DAMASCUS, Md. (MarketWatch) -- With the world for the most part still trying to dig its way out of a recession, imagine an upstart sports-car company planning a two-seater in the very upscale Ferrari-Lamborghini class?
Then you find out this will be their first road car since 1993-98 when the firm turned the sports-car world on its nose with the McLaren M1.
Audacious?
"I am confident that now is the right time for McLaren Automotive to become a full-line high-performance sports-car manufacturer," said Ron Dennis, chairman of the little firm with a space age-looking headquarters in little Woking, England.
And that is where McLaren showed off the car, some of its specs and announced its ambitious plans for the future.
Dennis is convinced that there is a growing market for a very-high-end performance car from a well-known company in the world of Formula 1 racing.
"By the time the 12C is launched in 2011 we expect the economic conditions to be much improved," said Antony Sheriff, managing director. The sales staff won't exactly be stretched to the limit, since McLaren only plans to produce 1,000 cars in the first year. It is now in the process of lining up dealers worldwide.
So what about the car itself? While breathtakingly fast and very lightweight, you should also know that McLaren made virtually every part in the car. Mounted low and just behind the cockpit will be a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V-8. Think about 600 horsepower with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. Do not go looking for a clutch pedal; there is none, with paddle shifts mounted on the steering wheel.
Sixty miles per hour should come up in under 3 seconds, a quarter mile in 11 seconds, and a top speed of about 200 miles per hour, which should make for a very nice track day.
Car and Driver says the go-fast numbers will top those of a Corvette ZR1, the Ferrari 430 Scuderia 3.5 and the new Porsche 911 Turbo, just to put all that in perspective.
With the emphasis on weight reduction, the McLaren should tip the scales at about 2,900 pounds.
Using its race-car technology, McLaren created a carbon-fiber chassis structure and in fact has not produced a car with a metal chassis in the past 30 years. The maker says the car has passed all safety tests with flying colors. It says the same chassis was subjected to three high-energy crashes and the center "tub," which is where you would sit, came through unscathed and uncracked, as did the windshield.
Size wise, the 12C will be 177.4 inches long, 74.6 wide, and 47 inches tall. That is an inch longer than a Porsche 911, slightly wider than a Corvette, and less than an inch shorter than a Dodge Viper.
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