When most people see Evo Magazine’s Chris Harris he’s generally sliding sideways in some high horsepower euro-rod. You see most car manufacturers are thrilled to toss him the keys to whatever super car they have laying around. However when it came time to roll heavy in McLaren’s F1 GTR Le Mans racer, let’s just say that they didn’t entirely trust him. I mean for one thing the car is worth in the millions and secondly, it truly is a one-of-a-kind creation. That didn’t stop Harris from hitching a ride though, even if that meant riding side saddle without a seat belt and or seat to sit in. For the most part the ride seemed OK, however there did seem to be some sphincter puckering moments from time to time. Regardless though, getting a ride in McLaren’s F1 GTR Le Mans race car was no doubt the experience of a lifetime.

Source: Youtube / DRIVE

600 rubies, a bunch of 24-carat gold, a reported 35,000 hours of labor (I call bullshit on that one) and a for sale price tag of $11-million. This is an honest-to-goodness Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren that’s been ruined by Swiss entrepreneur, Ueli Anliker, a man who possesses what is perhaps the worst taste in all of automotive history. Apparently Anliker wanted to created his vision of the perfect automobile, but instead, destroyed one of the greatest cars to come out of the auto industry in the last 20 years. I mean seriously, this sucker looks like it was build behind some bodega in the South Bronx, and then used to sell crack to some deadbeat toothless hookers. UGH!! it’s freaking me out just looking at the photo’s…

Why Ueli Anliker, why would you do this to such a wonderful automobile???

Source: BornRich.com

If you have a car with any kind of sporting intentions, it’s essential that you test it on Germany’s “Green Hell,” the Nürburgring Nordschleife, to establish its credibility. In the past few months, Lexus, Dodge and Chevrolet have all thrown down impressive lap times around the ‘Ring, which gives a manufacturer much needed bragging rights, even if the time isn’t record-setting.

Take the McLaren MP4-12C for example. No one doubts that the car is fast, but exactly how fast hasn’t been well established. Most agree it’s faster than McLaren’s legendary F1 supercar, while being a whole lot more forgiving to drive at the limit. The YouTube video below gives you pieces of McLaren’s claimed MP4-12C Nürburgring lap time, but it doesn’t show the entire lap from start to finish. Worse, the lap time shown at the end of the video, 7:28, doesn’t seem to be documented anywhere else.

We’ll give McLaren the benefit of the doubt and accept that the MP4-12C did run from bridge to gantry in 7:28. That makes the MP4-12C faster than a Porsche Carrera GT (by seven-tenths of a second), but eight seconds slower than a 2012 Corvette ZR1 on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires. It’s also four seconds off the pace of a new Nissan GT-R, which explains why McLaren may not be celebrating their lap time achievement.

Jay dials in some opposite lock.

An average day for me involves about ten hours of combing the internet for relevant car news, then drafting stories for the various sites that pay me to peck at a keyboard for reinforcement (much like a pigeon in a Skinner box). An average day for Jay Leno involves touring McLaren’s new facilities in Woking, England, to check on the production status of his ordered MP4-12C. He still finds time to give Charlie Sheen advice on hookers and blow, then takes some hot laps on the Top Gear test track, guided by McLaren’s chief test driver. Please Jay, let me know how I can be your protege.

The video below has some great footage of McLaren’s assembly line, which does indeed look more like a futuristic hospital than an automotive assembly line. It’s also got some great scenes of Jay trying to drive the MP4-12C at the limit around the Top Gear test track. He learns firsthand about throttle-on oversteer and hard braking, but I can’t say I’d be doing that much better behind the wheel myself (OK, that was me being diplomatic – I’m well versed in the difference between squeezing the throttle and hammering it at corner exit).

If you happen to have relatives working for McLaren, please let them know my passport is valid and I’m ready, willing and able to give the MP4-12C a shakedown at Dunsfold Aerodrome.

Source: Autoblog

When the Mercedes-Benz SLS was released in early 2010 the motoring world stood up and took notice. An homage to the iconic 1954 300SL Gullwing, the SLS was a car that, like the original, evoked emotion, power and speed. In the standard coupe form the car is identified mostly by its long raked hood line and gull-wing doors, but truth be told, it’s really the 563 bhp V8 and wicked exhaust note that set this car apart. While the coupe is in fact a stunning creation in its own right, Mercedes-Benz decided to up the ante a little for 2012 as they’ve decided to hit us with a stunning drop top version called the SLS AMG Roadster. Those fabulous gullwing doors have now given way to open air cruising without losing any of the coupes muscular character or design. In short, the car is simply stunning.

