CAUTION, THE BLONDE IS DRIVING! MCLAREN - 625 THOROUGHBREDS

Text: Ksenia Nyudikova

If you have ever ridden a thoroughbred sleek stallion who has been resting in the stall for a week, then I’ll understand what I mean. Powerful, strong, graceful - these are the very epithets that come to mind when you control a thoroughbred handsome. Now imagine that under your saddle you have such handsome men of six hundred and twenty-five ...

Upon learning that I was going to test drive McLaren, my friends (their male part), to put it mildly, envied. After the enthusiastic cheers of experts, I realized that even just sitting in the saloon of a supercar and holding on to its steering wheel is already cool. And I got the opportunity to walk McLaren along the Dubai tracks - luck in the square!

From my personal experience in driving cars, I can only boast of my favorite “bug” Mini Cooper and Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, which is already a little closer to the topic, since Mercedes and McLaren were partners and had wonderful joint projects in the flesh until 2008.

My personal speed record at that time was 190 km / h - when the arrow reached this point, my heart was beating like a rabbit. Guys, of course, giggle, but the female part, I hope, will appreciate.

Acquaintance

Our group, composed mainly of journalists writing for auto publications, was assembled in the lobby of the Al Qasr Hotel and taken to McLaren's "Holy of Holies", a service center located outside the city. A clean, bright hangar, more like a space laboratory stuffed with computers.

The presentation hall of the new project was spinning on the big screen in the bright reception hall, with transparent walls and comfortable sofas that could have a rest. Crystal trophies modestly flaunted on a rack along the wall: as it turned out later, McLaren won the 2012 Middle East Motor Awards. Behind the glass wall on the red carpet, five beauties lined up attracting the eyes of visitors.

Journalists were warmly welcomed by the managing director of McLaren in the Middle East, Mark Harrison. Mark talked about the plans of the company and the work being done on a new model, which will please speed lovers already in 2014. This will be a limited edition, not more than 500 cars. If the initial cost of the 2012 model is from one million dirhams, then the 2014 model will also cost about a million, but not in local currency, but in American dollars (depending on configuration). It was news to me that the client, it turns out, can be directly involved in the creation of his car, choosing the color, the materials used in the creation of the interior, anything, including technical "bells and whistles"! As they say, any whim for your money.

As a professional designer, I asked what color is especially popular with customers. It turned out that in the first place in popularity in the world - black, after it - burgundy red, then orange and yellow. The assembly process of the supercar is carried out mainly by hand. In the Dubai service center, absolutely any spare parts are available, so the client will never have to wait for the ordered part, everything will be done as soon as possible. The service team undergoes mandatory special training. All service centers are networked online and when the car is brought for inspection, the results of computer diagnostics go directly to the flagship office of McLaren Technology Center (MTC), based in the UK, where experts conduct an analysis based on which the final verdict is drawn.

After the theory, we were introduced to the route - the next destination was the Al Hatta Fort country hotel! Don’t feed me bread, but let me steer, so I was certainly delighted with the long road.

Access to the "body"

Until the last minute I could not believe that now I finally “saddle” this “Pegasus” with spread wings and set off on my first McLaren trip. Yes, it is with wings, because the doors of this car open just like a flap up!

All the anxieties disappeared somewhere when I found myself in the cabin. Feeling of complete security, as if it were your own carapace, perfectly repeating the structure of the body. As Mark Harrison later told me when designing the car’s design, they didn’t start from the exterior, but from the interior, namely from the chair! The man sat down, and everything else was “built up” under him, and not vice versa, when the driver was “pushed” into the existing model.

The stylish dashboard was pleasing to the eye, but the gear lever, or rather its absence, made me a little confused. Buttons P, N, D, as they say, click on the button - you get the result. And he did not slow to wait! Rrrryk, swept through the hangar, was comparable only with the deep vibration produced by a huge speaker at some rock concert, if you get too close to it.

“Subjects” we got two types: MP4-12C Spider and 12C Coupe. I had Spider, a new brainchild with a retractable hardtop. When there is an intention to "trump", the roof can be opened or closed in just 17 seconds, provided that the speed is not more than 30 km / h.

No doubt, regardless of whether his roof opens or not, this car "blows the roof" with its appearance!

To be my partner, a handsome young man by the name of Tej Sambi courageously volunteered to come to Dubai from the parent British center for several days. I think that not every man is ready to entrust the management of a sports car to a blonde, moreover, he had to answer my many questions from the series "why this button?" ...

Dressage

The hangar doors swung open, the light from the street flooded the exit, the start time, let's go! Before starting the trip, everyone was given a notebook with some arrows, sticks, circles and numbers, enclosed in a table. I understood that this had something to do with our route, but perhaps not all men can read the map “from the sheet”, like notes, perhaps.

My partner, in the full sense of the word, turned out to be not only a good company, but also a professional assistant (like real racers), who solved these puzzles with ease. The built-in navigation system in McLaren, of course, is present, but, unfortunately, the location of the radars in it is not indicated, but everything was taken into account in the notebook! Therefore, when Taj spoke the magic word “clean”, I “let go of the reins” to 160-180 km / h, it was not difficult, considering the 3.8-liter engine with two turbines (Twin Turbo), 8 cylinders (V8). Transmission to the rear wheels of the car through a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which provides lightning-fast switching, including through the “button-petals” located on the steering wheel.

