Following a successful public world debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed, and
a series of exclusive presentations to prospective customers and media across
the globe in 2010, the first McLaren MP4-12C high-performance sports car has
begun production at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Woking, England.
McLaren Automotive plans to build up to 1,000 12Cs in 2011. Most will be
manufactured in a bespoke new $63 million (46 million EUR) McLaren Production Centre, which is due for
completion in May on a site adjacent to MTC. However, 'Chassis 01' is being
built in the existing MTC production facility, where outstanding quality and
highly efficient production methods have been fine-tuned since the Foster +
Partners-designed building opened in 2004.
The innovative 12C was first
presented to the public at the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed in southern
England in July 2010, prior to a North American debut at the Pebble Beach
Concours d'Elegance in August. 12Cs were then presented at exclusive events to
prospective customers and media around the world as McLaren Automotive toured
many of the cities that will form a network of 35 retailer launch locations.
Milestone events in the 2010 launch year for the 12C have been captured in a
new short film, which can be viewed below.
This short film
features appearances from Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, the 2008 and 2009
FIA Formula 1 Drivers' World Champions. Both have enjoyed testing prototype 12Cs
and continue to feed back their thoughts on the car's development. The video
also captures visitors' reactions to the 12C at its debut events. Brand new
footage reveals McLaren Automotive's Chief Test Driver Chris Goodwin taking the
car winter testing at Dunsfold Aerodrome - also known as the BBC Top Gear test
track - as he assesses ESP calibration on Winter settings as part of the 12C's
variable Proactive Chassis Control system.
Antony Sheriff, McLaren
Automotive Managing Director said: "Meeting our prospective customers at launch
events around the world, from Dubai to Cape Town, Paris to Los Angeles, has
filled us with inspiration. There is genuine desire for McLaren to be launching
our own range of sports cars, and an exciting appreciation of what McLaren
stands for: innovation, technology leadership, and a winning mentality.
"In five years, the MP4-12C has evolved from a concept we developed in our own
Formula 1 simulator, to a groundbreaking high-performance sports car offering
unique technologies and outstanding dynamic performance. It has been an
intensive development program, but now the fun really begins as our future
owners look forward to taking delivery of their 12Cs.
"Feedback from our
customers shows they understand McLaren Automotive is as committed to delivering
a high quality sports cars and a fantastic ownership experience as a our Formula
1 team is to winning races. With 'Chassis One' now in production, our new
network of 35 retailers in 19 countries worldwide is ready to deliver on this
promise," he concluded.