Is McLaren's Original 12C Still Worth Buying? (Drive and Review)
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- Опубликовано: 29 авг 2024
- Ten years ago, McLaren revealed their big plan to enter the world of car production. They had already created a legend with the F1 over a decade earlier, but that was a hugely expensive hypercar, with very limited numbers sold. Their newest venture was to go after a much harder target, Ferrari.
At the time, Ferrari were at the top of their game with the incredible 458 - and McLaren's 12C was often unfavourably compared with those cars. But, eight years after its release, is the first modern McLaren worth your money?
#McLaren #12C #Review
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I'm not even joking, this guy's ability to talk without a script, in one go, is impressive and shows how intelligent he is; I love this channel. Keep up the good work!
There's a man who appreciates talent ;)
Anyone who’s worked in video knows how frustrating it is to edit around a useless presenter who looses their train of thought every 3 seconds. So when we make videos ourselves we have a point to prove, and it saves so much time in post
@@JayEmmOnCars you are such an enthusiast and I respect you for that
I agree. Unlike the Russian guy that commented on the BMW M6 video, demanding to see more of the car than him talking.
He’s a pro waffler
Such a good looking car, I can see why people like them.
aging so well...
You introduced a new perspective for me of this car, “the Esprit that never happened”.
Entertainingly, and reliability aside, I've also heard this called the true successor to the original NSX (with respect to ease of use, outward visibility, and piles of road-car firsts).
"The Esprit we never got."
not left blank not left blank both things mean the exact same thing..
Lap of the World I had the pleasure of renting one of these for a few days while in Vegas with my wife. What a phenomenal car. So light. So quick. So nimble. Beautiful and fast. It inspires confidence. Planted. I absolutely loved it!
Lap of the World for comparison, I’ve had the rear end come out on me in a Huracan and a Viper with no warning. McLaren really knows how to design cars. I also love the BMW i8. Not as fast but fits my kids in the back and those doors!
Ferraris are great for winning races but they don’t excite me as much as Lambo and McLaren unless it’s an Enzo, F-40, F-50, La Ferrari but those are 7 figure cars.
Personally I think this is one of the coolest and most beautiful supercars ever made. I remember people were criticizing the model for being unoriginal and generic, don't quite remember the specific criticism but as usual I tend to differ from the crowd and I absolutely loved this car
I agree this is McLarens most coherent design and a lovely thing, this was an excellent review with an accurate unscripted commentary - how do you do that ?!
It just happens!
A daily glass of blue waffle
tech wise... not the most reliable car and resell just hell....
Fee lemme stop u right there
Albert Perez you still trying ? How’s it working out? You see the way this works is you are reading a comment that’s already been typed and posted. The voice you’re hearing in your head is you (hopefully, I mean I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt if it’s not it might be the voice of government spies reminding you to take your meds)
Regardless, there is no “let me stop you right there” when it comes to text based communication, or any non real-time communication for that matter.
I love the looks of the 12C, much more so than other McLarens, apart from the P1.
I agree
Knocking it out of the park this week. Great content.
Thanks! One more to go, and the next one's a bit different
JayEmm on Cars Definitely agree. The last few weeks have been excellent. I’ve enjoyed the brand focus.
I was romancing the 458. I am thoroughly convinced. Pound for pound the 12vc is the better choice. I was out in my Conty GT the other day. And saw one. White with dark grey interior. He caught up to me at a light. I was like a little kid checking out the sheer beauty of the body lines. That sucka is mine!
Nice review. Spot on with the NSX comparison, I've had my NSX for 14yrs and a 12C joined it 4yrs ago. No problems with either of them and they're both keepers for me :)
Lucky you ! Enjoy
The 12c is definitely starting to become a bargain now I've been looking at them for a while now as a weekend driver and would love to have a 1st gen NSX also.
Nice to hear you have had no problems!👍🏽
I see a Mclaren in Jay's future. His love for Mclaren is like my love for Aston Martin. And when you love a car brand like that, you just have to own one, no questions asked.
And do you?
@@seaalon138 Own an Aston? I wish....
Great review, thanks James. The 12C is a much misunderstood car. I owned mine for 2.5 years and 14k miles and it was an awesome car that a miss very much. McLarens USP is its ability to be a relaxed and surprisingly economical cruiser with lots of luggage space and then change to a ballistic missile at the turn of a dial. They really are remarkable and crazy fast & composed. In 14K miles I had some niggles but they were all sorted under warranty and the car was always picked up and returned to me at home. In the time I owned my 12C other than 2 x £1,000 services and the warranty ( 2 years included with purchase) I paid nothing other than 4 new tyres (£880).
