The Grand Son

Almost 2 decades after they built the legend, they decided to come up and give it a successor….

Well those of you who read m article last week should understand well enuf what im talking about :P.

If you have'nt, I suggest you start off by reading that first. Its got some pretty intresting, never easy to hear stuff…… (If you are a car enthusiast right to the hilt!!!!).

So leaving all that aside.. heres to the successor. The McLaren MP4-12c. Harldy a name that’s easy to remember….. bt definitely not the type to forget if you see it once. Sit back and scroll through its beauty.

So let me put out an obvious fact onto the table. When you call a car a successor of a legend, you will obviously be expecting it to perform…well….. beyond expectations…ya.

The McLaren F1 was the ultimate road car that was the peak of performance for its time. As for the little one….. does it work its way beyond expectations…………. Lets find out shall we.

Starting with the basics

Name: This is how they put together the name for this car

• 'MP4' has been the chassis designation for all McLaren Formula 1 cars since 1981.
• From 1981 to 1996, McLaren's title sponsor was Marlboro, the "M" stood for this.
• Ron Dennis' Project 4 at the time was for the design for F1 cars.
• The '12' refers to McLaren's internal Vehicle Performance Index through which it rates key performance criteria both for competitors and for its own cars. The criteria combine power, weight, emissions, and aerodynamic efficiency. The coalition of all these values delivers an overall performance index that has been used as a benchmark throughout the car's development.
• The 'C' refers to Carbon, highlighting the application of carbon fibre technology to the future range of McLaren sports cars.

Engine: 3.8 L Twin Turbo V8 (592 Hp). This is the first ever engine built by McLaren in collaboration with Ricardo Plc UK.

Class: Sports Car

Transmission: 7 Speed Dual clutch gear box

Top Speed: 322 kmph+ ( 200 mph+)

0 to 200kmph (124mph): 8.9 seconds

Seating Structure: 2 Seater








Hmmmm first impressions (if you exclude the visuals of the car). Not very great now are they. They are down from a 6 litre V-12 to a 3.8 Litre V8. Top speeds down from 391 kmph to just over 322 kmph. So is it just the looks, the modernization and styling that this successor of a legend has got??

The answer is Yes & the answer is also No

Yes, because Duhhhh…its got some awesum styling and No because this car is different from his daddy. This car goes beyond expectations when it comes to Technology.

Chassis

Starting with the chassis. Very basically this car uses a Carbon MonoCell tub ( seen in the centre of the picture) This type of design means that the driver get the same security that and F1 driver gets and also at a much more less speed. The real punch here is that this carbon MonoCell tub was designed to be built in just 4 hours as opposed to 4000 hours it usually takes to build similar chasis for other cars.





Gearbox

Consists of a dual clutch mechanics. How this basically works is that there are 2 clucthes in the gear box. Say you are driving in the 2nd gear. The driver has the option of lightly tapping the paddle to chose the next gear he wants to go into without actually going into it. Tapping lightly mean that the gear box is preparing itself to optimally switch into the next gear. So if you are going in the 2nd gear and you tap the ‘gear up’ paddle. The second clutch put the car into 3rd gear and wait for you to actually switch. Thereby reducing the switching time.






Reduced Weight

The car is also made super light by finding ways to reduce weight in basically the most unimaginable places. Therefore this car having a smaller engine it means that it has a greater power to weight ratio (This is something im actually looking forward to write about in the future. So KEEP IN TOUCH) .

The Suspension

Suspension is designed with the use of a sort of changeable roll bar system (Once again I will talk about this extensively…perhaps dedicate a whole post to suspensions alone). This actually means that on cornering the roll bars work, firming the suspension and on straight sthe suspensions eases up giving the car a smooth and comfortable ride.

Driver Control

In terms of driver control. This is a car that will actually win you a race not with its ability to go fast, but with its ability to take corners. You take a ferari 458 ( which is actually this cars direct competitor) agiast this on a technical track this will win by miles as opposed to a drag race situation. One of the technologies that help this car win is called the “Rear inside Wheel Braking system”. How this works is when you are entering a turn at speed the rear inside types brakes get applyied preventing the car from understeering onto the opposite wall. Therefore you can actually move intoa corner faster, hence move out faster as well.





So has this car lived upto its grandfathers reputation. Yes id say so, in its own silent way.




Some TV review programs show the car as being too technical/ technologically oriented since it doesn’t allow the driver skills to actually take over and drive. I may not have driven this car but I think that fact might just about be true, but im not so sure. The reason why I agree is different. I agree to the fact because if you own a car like the McLaren F1 you have to have absolutely no fear of Death to drive it to its maximum. You might think you are not afraid of dying , but you’ll soon realize exactly how fond you are of youself when you get up to the speeds that a car like the F1 can do.




