Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
OH baby, the mighty McLaren sports car is racing ahead into the hearts of motorists lowoking for a mean machine like no other with more than BD1 million worth of wheels set to roll out of the showroom in Bahrain next year.
McLaren Automotive's debut 'high-end, high-performance' two-seater MP4-12C was unveiled for the first time in the Middle East this week at a ceremony at the Royal Golf Club in Riffa Views.
With a price tag of around BD92,000, Ghassan Abdulrahman Al Sulaiman, president and CEO of Al Ghassan Motors, said: "I believe we will sell a minimum of 15 cars here in Bahrain - there is immense energy and goodwill surrounding this vehicle."
So much so that on the start of the whistle-stop regional tour two enthusiasts immediately arranged to place BD20,000 deposits during Sunday night's invitation-only launch event to ensure they will be among the first to secure a ride.
McLaren Automotive's managing director, Antony Sheriff, flew to Bahrain from London especially for the event and enthused about driving the car during testing, saying: "Whenever I drive it I have the most enormous smile on my face - it's truly outstanding. It is technically the best by a stretch."
And the MP4-12C is not the only arrival he is celebrating ... for his wife Danielle has just given birth to beautiful twin daughters, Alessandra and Francesca. "I think I had a big smile when they arrived too ... or was it a look of terror?" he joked.
Had they been boys, who knows, there might have been another Lewis and Jenson in the McLaren camp ... as the F1 drivers and former world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button featured prominently in a promotional video shown to guests proclaiming the car's prowess.
Company executives have already been thrilled and overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of sports car buyers and members of the Mumtalakat Holding Company, the kingdom's investment arm, will be beaming from ear-to-ear too if demand for the car continues at such a pace. It has a 42 per cent stake in McLaren Group as well as a 50 per cent stake in McLaren Automotive, and the kingdom is considered a 'home from home' by the company based in Woking, in the English county of Surrey.
McLaren Automotive has already established its regional head office in Bahrain and Ian Gorsuch, McLaren Automotive's regional director Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, has just arrived back from showing off the car in Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa where it also received a rapturous reception with some guests even arriving with bags load of cash to secure their vehicles!
With an initial annual production run of up to 1,000 MP4-12C in 2011, despite a world recession McLaren could face a two-year full order book in some markets, industry annalists' predict, although the company says it will be as flexible as possible to meet demand.
Insiders believe another 25 cars will be snapped up in neighbouring Saudia Arabia as part of a demand for 150 cars across the Gulf region - 15 per cent of all the cars manufactured.
Bahrain International Circuit's CEO Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa sat behind the wheel of the vehicle at the launch and was full of admiration, saying: "This is a beautiful car and a great day for Bahrain. It's a precious moment because we have the first car in partnership with a great company which boasts an amazing Formula One pedigree. In my opinion it's a winner all the way."
The innovative 12C marks the beginning of a new era in core-segment sports cars. The mid-engine model features revolutionary motor manufacturing concepts. It is the first time a car has featured a one-piece, carbon-fibre structure; a strong and lightweight engineering solution that comes straight from the world of motorsport.
The 12C introduces new standards not just in handling, ride and outright performance, but also safety, economy and practicality in an already competitive sector. The 12C is equipped with a bespoke McLaren 3.8-litre, V8 twin-turbo engine producing around 600 bhp, and driven through a unique McLaren seven-speed, Seamless Shift, dual-clutch gearbox (SSG). Yet when it comes to CO2 emissions per horsepower, the MP4-12C is even more efficient than a hybrid car.
