The McLaren MP4-12C has a lot to live up to, particularly since it was made by the very same company that gave us the McLaren F1 and subsequently the racing version of it, the F1 GTR.
So having released the GT3 version of the MP4-12C,McLaren have a lot to live up to by making sure the car is as ferocious on the track as the F1 GTR. The MP4-12C GT3 was jointly developed with CRS Racing with a ton of changes to meet GT3 regulations and be competitive on the track
It wears a composite body with a new front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser. The width has also increased by about four inches over the street version with the use of wider front fenders, carbon fiber canards and a huge fixed rear wing.
Motivation still comes from the same mill but the 3.8-liter twin turbo V8 has been converted to race specifications to withstand the higher abuse that will be thrown at it. The Graziano seven-speed shifter has been tossed in favour of a new Ricardo paddle-shift gearbox that swaps cogs in the blink of an eye.
The McLaren ProActive Chassis Control System was deemed not up to FIA regulations and was ditched in favour of the traditional race dampers and anti-roll bars for precision handling on the circuits. Even the electronics were revised to allow for more slip before the electronic nannies kicked in. Halting is handled by Akebono calipers at all four corners.
Even before a single move was made in the real world, a heap of testing was conducted virtually in the McLaren Simulator at the company's headquarters in Woking, the very same simulator that plays a huge part in the development of their Formula One car and the road-going MP4-12C.
"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 program covering aerodynamics development and durability testing, we are determined to do just that," said chief test driver Chris Goodwin.
The car is now undergoing testing at a few FIA-approved tracks across Europe before being offered to private racing teams in 2012. If you're interested in going racing with one, you can register at http://www.mclarengt.com/.
Source: http://worldcarfans.com and YouTube
So having released the GT3 version of the MP4-12C,McLaren have a lot to live up to by making sure the car is as ferocious on the track as the F1 GTR. The MP4-12C GT3 was jointly developed with CRS Racing with a ton of changes to meet GT3 regulations and be competitive on the track
It wears a composite body with a new front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser. The width has also increased by about four inches over the street version with the use of wider front fenders, carbon fiber canards and a huge fixed rear wing.
Motivation still comes from the same mill but the 3.8-liter twin turbo V8 has been converted to race specifications to withstand the higher abuse that will be thrown at it. The Graziano seven-speed shifter has been tossed in favour of a new Ricardo paddle-shift gearbox that swaps cogs in the blink of an eye.
The McLaren ProActive Chassis Control System was deemed not up to FIA regulations and was ditched in favour of the traditional race dampers and anti-roll bars for precision handling on the circuits. Even the electronics were revised to allow for more slip before the electronic nannies kicked in. Halting is handled by Akebono calipers at all four corners.
Even before a single move was made in the real world, a heap of testing was conducted virtually in the McLaren Simulator at the company's headquarters in Woking, the very same simulator that plays a huge part in the development of their Formula One car and the road-going MP4-12C.
"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 program covering aerodynamics development and durability testing, we are determined to do just that," said chief test driver Chris Goodwin.
The car is now undergoing testing at a few FIA-approved tracks across Europe before being offered to private racing teams in 2012. If you're interested in going racing with one, you can register at http://www.mclarengt.com/.
Source: http://worldcarfans.com and YouTube