But in this car, it takes in the fear for you and gives you the opportunity to throw a car into a corner at high speeds, it erases the faer factor from the car.It allows you to behave like a real racing driver and drive like one.


And for that reason this car has my respect.





For more info on the MP4-12C visit the official page on the link below:

http://www.mclarenautomotive.com/uk/p11/explode/default.aspx#/p11/explode/

The Grand Father & Son

I call it the grandfather because this car is a unique one of a kind masterpiece, and I think I am right if I say truly one of a kind in every way. It was the first of a series of cars which were built to break the top speed barrier for road legal cars.

It is none other than, the McLaren F1.

I haven’t really done it any justice as such in what I have said above. You might have read in one of my previous articles (IF YOU READ IT -_- ) I called the McLaren F1 the father of all Hyper cars. I haven’t really gone in depth on the McLaren, so here you are.



CAUTION: There is quite if lot of engineering jargon in relation with this car and sometimes I MAY have no CHOICE but to use them. So if you Don’t Understand anything the first time. Not to worry I didn’t get it the first time either.





Alright, shall we begin, …………………

Butttt...... where to begin is the next question. I had to do a bit of research into this actually to really pull out where McLaren began. I’m however still not sure if this is how things actually came out. Never mind the tiny details, so here goes.







Bruce Leslie McLaren (30 August 1937 – 2 June 1970), born in Auckland, New Zealand, was a race-car designer, driver, engineer and inventor. He established the McLaren Racing Team in 1963. The Team was later bought by a certain Ron Dennis, who later formed the McLaren Group which included the F1 Racing Team, McLaren technology & of course McLaren Automobile. And our story starts at McLaren Automobile in 1992, when chief engineer Gordon Murray got the backing for his idea of building the ‘Ultimate Road car’.

Step by Step Here’s how the car was put together.


Step 1: The Beating Heart – Engine

The requirement was to give the driver the maximum control over the car. This meant that the engine had to be naturally aspirated (i.e.: NO TURBO or SUPERCHARGERS). After initially searching with Lamborghini, Ferrari etc. Gordon finally turned to Honda who were building the Engines for the McLaren race cars to accept to build the engine for the McLaren. But they refused. Therefore the winning engine came from BMW. Specs are as follows



Engine Name: BMW S70/2

Capacity: 6.1 Liter V12,

Power Rating: 618 Horse Powers @ 7400 rpm. Rev Limited @ 7500 rpm

Power to Weight ratio: 550 Hp/ton

Fuel consumption: Worst – 3.9 km/liter
                               Best: 9.9 km/liter


Ok so what makes it unique?


All the cars which came after this, all the cars/ engines which were able to break past the 390 kmph mark barrier all had to be Turbo charged or super charged. Not one of those cars could beat the McLaren without a turbo charger on it. If you want to build a car that goes fast there were 2 things you could do.

• You build a ridiculously Powerful engine. E.g.: Bugatti 8.3 L, Quad Turbo Charged, W 16. With weight of 1888 kg. giving a power to weight ratio of 530 hp/ton

• Or you build a supper light car. E.g.: The SSC Aero 6.0 L Supercharged V8. With weight of 1292 Kg, giving a power to weight ratio of 1003 hp/ton.

McLaren had none of these complexities, Yet it produced more than any of those cars could produce 15 years before they were made. Way ahead of its time.


Step 2: The Book & its Cover - Chassis & Aerodynamics

The whole underlying structure of the car was built off carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) monocoque chassis structure, except the engine bay area. The reason being that carbon fiber when exposed to heat loses its strength over time. Plus the BMW engine produced a massive amount of heat. Therefore the engine bay area was lined with the best heat insulator available. GOLD FOIL.





In terms of aerodynamics once again used ingenious techniques to keep the car on the ground. The best way I think to explain aerodynamics is to break it down to you in numbers. So what they use to (in a sense) measure aerodynamics is called the Drag Coefficient. The lower this number the better. Putting some figures on the table. This is what it looks like:

Bugatti Veyron: 0.36

SSC Aero: 0.357

McLaren F1: 0.32


Very low ehh!!


And how they managed to get that is simply genius. At the bottom of the car they set up some fans. That’s Right Fans. In essence what they do is this. The suctions fans suck in the air at the bottom of the car creating a low pressure situation, creating a high pressure situation on top of the car. So naturally the car is pushed down and is... well kept there. The air sucked up from the fans are used to cool and the engines and the brake systems.

