At the end of last week, McLaren has released the first sketch of the new McLaren MP4-12C GT3 race car. The McLaren MP4-12C GT3 is being developed in collaboration with CRS Racing and is expected to hit the race track for its first competition as a customer car in 2012. The McLaren MP4-12C GT3 features the same lightweight one-piece molded carbon chassis (the ‘MonoCell’) as the production car and will probably be powered by the same engine. However, no official details regarding this matter have been released yet.
The McLaren MP4-12C GT3 will compete in a limited number of European GT races in 2011, as part of its development program.
The car maker plans to offer a limited number of
McLaren MP4-12C GT3 for the 2012 European FIA GT3 Series. they also mention they have to take into consideration their road going version production too.
Martin Whitmarsh, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team Principal said: “Racing is in our blood – it was natural to develop a GT3 car alongside the 12C road car. We have a legendary history in global motorsport, including GT racing, and we aim to maintain that reputation with this GT3 programme, and any future sports car projects that may evolve.
“The 12C’s architecture and design was always aimed at high-performance and ease of maintenance - two key criteria for potential customers. Combine that with the vast amount of racing experience in our automotive team, and CRS Racing’s specialist development experience, and the 12C GT3 should be an exciting proposition for the top teams planning to race in GT3 from 2012.”
Andrew Kirkaldy, Team Principal, CRS Racing said: “It is a rare opportunity to work with a company like McLaren and we are proud to be involved. Together, we aim to produce the highest quality GT car on the grid.
The level of engineering experience at McLaren is unparalleled and this will be reflected in the 12C GT3. One of the most important aspects of this programme will be customer service and for that reason we will be building a limited number of cars at a competitive price. The result will be an incredible GT car with manageable running costs and good residual value that will provide its owner with an unrivalled experience.”
