Some days ago someone posted a really nice article written by Chris Harris....A long rant about the fact that Ferrari doesn't even think about giving a car to the magazine to test it BEFORE Ferrari itself knows exactly where and when the test will take place...They require some days of test and tuning of the vehicle, with an entire crew of Ferrari techs before the magazine test can take place....

I'm sure that NONE of the Ring laps performed by the car companies themselves (not by indipendent testers) is recorded with a bone stock car....

 

playing devil's advocate; how is it that NO ONE questioned running SLICKS, RETUNED WITH LAP TOPS DOWNLOADING EVERYWHERE, and PORSCHE technicians running amuck when the GT2 RS did 7:18 with a FAMOUS RACER that knows the RING like the back of his hand
AGAIN let's ASSUME the 12C time is 'true'; HOW DID THEY DO IT when no one else is even remotely close @ that price point and it had to take $1million 'track' racers to do it! one article stated that when just cruisin around town the 12C 'RIDES LIKE A MERC E CLASS'!

 

If it is true and there is not even the slightest amount of cheating involved, then I assume everybody else (other manufacturers) just doesn't know how to build a supercar.

 

well, maybe McLaren being one of the top Formula One teams starting with a clean sheet of paper may have something to do with it (assuming its true)

and yes, Ferrari are in F1 too... but as good as the 458 is, technology-wise, McLaren seem to have pushed the envelope much further.

Porsche... we're all Porsche lovers, but c'mon... GT racing ain't got nothing on Formula One, for pure cutting edge tech IMO. Porsche haven't even fielded a full on prototype car for LeMans since what, the 90's? hopefully that will change under new management...

agree with your points... but just for the sake of accuracy, the GT2RS' 7:18 'Ring time was NOT set by Walter, but by an unnamed Porsche test driver who knows the track well but is NOT a professional racecar driver...

in the end, consider that the '2RS is based on a mass produced car using old technology (albeit honed to a very sharp point)... and the McLaren is a full carbon tub design without having to deal with mundane roots.

 

It's not true. The real time was over 7:20.

 

Proof?

 

I'm sure this car is very fast on the race track and still every day car.

 

Well until proven otherwise i think its fair to say its real. Just look at the engine and the body. F1 Maclaren build and design.....its bound to be very very fast guys. Now how affordable its going to be may be a different issue altogether...

 

McLaren have made no claims for any official or unofficial times for the MP4, so this is meaningless debate.

 

7 flat for a production car with a power/weight ratio of this McLaren is insane. Nothing's impossible but 7 flat!? Really?...

On a side note, the twin clutch and the TT motor should be a match made in heaven (or hell ). Imagine the tuning capabilities?

 

McLaren has a knack for shifting paradigms.

I wouldn't be the least surprised if this car runs the ring in under 7 mins. It trounces the 458 in EVERY PERFORMANCE CATEGORY.

 

The new pirelli Corsas directionale (N1 for porsche) are NOT outdated. They are actually pretty amazing for traction..

 

It is possible, apparently. Had the chance to drive my 997tt with and without sway bars. The difference in ride and cornering was night and day. Imagine you have this in your car controlled electronically. Add the fact that with the carbon tub ,and everything else screwed on that, you dont need to have a hard suspension anyway and then you can see what they have done. This car has 3 suspension settings that is the equivalent of changing 3 spring rates and sway bar settings with the flick of a button. With a super solid and light chassis..
I am still waiting to hear the downside of this technology (apart from the fact that the process to make the carbon tub in just 4 hrs is a mclaren patented process) but so far i am being told that it has NOTHING to do with our normal aluminium chassis porsches and ferraris etc in terms of handling, traction and driving feeling.
IF ONLY THIS CAR HAD AN LSD!!!!!!

 

Wait... What?

 

only brake steer, electronically controlled and apparently very effective but... it steals the driving pleasure of an lsd with controllable slides etc etc.
Had 911s with and without lsd and i know which one i liked more.. (a lot more).

Have a deposit to get one in the fall and thats my only dilemma.