The McLaren MP4-12C. Image: McLaren Automotive

As the saying goes, it ain’t a party until something gets broken, and Mc Laren just kicked off the festivities. During a durability test run on Germany’s Nürburgring circuit, an MP4-12C prototype lost control and impacted a roadside barrier. According to reports, the car was damaged but repairable, and the unnamed test driver walked away without injury. It isn’t know if the crash was caused by track conditions, driver error or mechanical failure.

According to Pistonheads, McLaren denies that the run was an attempt to set a lap record on the Nürburgring. The current lap record stands at 6:48.00, set by a Radical SR8LM. The Radical is essentially a hand-built, quasi-road-legal race car; if you look at production cars, the fastest title goes to a Gumpert Apollo Speed (7:11.57), a Donkervoort D8 RS (7:14.89) or a Porsche 997 GT2 RS (7:18.00). Will McLaren launch an attempt at the record to promote the MP4-12C? The answer is most likely yes, but not until they’re confident of beating the competition.

Source: Autoblog

Affordable is a relative term, since there are those who find McLaren’s $229,000 MP4-12C to be the supercar bargain of the year. For those of us who associate that price more with houses than with cars, there’s good news on the horizon: beginning later this year, you should be able to put a McLaren in your garage for under $10,000. Better yet, it’s likely to be a race-proven McLaren, complete with an electronic transmission. Think there’s probably a catch? Read on to find out.

Just as with the MP4-12C, your $10,000 McLaren comes with lots of carbon fiber. Unlike the MP4-12C, it comes with only two (spoked) wheels, and you provide the horsepower. Developed in conjunction with bicycle component manufacturer Specialized, the S-Works McLaren Venge will be used by top racers such as Mark Cavendish, and will be campaigned by teams such as Saxo Bank-Sungard and Astana throughout the racing season. The frame is said to weigh less than 2.2 pounds, and the bike is expected to start at around $9,000 when it hits stores late this year.

Source: Autoevolution

Ron Dennis, who won't be driving an MP4-12C until September. Image: McLaren Automotive

As the head of McLaren Automobiles and the former leader of McLaren’s F1 efforts, Ron Dennis knows a thing or two about automobiles. Apparently, he’s got a passion for driving as well, but doesn’t always pay attention to details like speed limits and red traffic signals. A magistrate in Woking, UK, just slapped Dennis with a six month license suspension for running a red light, which put him over the point limit allowed UK drivers. Despite Dennis’ pleas for leniency, the judge followed the letter of the law in imposing the sentence and the required $400 fine. I’m sure that he’ll be able to find a suitable chauffeur for his six month suspension, but just in case I’d like to offer my own services. Please feel free to ping me via the site, Mr. Dennis, and I’m sure we can work out a trade: six months of chauffeur services, in exchange for room, board and a new MP4-12C sounds fair to me.

Source: Motorauthority

For all of you Southern Californian’s who don’t already have this date marked on your calendar, take note: McLaren will be bringing the new MP4-12C to Cars and Coffee located in Irvine this coming Saturday. This past Tuesday evening celebrated the official launch of the McLaren MP4-12C at Orange County Museum of Art. Guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres while getting an intimate look of the car. This weekend will also give you a chance to have the same opportunity in Ford’s corporate parking lot. Come early, as this will be a big event and cars are expected to start arriving around 6AM. The McLaren is scheduled to show from 7am to 10AM.

Cars & Coffee address: 7905 Gateway Blvd, Irvine, CA 92618

This is one press launch that I think both Kurt or myself would have donated a body part to have gotten an invite to. The new McLaren MP4-12C utilizes a mid-mounted 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 that pumps out 592 bhp and around 443 lb-ft of torque. It also weighs under 3000 lbs, will rocket from 0-60 mph in just a tick over 3.1 seconds, and with the right tires will also run the quarter mile in under 11 seconds. Ladies and gentlemen, if those numbers don’t get your heart rate up then there is something seriously wrong with you. To top it all off, McLaren enlisted the help of British Formula One Driver Jensen Button so the journalists would get a proper feeling of exactly what the McLaren MP4-12C was capable of. Cars like this are in a class all their own and push the limits of suspension and tire technology. As with all things exotic, the McLaren MP4-12C will not be cheap, in fact its starting price will be well over 200K for the U.S. market. This places it firmly in line with offerings from Ferrari and Lamborghini. Click through for the video.