I saw yesterday Grey McLaren MP4-12C in plano, didn't know its already available in the usa.

 

Yes, they've been here in Canada for at least the last few months ... one of the local Porsche dealers in Toronto got the local distribution rights.

 

We where supposed to get the MP4-12c in Oct, but because of production delays - it ended up being pushed back to Jan 2012 - quite a few on the roads here.

Some snaps from the launch:

 

Drove one a couple of weeks ago.... WOW!

 

Not a looker

 

really likin the lines, but it has the look of all the newer super cars out i.e. R8, NSX, Ferrari

 

Looks cool "naked" though.

 

a friend of mine drove it in the villages around Nürburgring and was very impressed. he never drove 458 but very familiar with 911 turbo, GTR type of cars

 

this is exactly what my wife said.

 

Test drove it last month....amazing!! Feels like we hit 120mph just on the freeway on-ramp. i'm trying to convice the wife that an MP4 in Volcanic Orange would be a nice addition to our garage. but she thinks the car it's ugly....

There are definitely a few of them out here in Silicon Valley...McLaren/Fisker opened up not long ago in Palo Alto.

 

I believe all the dealerships will have 'a naked' version on display.

The McLaren guy was telling me that on the older F1, the carbon tub took over 3,000 + man hours to produce, where the MP4-12C takes less than 4 hours.

 

So we should expect this one to cost ~750 times less?

 

is it easy to drive ?

 

I've recently driven both the McLaren and Ferrari 458. They both have sick power. The McLaren is the easier car to drive, but, for me, that's not necessarily a good thing. The 458 feels much more connected to the road, and reacts much quicker to steering and throttle inputs. Almost twitchy, but much more fun and intense to drive.

The McLaren could be a daily driver, but still has the power and performance when you want it. The hydraulic suspension is pretty cool, especially with the adjustable settings, but I felt the car gave less feedback and steering feel than the 458, even with the most aggressive settings.

Aesthetically, the McLaren looks much better in person than in pictures. The interior is underwhelming, however, and I'll be kind and say the doors are gimmicky.

It's the 458 hands down for me.

 

apologies on the poor pic quality from the phone. I'm one of the few who think the car looks better in person.