New factory for McLaren road cars

McLaren Automotive is to create a £40 million ‘Production Centre’ where the company’s new range of high-performance cars will be built.

The MP4-12C will go on sale this spring in 19 countries around the world and will cost between £125,000-175,000. Advertised as the ‘most powerful, the most efficient and the lightest car in its class’, it features a carbon fibre chassis and is powered by a twin-turbo V8.

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton were on hand in Woking to help unveil the car, while an MP4-12C also made an appearance at the Goodwood press day and tackled the hillclimb.

The other big news in Sussex was that the Festival of Speed will run over four days this year, with Thursday dedicated to road cars and various manufacturers launching new models – something that has become increasingly popular at the event over the past few years.