Two McLarens in Saint-Eustache, An Unforgettable Test and World Premier
It was a day of exceptional premiers at the St-Eustache Autodrome. On that track, no one had ever driven these two versions of the McLaren MP4-12C, a superb carbon-fibre sports car that took off in hot pursuit of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and other brands nearly two years ago.
Before me was one production MP4-12C along with a 12C Can-Am GT Edition that almost no one in the world had ever driven – because McLaren had only ever delivered two of them on the day of our test. In fact, the vehicle that The Car Guide had the privilege of driving was actually clocking its very first kilometres on North American asphalt.
The word "privilege" is no understatement considering that the McLaren GT division of the celebrated British automaker will only build a total of 30 units of this thoroughbred, which is designed purely for racing and circuit driving. It is essentially a no-holds-barred version of the McLaren 12C GT3, which hit various tracks around the world last year with private teams. One of these is the group led by France’s Sébastien Loeb, who is nine-time world rally champion, owns two McLarens and races in one.
Happy 50th birthday, McLaren!
The McLaren 12C Can-Am GT Edition’s special name and the fact that it was launched this year are not coincidences. This long and low coupe was developed in the spirit of the Can-Am series that McLaren dominated like no other. Nearly all of the restrictions that the FIA imposed on the GT3 series have been removed to recreate the total technical freedom given to the technical teams during the Can-Am series’ golden age from 1966-1974.
This 12C Edition Can-Am was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary the team put together in September 1963 by a Bruce McLaren, a native of New Zealand who was both a young driver and designer. Hence the same flashy orange colour seen on the McLaren M6 and M8, vehicles that terrorized their Can-Am series rivals, as well as the production McLarens of the time that won the Formula 1 and Indy 500 events.
Bruce McLaren would have been proud to see what this team accomplished next – and in his name to boot. He died too young, on June 2, 1970, when his M8 crashed on England’s Goodwood Circuit after having lost its rear bodywork at high speed. McLaren was fine-tuning it for the Can-Am series that his team dominated once again that year.
Act one: the MP4-12C
The fact that we were in attendance at the St-Eustache circuit was no coincidence either. The MIA team, which owns the two McLarens and specializes in maintaining race cars and exotic cars, had set up shop at the site. The team uses this circuit to fine-tune their vehicles, just as McLaren does at the Dunsfold Airport circuit made famous by the Top Gear series.
Twenty years after the birth of the McLaren F1 masterpiece designed by Gordon Murray, I was finally going to get my chance to drive the new sports car, which also happens to be the cornerstone of an expanding line of super sports cars. McLaren is now calling it the 12C, but it was called the MP4-12C when it first launched. It’s a nod to the MP4/1 which, in 1981, was the first Formula 1 car to have a carbon fibre body. McLaren has never looked back and has used carbon fibre on all its cars since.
The McLaren 12C takes direct aim at the Ferrari 458. Considering that our test vehicle cost $307,000, the 12C is competitive because its 75-kg MonoCell carbon fibre body is made in a mere four hours – compared to the 3,000 hours it took to make the F1 version that cost a cool $1 million.
The 12C has unique features including interconnected an interconnected hydraulic suspension that eliminates the need for anti-roll bars. There’s also a mode that applies the brakes to the interior rear wheel to reduce understeer, and a mobile spoiler that improves braking and road handling – these last two techniques were developed for F1 vehicles but were subsequently banned.
The body was sculpted in a wind tunnel and its edges polished by chief stylist Frank
Stephenson, whose past creations include the Ferrari F430 and 612 Scaglietti as well as the first modern Mini.
The interior of the 12C is remarkably sleek. Unlike the infamous manettino on its rival’s steering wheel, the McLaren’s suspension and drivetrain can be adjusted using knobs on its slender centre console, which also houses a 7-inch vertical screen to control other systems. There isn’t a single button on the three-spoke flat-bottomed steering wheel.
The dihedral doors lift vertically and I slide inside with ease, despite the wide threshold. The seat and driving position are practically perfect. The 12C has just been prepped by driver and professional instructor Jean-François Dumoulin.
Two-time category winner at the 24 Hours of Daytona, Dumoulin is now sitting to my right. He’s a certified McLaren driver for the MIA team and drove the Can-Am Edition to its first victory just a few days prior at the Mont-Tremblant Circuit, where the first-ever Can-Am race was held in 1966.
Four degrees Celsius is too cool for the 12C’s Pirelli Corsa tires, which are already showing signs of wear. My co-pilot has chosen the more “conservative” settings for the different systems. I don’t push the McLaren has hard as I normally would, but we nonetheless pick up an impressive amount of speed on the short and windy circuit.
It takes corners with exceptional precision and its transitions are impeccably liner. The suspension fully absorbs all bumps – though I’ll be feeling them soon enough on the Can-Am version.
