McLaren has revealed this week a track-only concept of the MP4-12C. The vehicle was developed by McLaren GT and is based on the 12C GT3 racecar. Wearing an orange hue which is a throwback to the cars driven by Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme in the 1960s and 1970s, the 12C Can-Am Edition has been fitted with a wide body aerodynamic kit that includes a carbon fiber front splitter, rear diffuser, dive planes and rear wing. Thanks to these changes, the downforce has increased by 30% in comparison to the standard version of the car. Since the concept wasn’t designed to meet the usual racing regulations, the engineers at McLaren have made further modifications.
One such change has to do with the V8 twin-turbo 3.8-liter engine that is now able to produce no less than 630 hp. They’ve managed to increase its power by recalibrating the ECU and further optimizing the cooling system. McLaren says that this 12C Can-Am Edition tips the scales at only 2,645 lbs (1,200 kg) so it should be pretty fast given the healthy power boost. Other changes worth mentioning include the black satin-finished forged alloys, Pirelli racing slick tires and a race-spec braking system as well.
The list of changes doesn’t end here as the interior cabin has been completely stripped down, except for the air conditioning system which has started to be a mandatory feature among some racing series. The cabin features a full roll cage, two body-hugging seats with six-point harnesses, along with a redesigned removable steering wheel that has a shape inspired from Hamilton’s MP4-24 F1 car.
