McLaren unveils MP4-12C GT3 racer

While McLaren might be a household name with regards to the Formula 1 World Championship these days, it certainly has been a while since their road car division has done some hubbub in the racing world. The last time McLaren made a road car, it was the 1990s and the car was none other than the fastest road-going car ever made till then (and for quite a few years after that) – the McLaren F1. While the original intention of Gordon Murray, the F1’s legendary designer wasn’t to make the car go racing, that’s exactly what it ended up doing in the form of the F1 GTR, which competed in many GT racing series and even won at Le Mans in the mid-90s.

So when McLaren introduced their latest (and second) road car, the MP4-12C last year (almost two decades after the illustrious F1), word of the company going back to touring car racing began to go around. And with the announcement of the MP4-12C GT3, McLaren has made its intentions clear.
After months of virtual testing in the McLaren Simulator at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, real-world testing of this new GT3 racer began in second week of March this year at the Silverstone racing circuit in the UK. McLaren GT, a new company that brings together the expertise of the McLaren Group and CRS Racing and will be tasked with building the GT3, has also announced that 26-year-old Portuguese racing driver Álvaro Parente will be its new test driver.

Just like the road going version of the MP4-12C, the GT3 is based on the McLaren carbon MonoCell chassis, which weighs just 75kg, but features race specification composite body panels and a fixed rear wing at the back. Apart from the large rear spoiler, the GT3 features an aerodynamics package developed by McLaren Racing in compliance with GT3 regulations, incorporating a new front splitter, door blade, rear wing, diffuser and louvres in the front fenders. Nestled behind the driver is the same potent 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 as in the production car but it has been specially tuned to race specification, and it sends power to the rear wheels through a new Ricardo racing gearbox, unlike the road car’s twin-clutch unit.

Other changes from the road going version include a new race-developed braking system from Akebono which is hooked up to a Bosch Motorsport ABS. Due to racing regulations, the MP4-12C’s ProActive Chassis Control System has been ditched in favour of race specific roll bars and dampers. McLaren GT Project Manager Andrew Kirkaldy commented, “We have an extensive list of subjective and objective development targets set for the MP4-12C GT3.  In the first tests, the car is achieving excellent results in many areas including handling, powertrain and other aspects of dynamic performance”.

With the benefit of having technology suppliers and experienced technical personnel from Formula 1 work on the MP4-12C GT3, it’s quite reasonable to assume that this new car will be quite a potent force in touring car racing. The first GT3s will hit the race tracks in competition mode at the start of the 2012 touring car season. Till then, we can just drool over this beautiful racing machine.