The McLaren MP4-12C tackles the Goodwood hillclimb
McLaren took a more production-ready version of the MP4-12C to Goodwood to tackle the hillclimb in the hands of Button and Hamilton. This is the video.
As we reported last week, McLaren used the Goodwood Festival of Speed to give their new road car – the McLaren MP4-12C – its first proper public outing. But they didn’t settle for just having a static display or even a poodle round his Lordship’s grounds for the benefit of the crowd. They brought along their pair of F1 World Champions – Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton – to strut their stuff up the Goodwood hillclimb in the 12C.
We went along to Goodwood on Thursday to take a look at the Moving Motor Show as it was the inaugural MMS. Which meant that McLaren weren’t properly set up and a lot of their stuff wasn’t there. But what was there was the MP4-12C we saw from the initial launches, which was attracting more attention than the Veyrons or the 599 GTO or the Trevita or the LFA…
What we’d hoped to see was a more production-ready car; the Volcano Orange 12C with the Stealth alloys we knew McLaren were taking along to the show. But we could only make it to Goodwood on the Thursday so we resigned ourselves to wait until another time.
When we left Goodwood for home in the afternoon we stopped in a small village just up the road to grab a paper and a bottle or two of water. Sitting outside the village shop, watching the news on TV in the new XJ, a spec of orange entered the horizon.
We didn’t take too much notice at first as the whole area is full of supercars that weekend. But something made us watch this speck of orange as it grew bigger, and we soon realised it was the Volcano Orange MP4-12C en-route to the show. There’s nothing like seeing a new car on a public road to get perspective and an idea of its presence. All we’ll say on that score is that Ferrari and Lamborghini are going to have to up their game if they’re going to compete.
Enjoy the VT.
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