McLaren 12C Coupé

McLaren 12C Coupé (MP4-12C)
Car information
Year	2011
Make	McLaren
Origin	United Kingdom
Type	Production
Engine	3.8 L Twin-Turbocharged V8 (McLaren M838T)
Power	592 hp (441 kW)
Torque	443 ft⋅lb (600 N·m)
Weight	3,031 lb (1,375 kg)
Layout	Mid-Engine, RWD
Front Distr.	44%
Transmission	7-speed DCT
Related	McLaren 12C GT3 McLaren 650S Coupé (Successor) McLaren P1 ATS GT

“When the last car your company produced was widely considered to be the greatest road car ever made, the McLaren F1, you have some big shoes to fill. While the F1 was designed to have no peers, the MP4-12C takes aim directly at the Italian and German competition with an innovative new all-carbon fiber chassis and a turbocharged V8 developed in-house at McLaren. Tuned for maximum low-end torque, the MP4 can bring all 442 ft-lbs. to bear at a low 2,000 RPM, which means the MP4 has rocketship launch characteristics. One look at the huge, deep side inlets and the high-mount exhaust bores should tell you the new McLaren means business. Lewis Hamilton thinks so; McLaren’s ace F1 driver likes the MP4-12C so much he appears as the voice of the car in Pixar’s computer-animated film Cars 2.”
 – Official Turn 10 remarks

The 2011 McLaren 12C Coupé (McLaren 12C), also formerly known as the McLaren MP4-12C Coupé (McLaren MP4-12C), is a two-door, mid-engined supercar designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive as the Woking marque's first ever production car that it built and designed entirely in-house. It is featured in mainline every Forza title since Forza Motorsport 3 with the sole exception of Forza Horizon 3. It eventually returned to the Forza Horizon series in Series 11 of Forza Horizon 4 after a nearly 3-year absence from Forza Horizon.

Codenamed P11, the 12C is also McLaren's first production car since the F1 that went out of production in 1998, 11 years before the 12C's introduction in September 2009. The 12C was launched in mid-2011 and was succeeded by the 650S in 2014; in April of the same year, the 12C's production also ended.

Overview

Name

The car name's former "MP4", which stands for McLaren Project 4 as a result of the merger between Ron Dennis's Project 4 organization with McLaren, was the chassis designation for all McLaren Formula 1 cars from 1981 to 2016, with the last one being the MP4-31. "12" refers to McLaren's internal Vehicle Performance Index through which it rates key performance criteria both for competitors and for its own cars, where the criteria uses a mixture of power, weight, emissions, and aerodynamic efficiency. The coalition of all of these values delivers an overall performance index that has been used as a benchmark throughout the car's development. "C" stands for Carbon, highlighting the application of carbon fiber technology for every McLaren production supercar and hypercar going forward.

The 12C shares its name with the MP4/12 Formula 1 car that raced in the 1997 season. This F1 race car featured a second brake pedal that was discovered by photographers to counter understeer during corner exits by selecting the inside rear wheel, which the 12C alludes to by its computer-controlled "brake steer" system.

At the end of 2012, the 12C, then known by its MP4-12C name, was renamed to its current 12C name, usually used when referring to the coupé, while the open-top spider variant is the 12C Spider (formerly MP4-12C Spider), which was also introduced in 2012 and was succeeded by the 650S Spider in 2014.

Design and suspension

An exploded view of the 12C, with the car's butterfly doors opened.

Like with the F1 before it, the 12C makes extensive use of carbon fiber to save weight, resulting in a dry weight of 2,868 lb (1,301 kg) and a standard weight of 3,031 lb (1,375 kg) in the Forza series. The 12C's chassis is based around a Formula 1-styled one-piece carbon fiber tub, dubbed the Carbon MonoCell, which weighs only 176 lb (80 kg). The MonoCell is made in a single pressing by using a set of patented processes, using Bi-Axial and Tri-Axial carbon fiber multiaxial fabrics produced by Formax UK Ltd. with the MonoCell manufactured by Carbo Tech in Salzburg, Austria. The time required to produce a MonoCell for the 12C is only 4 hours, which is drastically much shorter than the 500 hours for the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and the 3,000 hours for the McLaren F1.

Unlike the F1, though, the 12C uses a conventional two side-by-side seating arrangement, although it makes up for this by having a narrower central console than in other cars, pushing the driver closer to the center. Interior trim and materials can be specified in asymmetric configuration – known as "Driver Zone".

The McLaren 12C uses a unique hydraulic configuration to suspend the vehicle as opposed to more traditional coil springs, dampers, and anti-roll bars. Dubbed by McLaren as ProActive Chassis Control (PACC), PACC consists of an array of high and low pressure valves interconnected from both left to right and front to back, while the typical anti-roll bars were omitted entirely. Despite this, it is still possible to install anti-roll bars into the car in the Forza series. Stiffness is a result of high pressure meeting high pressure under roll conditions; subsequently, more give is allowed when high pressure meets low pressure under heave and warp, ultimately yielding a firmer and more competent suspension setup in spirited high speed driving, as well as a very plush, compliant, and relaxed ride at lower speeds.

The 12C, much like the F1 and every other McLaren road car, uses butterfly doors. It has a 44% / 56% weight distribution.

Engine and drivetrain

Main article: McLaren M838T engine

The M838T engine of the 12C.

