McLaren holds weather test in Bahrain 

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) McLaren Automotive has confirmed that its new high-performance car is set to excel on the region's roads. The MP4-12C, the first model in McLaren s new range of sports cars, will go on sale across the region in 2011.

Development of the groundbreaking MP4-12C has entered a critical phase ahead of its launch in 2011. The bespoke, high-performance sports car is undergoing intensive appraisal at a number of test locations around the world, varying from Germany's Nurburgring Nordschleife to Applus IDIADA in Spain and the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).

Last summer McLaren Automotive engineers conducted a series of tests on a 12C prototype in Bahrain, during which the car was subjected to extreme hot weather testing in the hot and humid, sand-soaked air of the Middle-East. Testing was conducted on the country s desert roads as well as at the BIC, home to the Bahrain Grand Prix.

During the eight days they were on the ground in Bahrain, the nine-man team exposed the 12C to extreme heat testing to specifically monitor engine performance and the operation of the air conditioning system. Andy Beale, McLaren Automotive s Vehicle Development Engineer, said:  It was essential for us to come to Bahrain and test the car s performance in this region. The GCC is a key market for us so we needed to gain an accurate idea as to how the car will perform under the conditions in the region. 

According to Beale, the results surpassed the team s expectations.  Our aim was to make sure the MP4-12C would perform exceptionally in the Gulf: that the air conditioning was optimally tuned to beat the heat, and that the engine could cope with the sand and heat of the region. We were delighted about its performance on all counts. 

Now, prototype testing has moved on to XP Beta phase, which takes the 12C nearer to production. These test cars feature significant technological developments, including a revised iteration of the M838T twin-turbo engine, transmission featuring revised gear ratios, new suspension geometry and updated electrical architecture.

McLaren Automotive has captured on camera some of the XP Beta testing that was conducted in Spain s Applus IDIADA facility, the most comprehensive independent proving ground in Europe. The result is the second in the  Inside McLaren Automotive  series of short films, which gives viewers a unique insight into a performance car-testing programme from the perspective of the development team responsible for the MP4-12C.

Combined with cutting-edge simulation programmes, Formula 1 techniques, personnel and processes, and thousands of miles of real-world, on-road driving, the tight-knit testing team took giant strides throughout 2009 in the 12C s development. The result is  pure McLaren : a revolutionary high-performance sports car that features unique engineering solutions to deliver new standards in comfort, driving dynamics, economy and performance in the  core  sports car market.

Dick Glover, Technical Director at McLaren Automotive is responsible for the 50-strong testing and development team and the eight developmental (XP) cars that featured in the 2009 programme.  I am really proud of what the team has achieved,  he said.

Having to develop a brand new range of cars from scratch to the standards expected of McLaren, featuring ground-breaking new structures and powertrain, is the ultimate challenge and one we are relishing. Sure, we have challenges that is why we go to places like Bahrain, and Spain where we can push the cars to their limits and beyond but now we know just what the 12C is capable of, we are able to push on into 2010 and deliver cars of which McLaren will be rightly proud.