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The mighty McLaren MP4-12C – considered by motoring enthusiasts to be ‘the national car of Bahrain’ – has arrived in the kingdom.
The sports car was this week being test driven around the island by potential purchasers eager to join the waiting list of customers anxious to own one of the BD100,000 sensations.
Mumtalakat Holding Company, the kingdom’s investment arm, has a 42 per cent stake in McLaren Group as well as a 50 per cent stake in McLaren Automotive, and the island is considered a ‘home from home’ by the company based in Woking, in the English county of Surrey.
Its official dealers in Bahrain, Al Ghassan Motors is in the process of building a state-of-the-art McLaren showroom alongside the upmarket Moda Mall , close to Abd El Wahab Lebanese Restaurant, which will open its doors later this year, boasting a genuine McLaren F1 car on display as part of its attraction.
There are currently eight customers awaiting delivery shortly and only one on the road in the kingdom belonging to a member of the royal family.
On Sunday GulfWeekly Editor Stan Szecowka became the first English language newspaper journalist in Bahrain to put the McLaren MP4-12C through its paces on the island’s roads.
His reaction after driving from Bahrain Financial Harbour to the Bahrain Sailing Club was simple: “This is the smoothest car in the world.”
They said the experience would be ‘pure McLaren’. The men from Al Ghassan Motors, namely brand manager Ahmed Ali and regional manager Auf ‘call me Auf’ Abdulrahman Mokhlif Al Delaimi, were not joking.
But they were smiling broadly when I met up with them at the Capital Club for a pre-road test briefing. It’s nice to see men happy at work, and these two have every reason to be delighted.
Mr Ali said: “The drivers who had tested it, love it. The feel behind the wheel is like no other.”
And his colleague, Auf, added: “The region needs it, the market needs it and definitely Bahrain needs it.
“What makes the launch of this car so exciting here is that it is considered to be the national car of Bahrain thanks to the connection with McLaren. There is a huge, positive buzz locally – it’s just the boost the kingdom needs in the current climate.”
The McLaren MP4-12C certainly ‘looks the business’. There were two parked outside the entrance of one of the financial harbour’s twin towers and each attracted envious glances from passing motorists, bank workers, security staff and visitors. Without doubt this car boasts the ‘wow factor’.
And it gets even better.
To open the unique butterfly-wing or angel-style doors you simply caress the ridge where you think there would be a door handle.
Up it springs. Szecowka still has the touch. I may be fat and fifty-ish but I still remember the technique for slipping into a sports car … legs together, butt down and swing your way in.
When you slip into the driver’s seat it’s like flopping into your favourite armchair. This is truly unbelievable. In the past, I’ve accepted the pain of getting into a sports car as the price to pay for the experience. Not so with the McLaren MP4-12C.
Antony Sheriff, managing director, McLaren Automotive, had earlier stated that the 12C would be the first genuine ‘no compromise’ sports car. His words at the time were: “For too long sports cars have asked you to sacrifice comfort, ergonomics or efficiency in return for performance, handling or looks. Why should that be?
“The 12C would be the first sports car to be lightweight and strong, powerful and efficient, having incisive handling and be comfortable.”
McLaren has kept to its promises.
At the heart of the car’s driveability is the active dynamics panel which gives the driver three-stage control over the 12C’s chassis, transmission, stability control and engine note, letting you radically alter its character.
I set off in normal mode and joined the highway. This is the smoothest car in the world; it was like handling a luxury saloon but so much lighter, the car glided into the outside lane with the merest of touches.
It has unbelievable road presence too. Cars simply pulled aside as I closed in on them, no need to flash the lights or beep the horn, even the 20-year-old Toyota with the woman driver on her mobile phone playing with her baby on the passenger seat pulled aside without a second thought.
With a clear road ahead I pressed the sport mode button and relished the throaty roar of the engine as my foot caressed the accelerator pedal and we flew off, within the speed limit, of course, towards the Bahrain International Circuit.
There is also a track mode but I wasn’t brave enough to try it. The last thing I wanted was to become known as the first journalist in Bahrain to write-off the nation’s prized motor.
I almost forgot to mention the car’s touch screen navigation and entertainment system although I was enjoying the driving experience too much to be put off by Radio Bahrain, the easy to use temperature controls, the plush leather interior, the single sleek windscreen wiper and the stylish light design in the front which cleverly mirrors the McLaren logo.
The light feel of the car is a result of its radical new carbon fibre Monocell which is the structural heart of the 12C yet weighs just 75kg. It is also astonishingly strong too as carbon fibre is three times stiffer than aluminium.
The benefits of that strength can be found across the car’s total performance, the steering feels more precise and the suspension has been tuned more accurately for better ride and handling.
It also felt incredibly safe, even when Auf took the wheel for the trip back to base. He’s an experienced track tester and really put it through its paces. As I closed my eyes I remembered the way the carbon tub of an F1 car protects the driver in a big-speed impact and was confidently told it would do the same job for a front seat passenger.
The twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre engine gives the 12C an incredible power output. The car will accelerate to 100kmph in just 3.1 seconds and it boasts a top speed of 330kmph.
I need not have worried. I was in safe hands and couldn’t help but wear that McLaren smile.
Wow! What a car.
The McLaren MP4-12C starts from BD93,000 but will likely cost around BD110,00 on the road.
For further details contact Auf on 17701307 or visit www.manama.mclaren.com