The McLaren 12C is powered by the all-new McLaren M838T engine, a 3,799 cc (3.8 L; 231.8 in³) twin-turbocharged V8 engine designed and developed by McLaren, Ilmor, and Ricardo. For models of the 12C produced before September 2012, the M838T produces 600 PS (592 hp; 441 kW) at 7,500 rpm and 600 N·m (443 ft·lb) of torque at 5,600 rpm, with 80% of torque available at the 2,000 rpm mark. The redline is set to 8,500 rpm. When first announced, McLaren claimed that it would have a higher horsepower to carbon dioxide emission ratio than any internal-combustion engine available at the time.

The M838T has since gone on to power many later McLaren models, including the P1, P1 GTR, and P1 LM (M838TQ); 650S, 625C, and 675LT (M838T, M838TL for 675LT); and 570S, 540C, and 600LT (M838TE). In 2017, the McLaren 720S introduced the M840T, an evolution of the M838T that has a larger 3,994 cc, 4.0 L displacement and was later used in the McLaren Senna as the M840TR.

The M838T in the 12C is connected to the rear wheels by way of a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic manufactured by Graziano Oerlikon, which dubs it as the SSG (Seamless Shift Gearbox). It features a system dubbed "Pre-Cog" that allows the driver to preselect the next gear by lightly tapping the paddle.

The official gear ratios for the 12C are as follows:

Final Drive	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th
3.30	4.00	2.60	1.90	1.50	1.20	0.90	0.70

Performance

Performance
0 - 60 mph (0 - 97 km/h)	3.3 sec
0 - 100 mph (0 - 161 km/h)	6.5 sec
Top speed (claimed)	333 km/h (207 mph)
Top speed (in-game)	343~350 km/h (213~217 mph)
Power-to-weight ratio	431 hp (436 PS; 321 kW) per tonne

Gameplay

Main article: McLaren 12C Coupé/Gameplay

• The McLaren 12C is usually depicted as having a lower Performance Index than the McLaren F1. This is not the case in Forza Horizon 2 and Forza Horizon 4, however.
• In Forza Motorsport 4, the McLaren 12C is eligible in the McLaren R3 event.
  • Upon reaching Driver Level 34, the player can choose the 12C as a reward.
  • It is upgradable to Class R2 at most.
• In Forza Horizon, the 12C is driven by Hansen and Rockfeld, and can be upgraded to Class R1 at the highest.
• In Forza Horizon 4, the 12C is an exclusive car, available initially by finishing first against Highly Skilled Drivatars in the McLaren Cup event in Series 11 Autumn (July 11, 2019 07:30:00 PDT ~ July 18, 2019 07:29:59 PDT). It is highly recommended to use the McLaren Senna or 720S Coupé (especially the PreOrder Car variant), as these cars have strong handling and decent enough overall performance.
  • The 12C was later made available alongside the Apollo Intensa Emozione in the Forzathon Shop in Series 14 Spring (October 17, 2019 14:30:00 GMT ~ October 24, 2019 14:29:59 GMT) for 575 FP.
  • The 12C is decent in Class S1 with a proper tune, although it remains inferior to the three current kings of Class S1: Ford GT (GEN1), Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, and Bugatti EB110 SS.
• Due to its moderate price, the 12C is an affordable choice if the player wants to experience the McLaren brand for the first time.
• The 12C can receive the M840TR from the McLaren Senna and BMW S70/2 from the McLaren F1 in Forza Horizon 4. Each engine swap costs 75,000 CR to buy and install.

Conversions

• Engine Swap
  • 6.0L V12 - Ferrari Enzo Ferrari (Forza Motorsport 5 onwards, Forza Horizon 2)
  • 6.1L V12 - McLaren F1/McLaren F1 GT (Forza Horizon, Forza Horizon 4)
  • 4.0L V8TT - McLaren Senna (Forza Horizon 4)
• Drivetrain
  • AWD (Forza Motorsport 5 onwards)

Trivia

• The 12C has a slightly lower in-game displacement rating of 3,798 cc.
• Prior to Forza Horizon 2, the 12C was known by its full MP4-12C name in the Forza series, albeit without "Coupé" included.
  • The 12C was later renamed to its current McLaren 12C Coupé name in the June 2019 update of Forza Motorsport 7, in accordance with the 570S, 650S, and 720S Coupés.

Mistakes / glitches

• In Forza Horizon 4, the 12C may sometimes lose its engine sound completely.

Gallery

• 

  The McLaren MP4-12C in Forza Motorsport 4.

• 

  The McLaren MP4-12C in Forza Horizon.

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  The McLaren MP4-12C in Forza Motorsport 5.

• 

  The McLaren 12C in Forza Horizon 2.

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  The McLaren 12C in Forza Motorsport 6.

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  The McLaren 12C Coupé in Forza Motorsport 7.

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  Rear quarter view of the 12C in Forza Motorsport 7.

• 

  First-person view of the 12C's interior.

• 

  The McLaren 12C Coupé in Forza Horizon 4.

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  Front view of the McLaren 12C.

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  Side view.

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  Rear quarter view of the 12C in Forza Horizon 4.

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  Rear view.

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  The 12C's front trunk.

• 

  A shot of the 12C's interior.

• 

  The 12C's dashboard, steering wheel, and cluster gauges.

Appearances

• Forza Motorsport 3 (first appearance)
• Forza Motorsport 4
• Forza Horizon
• Forza Motorsport 5
• Forza Horizon 2
• Forza Motorsport 6
• Forza Motorsport 7
• Forza Horizon 4