weight ratio. It weighs just over 1,400kg before you take out the calculator.
Production at McLaren's brand new £40m Woking facility has begun and the car goes on sale this summer.
