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The big news from the summer of 2007 and the subsequent rumor mill of McLaren's upcoming top secret P11 sportscar has finally culminated into a masterpiece-the MP4-12C.We take a closer look at this much awaited blue-blooded McLaren sportscar.

McLaren MP4-12C

McLaren Automotive has revealed its MP4-12C, the first in a range of high-performance sports cars. The 12C, and future models within the range, says the company, will challenge the world's best sports cars.

The MP4-12C is a high-performance, two-seat, mid-engined model in the sports car market segment for cars costing between £125,000 and £175,000 ($225,000 to $310,000). The 12C is pure McLaren, featuring no carryover parts from any other car, and it will be produced in Britain. It goes on sale in early 2011.

"It is a long-held dream of mine to launch a range of high-performance sports cars that set new standards in the industry," says Ron Dennis, chairman of McLaren Automotive.

"We began designing and building cars for aficionados of thoroughbred sports cars almost 20 years ago. Incorporating the leading-edge technologies that the McLaren Group has built up within its various companies, I believe we are now perfectly placed to open up this new chapter in McLaren's history."

At its heart, the MP4-12C features a revolutionary carbon-fibre chassis structure - the Carbon MonoCell - the first time, says the company, a car in this market segment is based around such a strong and lightweight racing car engineering solution and the first time any car has ever featured a one-piece carbon-fibre structure.

The 12C is powered by a McLaren M838T 3.8-litre, V8 twin-turbo engine producing around 600 horsepower, driving through a McLaren seven-speed Seamless Shift dual-clutch gearbox (SSG). The company says it is targeting not only new standards for engine power and performance in its sector but also class-leading fuel economy and CO2 emissions.

Throughout its history, McLaren's automotive division has built one of the world's most critically acclaimed supercars, the McLaren F1 (1993-1998), as well as the world's best-selling luxury supercar - the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (2003-2009).