Also the rear spoiler is made to tilt under braking creating a more drag therefore shortening down the car faster. The air displaced when the spoiler tilts is also put into use by sending them downwards to cool the rear brakes


Talk about aerodynamics, That’s just Nuts :O


Step 3: Feather Bed – The Suspension

The McLaren being built as a road car had to consider the ride comfort as well unlike when building a GT car where comfort, is well immaterial. Because of this the suspension system had to have some innovations, the most interesting of all is this being. The suspension is positioned horizontally which in essence allows the wheels to move backwards when it hits a bump increasing comfort. They found away to do this without losing any of the control the car has.

Also the McLaren is built such that there is perfect balance of the car. This is one reason the drives seat is put in the middle to keep the Mass at the center of the car. Also The weight is distributed such that 58% goes to the back and 42% comes to the front. All this is controlled by a computer to avoid any unwanted weight transfers.









Step 4: Heaven – The Interior & Equipment


Besides all that the McLaren has all the comforts that any car will have. Air conditioning, CD player & Central locking is a few things included in this car. Unlike some cars today which have to have all these comforts removed and the interior striped to a bare minimum in order to get speed, (SSC Aero), the McLaren achieved its unbelievable speeds with every bit of comfort to the driver.

See Below Videos for McLarens Top Speed Run- At the one of the only place on earth that you can max out a McLaren. At the VolksWagon test track 'Ehra-Lessien' near the east german border in Germany.

Acceleration


0-30 mph (48 km/h): 1.8 s
0–60 mph (97 km/h): 3.2 s
0–100 mph (160 km/h): 6.3 s
0–124.28 mph (200.01 km/h): 9.4 s
0–150 mph (240 km/h): 12.8 s
0–200 mph (320 km/h): 28 s


Top Speed

With rev limiter on: 231 mph (372 km/h)
With rev limiter removed: 242.96 mph (391.01 km/h)

22 Years after the death of the McLaren founder his spirit lives on in his car. Don’t think so ???.


The below quotes is from the book ‘From the Cockpit’. Read it and see if the Car doesn’t fit into those lines.


"To do something well is so worthwhile that to die trying to do it better cannot be foolhardy. It would be a waste of life to do nothing with one's ability, for I feel that life is measured in achievement, not in years alone. – (Bruce McLaren, 1964)

 And an Achievement it was.

And what of the son???? .. ….Well that’s a different story entirely …..


To be continued…………….

The V - 12 Bulls!!!

Perhaps the most brilliant aggressive styled of them all. And rightly so , it none other than the Italian bred Lamborghini.

•    Founded by manufacturing magnate ‘Ferruccio Lamborghini’ in   1963
•    Created ‘Automobili Lamborghini’, popular as a maker of high-end sports cars.
•    Cars were noted for their refinement, power and comfort.
•    Flag ship engine - V-12
•    Company Logo – Fighting Bull

Very simply put that was the beginning of Lamborghini as we know it, but there is a whole other story as to how Lamborghini’s got its character and heritage from. And here’s how.





Ferruccio Lamborghini who born from a wine farming family went into business by starting to build tractors out of left over military parts during the post World War II Era. In no time Lamborghini’s tractor company became very successful of course giving him enough wealth to pursue his own interests. His love of fast cars made him to buy the best touring car existent at the time, A Ferrari 250 GT. This is the point where his interests catapulted into building his own car. Having the resources he wanted to build a car that was faster and more comfortable than a Ferrari.

  

The Result powered by a V-12 Engine, The 1964 Lamborghini 350GT.

A very capable 270 bhp powered engine that could reach 254 kmph (158 mph) in top form. The suspension was fully independent, with unequal-length wishbones and concentric coil-spring-damper units. The rear suspension wishbones were offset towards the spring mountings to resist driving and braking torque, which provided superior handling.


0 to 62.1 mph (100 kmph): in 6.8 seconds
0 to 100 mph (161 kmph): in 16.3 seconds


 This very first car ensured that Lamborghini would have the V-12’s as their Flagship Motor, however this cannot be told as the beginning of True Lamborghini’s.



In 1962, Ferruccio Lamborghini visited the Seville ranch of Don Eduardo Miura, a renowned breeder of Spanish fighting bulls. Lamborghini, a Taurus himself, was so impressed by the majestic Miura animals that he decided to adopt a raging bull as the emblem for the auto company he would soon found.

1966 Lamborghini Miura

The result named after the family of bull breeders was the 1966 Lamborghini Miura, when it first came out it was the fastest production car at the time.

Engine: 3.9 Litre V12 giving out 360 hp,
Transmission: 5-speed-manual & rear wheel drive
Top Speed:  276 km/h (171 mph)
0 to 62.1 mph (100 kmph): in 6.7 seconds


After building & naming the first 2 cars alphanumerically this was when Lamborghini’s actual character was imprinted onto the car by using Fighting Bull related naming and character. Here was the true start of Lamborghini and hasn’t changed since. Or has it???

