McLaren MP4-12C Supercar Enters Production

McLaren Automotive announced today the first MP4-12C high-performance sports car has begun production at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Woking, England. The company plans to build up to 1,000 units this year, most of them to be manufactured in the bespoke new £40M McLaren Production Centre, which is due for completion in May, 2011.

Pricing for the McLaren MP4-12C starts at $229,000. Customers are able to choose from 14 interior trim levels.

Powering the supercar is a 3.8-liter V8 twin-turbo engine producing 600 horsepower. The unit is mated to a 7-speed Seamless Shift dual-clutch gearbox (SSG). Thanks to all that power, the car can accelerate from naught to sixty in the low 3-second range and has a top speed of more than 200 mph (321 km/h).

“In five years, the MP4-12C has evolved from a concept we developed in our own Formula 1 simulator, to a groundbreaking high-performance sports car offering unique technologies and outstanding dynamic performance. It has been an intensive development programme, but now the fun really begins as our future owners look forward to taking delivery of their 12Cs,” Antony Sheriff, McLaren Automotive Managing Director said in a statement for the press.

“Feedback from our customers shows they understand McLaren Automotive is as committed to delivering a high quality sports cars and a fantastic ownership experience as a our Formula 1 team is to winning races. With ‘Chassis One’ now in production, our new network of 35 retailers in 19 countries worldwide is ready to deliver on this promise,” added Sheriff.

McLaren has also released a number of photos revealing some of the production steps for the MP4-12C, which you can take a look at in the gallery below.