The staff at McLaren Beverly Hills opened their doors for me today*

* ...and everyone else too.

 

Taking the wrapper off their showroom on Wilshire Blvd for the first time, they were kind enough to invite me down to see it on opening day.

 

Just being in a McLaren dealership in the United States is a huge thrill for me after all these years of excessive interest in the brand and their great cars. Being invited to visit and welcomed in the door the way that I was - allowed full access to view their new-arrival McLaren MP4-12C demo cars - is an even bigger treat. Thanks to everyone there!!

 

Unfortunately I didn't bring along a "real" camera, but still managed nearly 200 decent shots with my iPhone which I hope you'll enjoy. Click the image below to access my Flickr album.

 

 

If you are in the Beverly Hills area please stop by and say "Hello" and check out the new cars. Tell them Peloton25 sent you.

 

>8^)

ER

Christmas has come early for you!

How long have you been fanatic over McLaren now?

How long have you been fanatic over McLaren now?

 

My serious interest in their cars didn't really get going until about 2001, so it has now been a decade long pursuit, but I've loved supercars of all types since I was in grade school and so when the F1 came along in 1992 I definitely took notice.

 

>8^)

ER

 

I remember reading your F1 threads on various forums over the years. I'm sure LP would appreciate the love. Tell us something about McLaren that we don't know

 

Thanks for the pics, love that color on the 12C.

I remember reading your F1 threads on various forums over the years. I'm sure LP would appreciate the love. Tell us something about McLaren that we don't know

 

Thanks for the pics, love that color on the 12C.

 

 

 

He's like the "Vin King" for McLaren...

 

Definitely has brought good historical info about the F1 to his posts on the net.

can you share some tid bits about the mp4-12c ? i love this car soo much.

I remember reading your F1 threads on various forums over the years. I'm sure LP would appreciate the love. Tell us something about McLaren that we don't know

 

Thanks for the pics, love that color on the 12C.

I posted about seeing these two cars on a UK forum once and Peloton signed up and was explaining the providence of them in no time!

 

Can't wait. I'm a huge McLaren fan and next time I'm out there I'll have to stop in!

I'm sure LP would appreciate the love. Tell us something about McLaren that we don't know

 

I think all 60 of my posts have been McLaren related somehow so I have been sharing the love here a little bit over the years. Now that there's a dedicated 'McLaren' section I'll definitely be giving LP more of my attention on these topics.

 

As for something the collective doesn't know that could be tough. Most of the interesting subjects have been covered in detail somewhere and usually the things that people don't know are the things I am unable to share.

 

I suspect that not many people here know that Ray Bellm, former F1 GTR racer and the winner of the 1996 BPR Global GT series Championship, has created the 'McLaren F1 Owner's Club' and will be organizing owner's gatherings around the world to celebrate certain milestones in the car's history. Their first event is coming up in mid-2012 will celebrate the F1 prototype's initial launch in Monaco back in 1992. It expects to bring together roughly 20 McLaren F1s in central Europe for driving on some fantastic roadways. I can't share too much detail at this point but it is definitely an exciting new chapter in the world of the McLaren F1 and something that has been needed for quite some time I think. I'm thrilled about it!

 

can you share some tid bits about the mp4-12c ? i love this car soo much.

 

You can get a lot more from a press release than you can from me. In short, it is the first car in its class to feature a carbon fiber monocoque as the basis for its chassis. It does this while being priced competitively against cars that still use traditional construction materials. The 12C has a 592hp twin turbo V8 that displaces 3.8L mated to a 7-speed sequential, dual-clutch transmission. The entire drivetrain is mounted extremely low in the car offering a low center of gravity which coupled with McLaren's new dynamic chassis controls and Brake Steer technology give the 12C handling capabilities that surpass most other cars on the road.

 

Perhaps the most amazing point of the 12C is just how well it behaves when you aren't trying to shred the tires to pieces - there's no other supercar that even comes close in ride quality and NVH - it is truly something that has to be experienced first hand. You might not care whether your supercar has the ability to drive like a Mercedes sedan, but most of the time your wife or girlfriend probably does.

 

Prices in the US start around $230,000 and there's a healthy list of options for personalization depending on how much more you want to spend. Customer cars should start being delivered before the end of the year and I could not be more thrilled to see McLaren producing their own range of cars and building up their brand to compete with the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini. These are exciting times indeed!

 

 

>8^)

ER

I stumbled upon the McLaren dealership in Palo Alto by pure chance and saw my first McLaren F1, Chassis #28. Fell in love instantly. Class that a Veyron could only dream of. Got around to talking about F1s and somehow brought up Peloton25, the guy told me that Peloton25 had already visited XD LOL.

