McLaren will add a hardtop convertible version of its MP4-12C supercar.
McLaren is going topless. The British maker, which recently returned to the consumer automotive market, is getting ready to reveal the al fresco version of its 200 mph MP4-12C supercar.
Best known for its staggeringly successful racing program, the marque will literally pull the covers off the McLaren 12C Spider at next month’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. But we’ve got a few early images to share with readers.
The Spider is the second in what McLaren promises to be a series of new supercars it hopes to roll out at a pace of roughly one a year for the foreseeable future, Managing Director Antony Sheriff told TheDetroitBureau.com earlier this year.
The McLaren 12C Spider in action.
“It’s great to witness the same marque responsible for the highly collectible F1 supercar continue to expand its exceptional road car program,” said David Gooding, the president and founder of the eponymous Gooding & Company, which will host the McLaren 12C Spider’s debut during the tony Pebble Beach Concours weekend, August 18 and 19.
(For a review of the McLaren MP4-12C supercar, Click Here.)
The spin-off of the MP4-12C will be readily recognizable by McLaren fans, though the Spider gets a retractable hardtop roof.
As with the coupe version, the McLaren 12C Spider will use a carbon-fiber monocell chassis that is critical to its lightweight and rigidity. That could prove especially critical in the open-top edition.
And, like the original MP4-12C, the convertible boasts an upgraded powertrain for 2013, its 3.8-liter turbocharged V-8 making 616 horsepower. McLaren is saving a few details, like top speed and 0 to 60 times, for next month’s official unveiling.
The maker is already taking orders, however, through its 38 dealers around the world. The new Spider will carry a “base” price of $265,750.