It’s one of motoring’s greatest dilemmas: Should you spending millions of rands on a supercar you can’t use to the fullest in the real world or should you spend the equivalent amount of money on circuit racing in a machine built for purpose? Well, McLaren thinks you can meet somewhere in the middle with the McLaren 12C Sprint trackday car.
It was unveiled earlier in the year at the popular Goodwood Festival of Speed, and the British manufacturer says the McLaren 12C GT Sprint is intended to bridge the gap between the road-going 12C and the hardcore 12C GT3 and 12C GT Can-Am racers that are plying their trade across the world’s racetracks.
The McLaren 12C GT Sprint is like a coming together of the already brilliant road car components and the best of what the race track screamers can offer. The GT Sprint runs the upgraded M838T 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 engine from the 12C and 12C Spyder and operates through the familiar seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox. It’s good for 460 kW. Exactly like the standard McLaren 12C, it gets a carbon fibre MonoCell structure for unsurpassed stiffness and light weight. Like the road car the 12C GT Sprint also features hi-tech Active Chassis Control, Brake Steer system and the rear spoiler air braking system.
Then it’s handed over to the racing lads and is further developed by McLaren’s GT racing division to include features from the 12C GT3 race car. They include a FIA-approved safety roll cage, an uprated cooling system to deal with on-track punishment and the digital dash display from the racing car. There is even an on-board air jacking system for quick tyre changes. On the inside a fully adjustable HANS-approved, lightweight composite racing seat is fitted with a six-point racing harness and an integrated fire extinguisher system.
The McLaren 12 GT Sprint would be missing a trick if it didn’t gain some trick aerodynamics from the GT3 racing car and it therefore gets a different front bumper with a pin-pricked GT3 bonnet with extra air ducts and extra front wing louvres for improved front end downforce. Pictured here is the optional CFD (computational fluid dynamics) aerodynamic package which removes the spoiler and adds the massive carbon fibre rear wing to work in conjunction with the front splitter.
Under the skin the McLaren 12C GT Sprint gets race specification brake discs and pads; Pirelli competition racing slick tyres; a bespoke suspension setup that is 40 mm lower, stiffer and centre-looking 19-inch racing OZ wheels. The McLaren 12C GT Sprint is available only in McLaren Orange and just 20 units will be built this year at a starting price of £195 000 (or R3.2-million).