The 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 works very hard, emitting a muffled growl, but we don’t feel how fast it’s revving. The pedal is too sensitive at first; fortunately the large metal disc brakes (carbon-ceramic on option) slow the 12C with conviction.
Our MP4-12C has been upgraded for a total power of 625 horses. It’s one of the revamps made to the 2013 model so that the 12C would be more competitive against the Ferrari. Almost all of these improvements can be applied to older versions.
I drove the Ferrari 458 Spider when it launched and hoped to drive the McLaren 12C on the highway for a better comparison, but in the end we didn’t have time for that. The showdown has been postponed.
McLaren 12C Can-Am GT Edition: All dressed
Without the FIA-imposed restraints on its twin turbos, the power of the racing GT3’s V8 jumps from 492 to 630 horsepower. The most immediately apparent changes are the addition of a splitter and a larger rear spoiler that improve its aerodynamics by 30%.
Both are made of carbon fibre, just like the Can-Am’s exclusive body panels. The only part shared by the race and road versions of the 12C is the MonoCell chassis (also carbon fibre).
A series of other modifications pushed the price up from £325,000 ($545,000), the price of the 2013 12C GT3 race version, to £375,000 ($630,000) for the Can-Am Edition. MIA estimates that its vehicle is worth $700,000.
The GT Can-Am comes with a ShifTech sequential gearbox with air activators and wheel-mounted paddles. This transmission weighs 80 kilos less than the 12C’s dual-clutch gearbox.
The double wishbone suspension can be adjusted to camber, caster and toe, while the shocks also have four settings. Moreover, the GT has adjustable anti-roll bars, 18-inch aluminum wheels with single locking nut, and smooth Pirelli race tires.
The Akebono brakes combine grooved steel discs with six-piston monobloc callipers in both front and back. The threshold for the Bosch antilock system is just one of the parameters that the driver can adjust using the buttons on the rectangular steering wheel inspired by the one on the 2009 F1 McLaren MP4-24.
It takes two technicians three full weeks to assemble just one 12C GT Can-Am, says Michel Labrosse who manages the MIA team. Their car took its first test jaunt in September at the Saint-Eustache circuit under the watchful eye of a McLaren engineer who flew in from England for the occasion.
A captivating crescendo on the track
Dressed in full race gear, including an integrated helmet and gloves, I switch places with Jean-François Dumoulin in the Can-Am. This is after the ritual start-up and warm-up that took the technicians an hour to complete. J-F does a couple laps to limber up the mechanics and put a little heat into the smooth tires.
It was just 4 degrees when we drove the 12C, and it’s hardly any warmer now. The minimum temperature for decent grip from performance tires is 7 degrees, and these slicks are even fussier. Dumoulin’s rhythm and accelerations in the Can-Am are nonetheless impressive. When he stepped on the brakes at the end of a short straight, I was thrown forward like a bag of sand, despite the tight straps of the six-point seatbelt, and my legs leaned hard into the large block that acts as a footrest.
The Can-Am’s controls are completely different from those in the civilian 12C. The cabin is austere with carbon fibre and coal-coloured Alcantara throughout. The strangest element is the clutch pedal, which is only used to start the vehicle and to prevent stalling when coming to a stop. With my left leg completely stretched out, I slowly ease off the pedal. The McLaren takes off, bucks a little but doesn’t stall. Yesssss!
I expected the unusually shaped steering wheel to feel strange, especially its foamy cover, but I actually found it very comfortable and natural. The power steering system is direct but surprisingly light. I suspect that the tires are still lukewarm and that this beast can only generate a fraction of its 1,135 kilos (2,500 lbs.) of the aerodynamic support that it is capable of on this tight circuit.
The Can-Am is a lot lower than the 12C. I can feel every tiny bump at first, but the shock absorption is impeccable, the car holds its trajectory famously and I move on to more serious matters. The twin-turbo V8 packs incredible punch at medium revs and forces me to wait for the next gear. The gears catch and the Can-Am kicks violently for a fraction of a second. Even with my helmet on, I can hear the vehicle rumble, but the McLaren is perfectly civilized for a race car.
After a few laps, the Can-Am bites superbly and takes corners with beautiful balance. All I have to do is guide its trajectory. I brake harder with each lap but never feel the ABS intervene. My co-pilot urges me to brake even harder, but the pedal is very hard. Then it’s time to bring it back to the pit.
Reading the telemetrics off his laptop, MIA technical expert Carl Hermez tells me that I reached nearly 3 g on corners but not quite 1 g when braking. I definitely could have done better. The Can-Am must be absolutely mind-blowing on faster circuits and in less Nordic conditions.
That said, I’m still ecstatic. I’ve never been so excited. The experience of taking such an extraordinary machine around the track will remain burned in my memory forever.