At the time the warranty was £3,500 pa. To put this in perspective I spent the same last year on preventative maintenance on my NA MX5 and close to double that on my Ferrari F355 (on just servicing & repairs). A have spent more per year on BMW M cars I have had in the past.
We used the 12C for 2 Alpine trips at over 2,000 miles each. We took loads of luggage (the frunk is huge as is the rear shelf on the coupe - which holds more than a 570GT as we could not swap our luggage into a loaner we had) We saw 28 mpg average on both trips and the 12C does not need 98 ron fuel, 95 is fine which makes a difference in Italy!
Off all the McLarens made its my favourite (F1 & 675LT aside). It looks classy & clean and I adore the huge old skool instrument binnacle over the 570/720 Tandy displays. I sold mine and replaced it with an Exige 430CUP (I wanted a manual box again). The Exige & 12C are totally different and I don't have time to compare the two here. Now the 12C is a relative bargain I am starting to think of getting another or perhaps a 675LT to compliment the 430 CUP.
Good to see you here Bispal, long time observer on many a forum where you've posted on the 12C. Not one to post usually but a lot of your insight into the car was really helpful when looking to purchase mine. It's served me perfectly so far and I have used it a great deal this summer. Warranty with Thorney is definite peace of mind. Had less issues than my brother's 17 plate RS5 which has been for no less than 3 warranty claims in half the time I've had my 12C.
@@dutoitm1 Thanks very much! Great to know my posts are being read across forums and are not in vein :-) Congratulations on your car I hope you have lots of fun and adventures in it like we did. I'm off to browse Autotrader I'm so tempted to buy one again. If you look at the facts, F1 constructor built, UK company, Nascar proven engine, Carbon fibre tub, single wiper (very important), revolutionary ride & suspension and the ability to outrun the millennium falcon and do the Kessel run in just 11 parsecs.
@@bispal Definitely not in vain mate, you know how the forums are. Too many are bombarded by people claiming to know of someone's friend whose 12C cost the same amount to run as it did to buy. It's a breath of fresh air when you get someone who genuinely owned the car and is reviewing the ownership without bias or prejudice. What people forget to realise is that for the equivalent 458 you need to spend about £50k more which equates to almost 10 years worth of McLaren's no fuss, comprehensive warranty. And that's if you don't warranty a 458 which would be incredibly stupid. Sure, having to wait for your car to go in for work is a massive nuisance, but if it's fully covered that's peace of mind. At the price point 12Cs are now they cannot depreciate a great deal more so that isn't of too much worry. If you can afford to stretch to the 675LT (spider would make a nice alternative to your 12C coupe) that would be incredible. Last of Ron's cars.
@@dutoitm1 Great point. 458's are now around £50k more, that's a lot of warranty and the 12C will experience a lot less depreciation than the 458 will ultimately, esp.once all the sticky interiors manifest themselves! 12C's are approaching R8 and AMV8 money, they are crazy value. But people have to get their head around the warranty. If you can afford the car but not the warranty then unfortunately you really can't afford a 12C and its not the car for you. The warranty cost has to be factored in, but as you point out even then its still a bargain compared to the competition. The plus side of having niggles fixed are the loan cars, I have had all-sorts of cars, Range Rovers, BMW's, other McLaren's and even been out in a Rolls Royce for a day!
@@dutoitm1 I think your last sentence sums up why McLaren have gone a bit awry on reliability and customer care lately.
The 12C has aged well! Looks better than all the birthday cakes they have released lately
I remember when these things were relatively new. The tiny display screen above the window switches costs around $4,000 to replace
I just watch this channel for this guy. Talking about cars is just a plus.
Couldn't really put words to it myself about why I've always appreciated these a little more than the later McLarens. But what you said about it growing on you over time and it's more 'coherent design' resonates with me a lot.
Part of it is also probably the fact that, at 25 years old, this was the first McLaren to really appear on my radar; the F1 was a big deal when I was too small to have any interest.
This is the car that made me fall in love with Mclaren again. This one is timeless, and short of a million dollar hypercar, is what a super car should be
Great video. Just bought a 2014 12C. It is a spectacular car. Very accurate and fair review!
How is it so far? Any major issues?
How is it
Despite the rear being a bit 'technical' looking... With that cheeky front. And simple classic supercar side profile... I still think this is the best looking car Mclaren have made. The rest are wild.. But a bit fussy
disturbed250
I think the P1 looks much cleaner
JayEmm you need a TV show of your own. You are easily equal to anyone else on the tube, let alone RUclips. Hello, Top Gear?
What a great review by JayEmm. How can a person talk so well and informatively, whilst driving a super car. Great video quality as well. He sold me the model; if I had the money.
