#mp4-12c

Mclaren MP4-12C

McLaren re-entered the supercar game in 2011 with the MP4-12C.  They set up a small initial network of about five dealers in the United States, and I was lucky enough to have one of the chosen dealers be less than 10 minutes from where I grew up.  Once the MP4-12C established itself as a legitimate competitor to Ferrari and Lamborghini, customers began desiring more customization for their cars, which lead to more public exposure for McLaren Special Operations, or MSO.  Today, MSO cranks out special projects like the Sabre or highly bespoke examples of top end McLarens, but back in 2012, they were just getting started. This was the first mainstream example of what they could do for an “average” customer - Project Alpha.  The McLaren dealer in Chicago ordered just 6 of these bespoke cars, sprinkled with just about every visual upgrade in the MSO book, along with mechanical upgrades in the form of 24 extra horsepower, revised shift and throttle mapping, and a retuned exhaust system.  The most obvious feature on these cars are the vents on the front fenders, with some painted to match the car, and others opting for black accented louvers.  This package amounted to a $52,059 option on top of the base price of the car, bringing total prices to around $335,000 for each of the six cars.  This white example was spotted at Lake Forest Sports Cars in 2012.

Starring: Mclaren MP4-12C