2013 McLaren MP4-12C Spyder

McLaren’s response to Ferrari’s 458 Italia Spyder is well on its way, thanks to the success achieved by the MP4-12C coupe. The new MP4-12C Spyder was confirmed back in 2009 and should be arriving within the next year if it plans to tackle Ferrari’s drop top. When it does arrive, expect the new model to be priced at a few thousand more than the $230K coupe.

The MP4-12C Spyder will feature a retractable hard-top, but will maintain the same mechanical setup and general design found in the standard model. Under the hood, we’ll more than likely find the twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V-8 that will deliver a total of 592 HP. This engine will be mated to a 7-speed twin-clutch Seamless Shift Gearbox (SSG) that will be controlled via paddles mounted behind the steering wheel. The 0 to 60 mph will be made in about the same 3.3 seconds, while top speed will be 205mph.

UPDATE 01/06/12: Here’s an interesting piece of tidbit we found out about the McLaren MP4-12C Spyder concerning the retractable hard-top it’s expected to come with. According to reports, McLaren will be using carbon fiber as the material for the drop-top roof. And, according to Auto Motor Und Sport, the McLaren will feature a roof system much like the one found on the Ferrari 458 Spider, meaning the roof will fold up first and then sink vertically behind the seats.

UPDATE 05/30/12: British magazine AutoCar is offering new details on the upcoming MP4-12C Spyder. The magazine reports that the future supercar will come with an innovative folding roof mechanism. The roof will be made up of three panels which fold and stack on top of each other. If the driver wants to drive with the top down, it will be stored behind the seats in the two-seat cabin. And the best part is that this system allows full access view to the V8 engine through a glass panel, even with the roof down.

McLaren crashes MP4-12C at the Ring while attempting record lap

You can’t say that the people over at McLaren aren’t busting their chops in trying to achieve a record-breaking run, can you? Whether or not the Woking, England-based automaker was attempting to do a hot lap with the MP4-12C at the Nurburgiring to determine the car’s full capacity, one thing we do know is that at some point, every automaker that has had aspirations of holding the fastest lap time at the ’Ring and McLaren is no exception.

So when word came out that McLaren ended up crashing an MP4-12C at the Nurburgring as part of their ’final testing’, a lot of curious eyebrows were raised, particularly on whether this testing included an attempt in breaking the fastest lap time at the world-famous race track.

According to witnesses, the crash caused a large impact that brought about significant damage to the guard rail, as well as causing a massive amount of fuel spillage on the stretch of the race track where the accident happened. As a result of the crash, the public session that was supposed to follow the private session ended up getting delayed because of what was deemed a ’roadworks zone’ on that part of the track.

McLaren, of course, has neither confirmed or denied this report, opting to contain the situation by keeping mum on the matter. With all the witnesses and reports coming around, though, it looks as if a final prototype of the MP4-12C was indeed involved in some kind of accident. Whether it was during an attempt at the ’Ring record is another matter, but it’s still probably best for these chaps to drive their cars with proper caution next time.