Today’s Nice Price or No Dice McLaren might have a convoluted name, but its history and performance bona fides are reassuringly straightforward. Let’s see if its price tag is equally so.
According to the authorities on such matters at Britain’s Tate Galleries, the art medium of the mobile—dynamically moving interconnected elements balanced in the air—was first championed by the artist Alexander Calder. The 1985 Nissan Maxima wagon we looked at yesterday was presented as another form of mobile artwork. That’s because it had been painted in an artistic fashion, and it could, well, move around. While it had artistic merit, its $4,500 price tag proved less of a success. The art critics among you panned both project and price, brushing off the Maxima with a 90 percent No Dice loss.
Like yesterday’s Nissan, the paint on today’s 2012 McLaren MP4-12C is an important aspect of its sale. In the case of the McLaren, though, its bold hue of “Volcano Orange” should prove more universally appealing, potentially only unloved by the most introverted of sorts.
The car underneath that is no slouch aesthetically either. Designed by Frank Stephenson, the 12C was McLaren’s familial follow-up to the vaunted and iconic F1 hypercar of the ’90s. Unlike the F1, which used a BMW V12 for power, the 12C employs a McLaren-designed twin-turbo 3.8-liter V8. At 592 horsepower, that has slightly less poop than the F1’s 6-liter V12, but then the 12C was intended from the start to be a more livable road car than its racing-oriented predecessor. As such, the 12C is a little easier to use on the day-to-day, featuring a traditional two-place side-by-side cabin instead of the earlier car’s unique three-seat arrangement that puts the driver square in the middle.
One thing both cars have in common is the mode of egress to the cabin, which is through a pair of butterfly doors. Uniquely, the F1 has its door buttons on the fender behind the opening, while on the 12C, proximity sensors on the underside of the sculpted air intake operate electric latches in the doors. Then there’s the use of a carbon fiber tub as the primary element of each car’s monocoque chassis, the F1 having pioneered that practice. The suspension on either end of that is radically different on each, with the F1 employing traditional springs and shocks and the 12C going with an interconnected hydraulic system called the “ProActive Chassis Control.”
Another major difference between the cars is the naming convention. The earlier F1 has a simple name that is easily recognizable as a reference to the Formula One racing series where McLaren has played for years. The MP4-12C, on the other hand, references the Formula One Racing CARS that McLaren has fielded since the ’80s, with MP4 being the internal code for such racers. The 12C part of the name references another internal code defining the car’s performance goals and the fact that it is a coupe.
According to the ad, this 12C “boasts 21,800 miles, a garage-stored history, and an MSRP of $293,175.” That works out to about 1,800 miles a year, and those would have been very quick miles since the ad also notes that the engine has been given a Stage 2 tune from DME tuning and a set of fatter Kooks Exotics downpipes. The upgrades are claimed to bring the engine up to 760 horsepower and 690 lb-ft of torque. In the immortal words of Homer Simpson, “Hee-hee, ho-ho, hoo-hoo, oh my.” To keep things in line, the McLaren is fitted with massive carbon ceramic rotors and an eight-speed Graziano auto/manual gearbox for Goldilocks-like gear selection.
Aesthetically, the car appears to be without flaw. The Volcano Orange paint is as handsome as it is bold and pairs well with the black factory alloys. Those wear white label Michelin tires, but the seller assures prospective buyers that the car will also come with a set of Pirelli winter meats. No issues are apparent in the cabin either, which has been fitted with extra carbon fiber trim and has the quaintly small center display that McLaren thought was the new hotness back when the car was introduced.
Other plusses include an integrated radar detector and laser jammer (seriously?), and a factory car cover. The title is clean and the seller promises that there are no mechanical issues, with the car having been dealer serviced over the course of its life. The asking price is $115,000.
That’s getting close to being a third of what this car cost new, and a two-thirds depreciation seems a heavy weight for the car to bear. More importantly, will it continue its downward spiral thus screwing over any investment?
What do you think? Does this 12C feel like a good idea for someone who can afford that $115,000 price? Or is that just too much money for this McLaren?
You decide!
Northern New Jersey Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at remslie@kinja.com and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.