Over the next 40 – 50 Years Lamborghini took its time to build and put out just 3 more of its V-12 Flagship cars, taking quite a bit of time to build each and rightfully so, because each car is unique, stunning & aggressive in its own way. Brief descriptions of the next 3 cars are as given below:

Succeeding the Miura was the 1974 Lamborghini Countach.

Name: “Countach” is an exclamation of astonishment and surprise in the local language. The name stuck when the designer Nuccio Bertone exclaimed in surprise the first time he saw the car. Most lambo’s before and after this car had names in relation to bull fighting.

Engine: 5.0 Litre, Mid Engined V-12, 375BHP
Transmission: 5 Speed manual
Top Speed: 309 kmph
0 to 62.1 mph (100 kmph): in 5.4 seconds

Successor to the Countach the 1990 Lamborghini Diablo

Which was also held the title as the fastest production car when it first came out.

Name:  Diablo, for the Duke of Veragua's ferocious bull famous for fighting an epic battle against "El Chicorro" in Madrid in 1869
Engine: 5.7 L, 48-valve V- 12, 492 BHP, Rear wheel Driven, Mid Engined
Transmission:  Speed manual
Top Speed: 202 mph (325 kmph)
0 to 62.1 mph (100 kmph): in 4.5 seconds

 Note: the countach and the diablo might look similar in teh pictures but in actual life the Diablo is way more wider, hence the scissor style door to deal with having to open doors in small garages.
 
Succesor to Diablo- The 2001 Lamborghini Murciélago

This was the brands first model under its new owner ship of Audi Subsidiary whose parent company is the Volkswagen group making it German…… so to speak.

Name:  Murciélago was named for a fighting bull that survived 28 sword strokes in an 1879 fight against Rafael "El Lagartijo" Molina Sanchez, at the Coso de los califas bullring in Córdoba, Spain.

Engine: 6.2 L V12,  580 BHp
Transmission: 6 Speed manual & 6 Speed – Semi Automatic
Top Speed: 205mph (330 kmph)
0 to 62.1 mph (100 kmph):  in  3.8 seconds





The Turning point. I said previously that Lamborghini has’nt changed since its start back in 1966 yeah. Well after about 50 years of no change at all they decided to do a very controversial change. The changes is a thus:

The Lamborghini boss describes it as such. Earlier Lamborghini’s had a 3 step priorty list when building a car. They were as below.

Priority 1: Top Speed
Priority 2: Acceleration
Priority 3: Handling

In February 2011, they did the complete opposite of the above with the new stunning

Lamborghini V-12 Aventador. 

For this car it was,


Priority 1: Handling
Priority 2: Acceleration
Priority 3: Top Speed

Also this car consists of the second v-12 created by Lamborghini. That’s right all of the previous models onmly had size increase from the orginal found in the Miura. But this has an all newly designed V-12. The design is so beautifully lined it portrays the image of an aggressive bull waiting to charge at you. Just Amazing !!!.. Just sit back and Take a good Look at it.

The specification for this “upside down” car is as follows

Name: The bull that bore the number 32 took part in a notably spirited, bloody and violent battle with a torero in the town of Zaragoza, Spain that earned him the “Trofeo de la Peña La Madroñera" in 1993

Engine: 6.5 Litre V-12 691 bhp, mid Engined, all Wheel Drive
Transmission: 7 speed single Clutch Flappy paddle gearbox.
Top Speed:  217 mph (349 kmph) :O
Suspension:  Push rod Suspension
0 to 62.1 mph (100 kmph): in 2.9 Seconds

:O WHAAAAATTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!... They set top speed as their  lowest priority and gave it a top speed of 350 kmph. I Mean WHAATTTTTT!!!!!!!... How Mad can that be.. :O . first time I saw it I just sat here open mouthed. :O and as I write this I still am :O





Although you look at things a little more closely if they gave it a top speed like that setting top speed least priority what does it say about what they set for first priority…. HANDLING??
 





Apparently it is actually brilliant. Richard Hammond of top gear describes “you can throw it into a corner and actually come out round the bend” the reason being the Push Rod Suspension. Its F1 level technology not found in road cars and also thanks to its special electronic 4 wheel drive system which gives its gargantuan traction.

See below video from top gear:

So a car giving brilliant handling, a momentous acceleration of 2.9 seconds to 100 kmph and a top speed of 350 kmph. Some will say that Lamborghini has lost its killer touch, the Thrill of driving an uncontrollable car that wants to kill you.

True Fact ……..<matter of fact tone>

But Nah…. I think I like this one just the way it is!! :D

Welcome to 2012!!!!!