 

The MP4-12 looks much more cohesive in person. The rear end is aggressive and the carbon side blade looks very very interesting, very cool feature. The front end is a little bland, but only because it lacks an aggressive front splitter, aftermarket is going to do wonders to this car. All in all, f* me, I like it more than the 458. A bit more subdued, but gorgeous. The McLaren orange with carbon ceramic brakes, lightweight wheels, and carbon side strake and mirror looked much much more striking than the silver car. The bare chassis/engine/wheel setup without body work was very cool to look at as well, very low center of gravity.

 

I also asked about the P12, the guy mentioned that it is in testing now, and will be significantly better than the MP4-12C in order to justify its million dollar price tag. Expect it in a couple of years. On autosport.com's forum, a guy working for McLaren who is a reliable inside source states that it will not be the same engine as in the MP4-12C and will be bespoke. Still don't know if it'll be V8, V10, or V12. Likely to be a large displacement V8 Twin Turbo.

 

Apparently, this dealership will also be showing Mika Hakkinen's 1999 championship winning F1 car as well. I'm super stoked to see it when it arrives. Aside from the not for sale sign on the McLaren F1, I also noticed wear marks on the beautiful tan leather seats. This was a car that was driven

 

Some quick shitty pics I took, but hey I didn't belong XD

 

I wonder what they'll show next year the mp4-12c vert or the gt3 street version or the new 911 fighter.

Got around to talking about F1s and somehow brought up Peloton25, the guy told me that Peloton25 had already visited XD LOL.

 

Thanks for sharing the story - that's too funny!

 

I live in SoCal but had the fortunate good timing of a business trip to San Jose a couple of weeks back, shortly after the F1 was added to the showroom. They had not yet received their 12C demonstrators, but the two prototypes that some of the dealers used for customer drives were still hanging around. Their Sales Director is Alessandro and he didn't know who I was but had some advanced warning I was coming. He could not have been more welcoming and said he recognized me from some of the events in Monterey.

 

It was my first time seeing chassis #028, but that now makes for my 14th McLaren F1 that I have had the pleasure to see in person. For a kid who never expected to even see one since they weren't originally federalized for our shores that's not doing too bad. I brought along my boss' son to handle some of the grunt work on the trip and it was his first time seeing a McLaren. He's had to listen to me talk about them for quite a while and has an appreciation for cars himself, so he was quite enthused. You can see him hamming it up in some of my photos by clicking on the one below.

 

 

 

Glad to hear you liked the 12C. When I saw it for the first time in Irvine at the beginning of the year I was surprised anyone could find a reason to dislike the car. It's not 'wild' but you have to expect that as 'wild' is not McLaren's style. It certainly isn't a bad looking car as some would portray it. Anyway, they aren't making them for everyone so if a few people don't like it then no big deal.

 

It really is a fantastic car and yes, the next one will be even better!

 

>8^)

ER

I wonder what they'll show next year the mp4-12c vert or the gt3 street version or the new 911 fighter.

 

I think the next car we will see is the 12C Spyder. They will wait a while to do the 12C GT3 road version to give the 12C a mid-cycle bump. After the 12C Spyder then I think the new P12 Supercar will be unveiled. The P13 911-fighter will be further down the line - maybe by 2014 as that is when they've targeted a production increase to near 4,000 units per year and they will need that model to get to that figure.

 

>8^)

ER

It was quite amusing to hear that you had beaten me to the dealership, and I live in the Bay Area! LOL. I think the MP4-12C is hard to fault. Some may say it's too generic, but the beauty truly is in the details. Looking at the exposed chassis, it did not seem to be the highest grade carbon physically possible in McLaren's expertise. I greatly suspect that it was to fit the price point and ease of manufacture. We'll see many more of those around though. More importantly, the McLaren F1 is a gorgeous car. Far more incredible in person than in pictures. I thought I'd never see one. The driving position, the attention to detail, the floor mounted pedals, etc, are just beautiful to behold. Easily my dream car. Wouldn't mind maybe a Zonda Cinque, etc.

 

Another note, McLaren is just getting started. The GT3 street version of the MP4-12C is going to be a big level of development from the standard car. I honestly think the P12 will be a game changer. McLaren going balls out is going to rock the supercar world. Unless Ferrari is also thinking of well over 800 hp for their Enzo replacement, and technical advancement akin to making a two-wide seater F1 car, it won't even be a close competition. I strongly believe it will make a Huayra look silly. We live in exciting times! In two decades, these cars will be like Ferrari 308's XD