McLaren has had a prototype vehicle built in 2009, the MP4-12C – which sources say is part of the company’s plans to take the racing company into the street car business. This move is regarded to be the outcome of six years of planning.

McLaren built a name for itself in the racing world, where the company has one of the strongest reputations in the world.

Sources at the company stressed on the fact that in all of the new forays the company is making, they would continue to operate on their two key philosophies – that held true for the brand as well as the car – namely ‘substance over flash,’ and ‘lower volume, higher standards.’

The sources said that the company’s current plan is to sell 1,000 units of the MP4-12C in its first year of production – a target that seems easily attainable.

Even before the dealer network was announced weeks ago and the high-profile unveiling in front of one of the world’s wealthiest crowds at Pebble Beach took place, McLaren already had in its kitty 2,700 interested buyers.

Even if just a third of these actually bought the vehicle, it would mean that McLaren’s sales target would be met.

(Via AutoGuide)

The McLaren MP4-12C is being viewed as the next big thing in the world of automobiles and McLaren wants to make the experience even more entertaining. McLaren has gone ahead and introduced a new car Configurator – a program that allows the interested customers to choose from more than a dozens of options to create their own version of the race-inspired scorcher. The color options alone include 17 hues including the very vintage McLaren Orange. The exterior options include a lot of carbon fiber equipment while for the inside; the Configurator offers varieties of leather and Alcantara. Other attractions are carbon ceramic brakes, a refined exhaust and lightweight wheels.

McLaren has been a name that has mostly been heard around the F1 circuits but all this has changed with the launch of McLaren Automotive, a company that will strictly manufacture a range of super cars in the future. The company launch was accompanied by the launch of its flagship product, the MP4-12C which is touted to be a super car for a daily commute, though it can put the best ones to shame when pelted. The exact numbers are not yet known but the hopes are high as the company has its vast F1 experience to make the super car achieve astounding feats. The revealed details are that the MP4-12C rear-wheel driven beast will come with a 3.8-liter V8 engine capable of producing 600 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque.

Back in September we broke it that McLaren is working on a new supercar dubbed MP4-12C to be the successor of the McLaren F1, but we just caught wind that there are issues with actually bringing it to US dealer shops. Competing with the likes of Porsche 911 Turbo or the Ferrari 456 Italia, which already have a good presence in the US, the new MP4-12C was supposed to make its public debut at the LA Show in December, but the company pulled out of that one leaving us drooling over the  powerful 3.8-litre twin turbo that outputs around 608hp and 600 Nm of torque. A more probable release date is expected to be announced for mid-2010. [via insideline]

The ‘Road Edition’ Successor to the McLaren F1 Supercar has finally been revealed and the scorcher earlier recognized as McLaren P11 has finally been christened as McLaren MP4-12C. The MP4-12C which will be revealed by McLaren in a couple of days, will directly compete with the likes of Porsche 911 Turbo and the Ferrari 456 Italia. This stunner will be powered by a worthy 6.0-liter V8 petrol engine assisted by 7-speed gearbox which will produce somewhere between 600 and 700 horses. Despite its Supercar categorization, it will still feature an onboard computer, WiFi connection and a self adjusting suspension ensuring that this beast has an everyday usability as well. Once debuted, McLaren will further develop this brand with three more models in the next six years.