Imagine a high-performance sports car that allows you to drive around the start-and-stop traffic of downtown Kuala Lumpur in the midst of rush hour with the poise and composure of a luxury sedan. Then think about that very same car unmasking its icy-cool demeanor and scorch the surface of the world-renowned Sepang Formula 1 race track with power, precision and grace.
The Dr. Jekyll-and-Mr. Hyde of sports cars has become a reality with Sime Darby Auto Britannia, which will market the iconic British brand here as McLaren Kuala Lumpur.
Designed and built like no other sports car, the 12C was derived from McLaren’s world championship-winning Formula 1 heritage. A team of world-class designers and engineers with hands-on Grand Prix experience were brought together to develop a car that is totally focused around the driver, offering class-leading all-round performance.
When it comes to Formula 1 technology, the 12C features a one-piece carbon fibre MonoCell chassis for greater strength and lower weight. It also boast a Brake Steer and an ‘active’ aerodynamics McLaren Airbrake, which are interestingly two technologies that have been banned from Formula 1 as they provide performance advantages to the race cars.
For the 2013 Model Year, enhancements have been made to the 12C to improve performance and responsiveness. An increase in power by 24 brake horse power (BHP) takes maximum output up to 616 BHP, while the seven-speed SSG transmission has been improved with a new calibration. These changes translate to a faster and more intuitive 12C, but with no loss in efficiency. The latest incarnation of the 12C can make 0-100 kilometers per hour (kph) at a breathtaking 3.1 seconds and reach blistering speeds of 333 kph!
Despite this improvement in performance, this has not affected fuel economy and associated CO2 emissions which have remained the same. The enhanced 12C has a combined fuel consumption of 11.7 l/100km and 279 g/km of CO2.
The 12C Spider meanwhile features the same 3.8 litre V8 engine found in the 12C. With acceleration and pace rivaling the 12C, the 12C Spider is the no compromise convertible version to the Coupe. The 12C Spider is also capable of retracting its roof in less than 17 seconds at speeds of up to 30 kph.
For those who are interested to have one in their garage, please call Dellen at +6019-660 2088.
