McLaren's priciest models grab the limelight these days, alongside their latest toy, the 750S, which is basically an evolution of the mighty 720S. And few people know this, but there's a way to get into the Woking brand ownership without having to blow hundreds of thousands of dollars – or more.
Do you remember the McLaren MP4-12C, which later became known simply as the 12C? You should, as it is the model that put the automaker on the radar of modern supercar enthusiasts. It was their first production road car after the iconic F1, featuring a carbon fiber composite chassis and a twin-turbo V8 placed behind the seats.
Unveiled in 2009 and launched two years later, it was designed by Frank Stephenson, who was also responsible for styling the 570S, 720S, 675LT, and the iconic P1. He also left his mark on the Ferrari FXX, 599 Fiorano, 612 Scaglietti, a few Maseratis, the original BMW X5, and others. The McLaren MP4-12C came in two body styles, coupe and convertible, and stayed in production until 2014, when the 650S replaced it.
The 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 was officially rated at 616 hp (625 ps/460 kW). The output was available at 7,500 rpm, and the peak torque of 443 lb-ft (600 Nm) between 3,000 and 7,000 rpm. It had a seven-speed DCT to deliver everything to the rear axle and took 3.1 seconds to 62 mph (100 kph). The top speed was set at 207 mph or 333 kph.
Photo: Garage Kept Motors
It turned out to be quicker than advertised in plain McLaren fashion, as several copies were clocked at sub-3 seconds to 60 mph. One of them did 2.8 seconds, and six seconds after taking off, it was already at 100 mph (161 kph). As for the top speed, the fixed-roof model could do just over 218 mph (351 kph) with no outside intervention, and the open-top variant was three mph slower.
This performance is still impressive even by modern standards, so you might think that an MP4-12C costs several organs. But it doesn't, as we just found a copy that will set you back less than $100,000. Advertised by Garage Kept Motors, this supercar was made in 2012 and has just over 40,500 miles (~65,200 km) on the odometer. It comes with a silver exterior, a red cockpit, sticky tires on its feet from Michelin, and a clean title.
As for the asking price, you are looking at $97,900. We think it is great value for the money, considering that it is a clean car, though you could also buy a new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray for that kind of cash. So, if you had to choose between the two, which one would you drive home?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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