The head of the McLaren MP4-12C's development team has described the firm’s upcoming supercar as the most “stable high-speed car” he has ever driven.
A team of around 25 engineers and technicians, led by Mark Vinnels, are currently testing several Experimental Prototype (XP) MP4s around the world as development enters its final stages.
Vinnels said the MP4 was meeting all the objective and subjective targets the team had set the car and was performing well next to its rivals.
“These XP Beta cars are already achieving outstanding results in many of the subjective areas, which includes ride quality, handling and many other aspects of dynamic performance,” he said.
“The benchmark competitor vehicles we have tested become nervous and twitchy at higher speed, but the 12C feels more stable than anything I have driven. Because the bump rejection is so good, the ride is smooth and the steering is solid.”
The most recent additions to the latest MP4 prototypes include a revised iteration of the M838T twin-turbo engine, transmission featuring new gear ratios, a more efficient cooling package, new suspension geometry and upgraded electrical architecture.
McLaren hopes to announce early indicative performance figures for the MP4 next month.
“Between now and production the vehicles and the team are working flat out,” said Vinnels. “All this is geared towards not just achieving our unprecedented levels of performance but also guaranteeing the levels of quality, reliability and durability with which we expect to delight future McLaren customers.”
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