Due to the use of high-strength aluminum in the body structure (2 frames - one front and one back) and now fashionable carbon fiber, the car can be pulled from a standstill to 100 km / h in 3.1 seconds! This is unbelievable! Although ... my "stallion" is a little slower than the opponent: the maximum speed of acceleration of Spider is 4 km / h lower than the standard version 329 km / h MP4-12C Coupe.

The car is very stable on the road, Spider weighs 1,474 kg, which is 40 kg heavier than its predecessor. A special ProActive suspension with three control modes: Normal (normal mode), Sport (sports mode) and Track (racing mode), gives good maneuverability in cornering.

The wide windshield provides a good overview, the mirrors reflect the full picture of what is happening on the sides and back. The rear-view mirror, manual control, I personally like more than the automatic. But the seats in the McLaren 12C Spider, on the contrary, are "on the buttons."

Due to the fact that the McLaren motor is located at the rear, the cabin is quite quiet, but if you want to enjoy its sound without opening the top, the Spider has a third rear window - lower and enjoy the “voice”. In 12C Coupe, such a function is not provided.

The finest hour!

So, with short “dashes” between the speed guards, we passed the main part of the road. Small villages flickered outside the windows, local children ran out to the road and, as if enchanted, escorted our escort with open mouths. The city territory has ended, and with it the radars densely planted along the road ceased to come across. From the residential sector, we left on a completely straight track, almost empty! 16.16 - clean!

My foot automatically pressed the pedal to the floor. It happened so naturally that I did not even have time to get scared when I saw the 210 mark on the speedometer! I did not want to slow down at all, the leg, as if under hypnosis, “insolently” continued its immersion. Adrenaline just went through the roof - 220, 230, 240, 260! My new speed record! The navigator brought me to my senses, joyfully reporting that the radar was already close. It seemed to me even for a second that he was really sincerely glad for the appearance of limiters. It was cool!

Having enjoyed plenty of speed on a direct track, I was wondering what Spider is capable of in bends. Then I suddenly felt that a rider could wake up in each of us. As if ordered, the road began to curl up and bend like a forest path. We drove to the Hatta! Driving at high speed was already more difficult, since the road was small - only 2 lanes, one of which was oncoming, but this was enough to experience the other “buttons”. I tried all 3 modes - Normal, Sport and Track, and there are different switches on the front and rear drive - you can turn the front wheels on to "sport" and leave the rear wheels in normal mode, the combinations are more than enough ... There are also 4 modes for the European market - Winter (winter), but, as you yourself understand, in the UAE it is useless to us

About the brakes. The brakes are good, athletic. I felt this when I had to drastically slow down, approaching the radars. The metal brake discs with forged aluminum center are responsible for the braking speed. "Shod" Spider in Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires and is equipped with an active rear wing. Based on the situation, the active wing automatically adjusts the slope, increasing or decreasing downforce during turns at high speed. Currently, this technology is prohibited in Formula 1 races, as it gives its owner a clear advantage.

Honestly, on the way back to Dubai, one radar, nevertheless, gave us a bright flash while Taj and I were enjoying the sunset amid the amazing beauty of the sand dunes. I was not a bit upset - to have a photo where I, at full speed, rush in a luxury car, I think, not bad! I would not refuse such a picture in order to brighten up the sadness of paying a fine. It is worth mentioning the “speed bumps" - before such an obstacle, the speed had to be reduced to almost 10 km / h, since the distance from the floor to the bottom (by eye) was no more than 10-15 cm (?), Which, of course, is not very convenient . Still, McLaren was born to fly, not "crawl".

Another, last on my list, but far from the last in importance "button", about which it is necessary to tell. Located on the steering wheel, which, by the way, is easily fixed in a comfortable position, it is called the “steering column paddle”: a very romantic name, I think. So this "petal" gives lightning acceleration, a jump in speed! Like in a movie about a jump in time! Torpedo! Bullet!

So, "playing" with speed, I wondered about security. I asked Mark Harrison what it was like to see a car worth a million, assembled almost by hand, on crash-test trials. To which Mark only smiled and said that people's lives are priceless, and McLaren does everything necessary for the safety of the driver and passenger. Moreover, more than one instance is being destroyed - a test for a head-on collision, a shock test on the left, right, etc. Have you already figured it out?

The very first and main element of driver and passenger protection in the McLaren MP4-12C Spider is a special body structure with a 25% increase in stiffness, as well as an all-aluminum chassis, the combination of which promises to absorb collision (deformation) energy and reduce the severity of the consequences, this principle is also borrowed from motorsport. In addition, the Spider has “humps” behind the seats of the driver and passenger, they are hidden firing safety arches that will keep the head and neck in the event of a rollover.

Mark also added that a huge part of the proceeds from sales is invested back into production, since only in this way you can grow above yourself and not stop there, and McLaren has plans to conquer many peaks.

Having had lunch, we moved back to Dubai. The way back was calm, promenade - I just wanted to enjoy driving a good car with good music, without rushing anywhere. The audio system, by the way, is chic: it automatically adjusts the volume of the sound output, depending on whether the roof is lowered or not. The climate control system also automatically adjusts to the position of the removable roof. Oddly enough, I did not feel any fatigue from the trip, rather, on the contrary, I received a huge charge of vivacity and drive for a month in advance. And another incentive to achieve new records! Let it be 300 km / h or 320? And what a beautiful figure ...

Technical specifications McLaren MP4-12C Spider