McLaren has been a beloved marque in the supercar sphere ever since the gamechanging McLaren F1 was introduced in the 1990s, but the road car brand’s rebirth as McLaren Automotive in 2010 wasn’t exactly smooth. The MP4-12C was cricised for being clinical, underdeveloped and a little boring. Since then, all subsequent McLarens have moved the marque in a very specific direction, but the 12C always had its charms.
Video: McLaren MP4‑12C | Future Classics
It was also a titan of innovation, introducing the incredible V8 engine, carbon fibre tub chassis and hydraulic suspension platform – all ingredients that remain today, and have been honed to near perfection. Looking back, the 12C is more subtle, prettier, less in your face and more honest in the marque’s original vision as a proper pucker British supercar. Flawed? Of course it is, but as Becky Evans finds out, the lineage is there to feel. As the breakout model for the McLaren Automotive we know and love today, it’s surely a modern classic in the making.

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