Earlier this year, half a dozen parties were aggressively bidding for the Ferrari franchise.
But the Italian prancing horse, which had been associated with Hong Seh Motors here since 1982, eventually drove off with Ital Auto, a subsidiary of Komoco Motors, of which hotelier Ong Beng Seng has a major stake in.
This time around, it is understood that McLaren, the British super sports car brand, is being wooed by a few people, such as Hong Seh Motors and Andy Goh, as well as a couple of big parallel importers.
Hong Seh currently represents Dutch supercar Spyker and Artega of Germany, as well as a few Italian superbike and luxury yacht names, while Mr Goh is the younger brother of Melvin Goh, the man behind Italian supercar Lamborghini, as well as Italy's Alfa Romeo and Britain's Lotus.
HIGH-RES PHOTOS
- McLaren MP4-12C Two other parties had also been rumoured to be in the running - Hadi Tanaga and Cycle & Carriage. But both have indicated that the market talk is not accurate.
Mr Tanaga is the owner of Audi dealer Premium Automobiles. He was also one of the parties who had been interested in the Ferrari brand.
On the other hand, Cycle & Carriage is the exclusive dealer for Mercedes-Benz. The brand with the three- pointed star is McLaren's partner in Formula One.
Last month, McLaren Automotive unveiled the McLaren MP4-12C, a mid- engined sports car which will compete in the same segment as the Ferrari 458 and Lamborghini Gallardo.
McLaren Automotive is the car manufacturing division of the F1 outfit and the MP4-12C will be the first in a series of high-performance sports cars the company plans to produce.
The two-seater coupe has a one-piece carbon fibre chassis, a bespoke McLaren 3.8-litre turbocharged V8 with 600hp and a McLaren seven- speed dual-clutch gearbox.
It will also have F1 technology, just like the cars previously produced by the company: the McLaren F1 supercar and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren luxury sports car.
Last month, McLaren Automotive announced that it will distribute the MP4-12C and future models through a brand new retail network in all global markets.
'We will be represented in Singapore in 2011. A decision will be made in 2010 and we will discuss the requirements that we wish for from our retailers on an individual basis,' said Mark Harrison, head of PR at McLaren Automotive.
He added that the retailers must have 'solid, profitable businesses and understand our customers' requirements'.
'We are also looking for an attitude that sees the retail owner wanting to do things differently and in a genuinely customer focused manner,' said Mr Harrison.
When McLaren arrives in Singapore, it will be the first time that the British marque will be available here officially.
So far, the only McLaren road car that has been sold here was the iconic McLaren F1 although it was never registered.
The sale took place some time after the three- seater supercar's launch event at the Pasir Gudang race track in 1994.
Since the MP4-12C is in the same segment as the Gallardo and 458, its price range here is expected to be between $800,000 and $1 million.
One industry observer said that it is just the first in a series of high-performance sports cars to be produced and the two other models to follow will be equally interesting.
Both are likely to cost over $1 million and, like the MP4-12C, are expected to have cutting edge technology and performance.
'McLaren is a nice brand with history, technology and performance,' said the observer. 'I would expect everyone in the automotive industry here to be interested enough to apply.'
He said that based on the market size, he expected annual sales volume to be 20 to 30 units for the MP4-12C. In 2008, 49 units of Lamborghini and 45 units of Ferrari were registered in Singapore.
He added: 'McLaren will be a refreshing change. So far, you have only had a Ferrari or Lamborghini to spend your money on, so it will be exciting to own a McLaren next.'
This article was first published in The Business Times.
Click on thumbnail to view (Photos: McLaren)
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