Perspective: Mcclaren

I figure this may be the only time anyone other than Sid posts something about cars, but the Mcclaren Automotive group has recently stepped back into the road-going supercar arena again. Some may argue that Mcclaren's collaboration with Mercedes-Benz on the SLR qualifies as a recent product, but the MP12-4C is the first true Mcclaren product to hit the streets in nearly two decades.

The superlative Mcclaren of old is still a car almost every car enthusiast drools after. Its performance still stand head and shoulders over many of the exotics today. The shape is still desirable and car manufacturers mimic its basic silhouette to this day. The simplicity and purity of form that the F1 represented is something that is still unmatched. The technology was there, as the F1 was the first fully CFRP chassis road car ever. The car's top speed record stood until the ridiculous Bugatti Veyron came along recently, but the two cars despite their similarities, are nothing alike.

Will history be so kind to the MP12-4C?

So far, most of the reviews out paint a picture of the MP12-4C as a supremely driveable supercar. The car's fast, corners well and has introduced technology previously unseen in its suspension setup. However, the MP12-4C, to me lacks soul. The car is a technological tour-de-force, but the car isn't all that special. The engine, a twin turbo V8, doesn't have the sonorous wail of a Ferrari 8. The car is docile, even it's name is just alphabet soup. This name might awe the technology geeks amongst us, but nobody will buy this car for its name, as the car doesn't necessarily need to describe to me the complexities that lay beneath the sexy sheetmetal.

Ultimately, though Mcclaren have once again produced an amazing car, the MP12-4C is still a failure in my eyes compared to the spectacle that the F1 was and will forever be. Long live the king.

- Kenneth