More than ten years ago McLaren raced into the history books with the fastest production car ever built, the F1. They only built 106 of the hyper cars in a bid to maintain exclusivity but Chairman Ron Dennis has made an interesting announcement “Since 1966, when McLaren first raced in F1, 106 teams have come and gone – and that tells me that if we stay solely as an F1 team it will lead to extinction.” Their latest creation, the MP4-12C is an attempt to dodge the fate that has befallen many of their racing rivals.

McLaren plan to produce over 1000 of the cars in the each year, the same number as many of the companies it will be competing with. It is estimated to cost around 150,000 which is standard supercar money and there have been 1,600 pre-orders already.

The 12C is due for release in 2011 even though the plant it will be produced in is yet to be constructed, when it is it will create 300 new jobs. The car was unveiled at a press conference in McLaren’s space age headquarters in Woking, test drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button pulled back the sheets to uncover it to the press.

McLaren’s Managing Director Antony Sheriff stated “The 12C won’t take you to the edge of what’s possible; It will take you to the edge of the edge. It’s what we call an ‘and’ car. It’s powerful and efficient; lightweight and safe; fast and comfortable.” They have designed the car around their own engine and a unique concept carbon monocell structure making it super light and super strong. McLaren claim it will be capable of reaching 60mph in “under three seconds”.

The 12C is not being questioned as a supercar; instead the bigger question is whether the McLaren brand will be affected by the loss of their exclusivity? Will every millionaire want one if they know the wont own the only one on the roads? It’s a question that only time will answer but one that could determine the future of this Formula racing giant.

The speed the MP4-12C is capable might persuade McLaren to provide a driving offence solicitor with each car. Their previous F1 required almost every owner to enlist a speeding solicitor at some stage