I'm not in the least bit a Ferrari fan but after this week's content I'm definitely a bit of a McLaren one, the 12C being my favourite, especially in that colour.
the 12c has always sounded better than the later cars, the newer versions dont have that deep growl
I have owned a Ferrari 355 spider for 15 years. They have always had a reputation as being one of the most expensive ferraris to service/run. That has never phased me and I have loved it.
However, as for the MP-12 as much as I would love one, this cars servicing/running costs ....that would phase me and cause me sleepless nights😥😥. Now that's saying something😁
Probably why there is currently a £50,000 MP-12 for sale on the UK market this week.
I owned a 12C & F355 at the same time. The F355 made my blood boil. Even factoring in the McWarranty the F355's running costs were eye watering. I was very happy to see the back of my F355 and won't get another. I definitely would get another 12C. The F355 is not a bad car, it looks and sounds great but it was 100% not worth the hassle and expense and cannot be daily driven like a 12C its far too delicate.
@@bispal a brave man indeed to have both.
So you paid McLaren £3000- £5000 a year for there warranty!!😂
Hey this is why there now 50k.
A 355 cost less than half that to run .
It sounds like a P1, where the 720 and 570 don’t
Jordeycap This, the P1, and the 650S has a log style turbo manifold which makes it sound like a cross-plane v8 even though it isn’t. Starting with the 675LT and models that come after it, they used a tubular-style manifold which makes the engine sound like a normal flat-plane v8. It looses the cross-plane sound but have a better power curve at high rpms.
It’s kind of like UEL and EL manifolds in Impreza STis. UEL will give you that rumble, EL will give you more high-end performance.
@@devandrasimanjuntak1646 no, this is an mc12C. Not a p1
Behindthen0thing yes, what I’m saying is that the 12C, the P1, and the 650S has a log style turbo manifold. This is why the 12C sounds like the P1. Unlike most modern McLarens nowadays (starting with the 675LT)
Behindthen0thing yes, what I’m saying is that the 12C, the P1, and the 650S has a log style turbo manifold. This is why the 12C sounds like the P1. Unlike most modern McLarens nowadays (starting with the 675LT)
@@devandrasimanjuntak1646 ok. They sound good
Great review James, engineering lead and can be credited for the 12C and later McLaren's was Mark Vinnels. He also launched the Opel Speedster (built by Lotus, same time as the MK2 Elise launch)...top man, top engineer. Now at Rivian creating more magic.
I recently saw a metalic black one parked up...and it looked amazing...Much better than any pic..
New subscriber. New Fan, and loving the last three episodes! Your buddies buying the two McLaren's in Manchester was a real eye-opener and as the owner of two Lambos I struggle with service as well. I have resorted to changing my Gallardo's oil myself, and now that I have a new Performante Spyder I am not looking forward to the headaches that may ensue! Thank you for your excellent verbiage, I mean who in the US here uses the word; "sonorous" and even gets away without a cross-eyed look. I appreciate your takes!
Thanks Dean! Hope the Lambos are good
Honestly if the MP4-12C came out today it would look fine, the only thing that seems to look dated is the dashboard, which looks fine to me personally. Cool car!
Maybe the looks are growing on you and are so cohesive because every car McClaren has released since kinda looks like something a high school boy would drive. Take the Senna for example...they all look like a Hodge lodge of swoops and curves going every which way. This one looks more pure like a classic Ferrari
Donald Salkovick im feeling this statement. back in 2012 i wasn’t really feeling this design but now...idk i think it looks better than the new mclaren models 🤔
edit. i wrote this before i saw that he said the same thing about the design lol weird how we all seem to think that way
You must have a wealth of contacts...to keep bringing us such a great variety of interesting motors 😀
I'm just lucky I guess!
I have loved this weeks content. Stand out is the 12C. What a lovely thing! And it could/should of been the Esprit we all yearned for. A comparison between your mates Exige and Mac please! Happy Xmas!
Excellent review, clearly knowledgeable and watchable, can’t watch US or shouty or over stimulated vloggers, nice job.....
Thankyou
Brilliant week's content James. Love that last lingering shot of the 12c driving away from the camera looking & sounding really special. Put your feet up for the xmas period, you've earned it. Looking forward to your 2020 reviews even more. Regards.
To this day still one of my favorite super cars. The technology and performance so underrated
Excellent review, but the need for a warranty to give you peace of mind says all you need to know. When some more specialists come online to pick up where McLaren have clearly lost interest with, but stop others picking up with exorbitant tooling costs, will be the time to buy.
Possibly the most interesting supercar channel on the net!
Well described in clear and precise terms and really pulls you toward these great cars, we now know there can be a downside to ownership but watching this video and surely all is forgiven? Not quite, but the practicalities and problems clearly outlined in these great expose's. Love this.
This actually sounds a little better unlike all the other ones, but still nowhere near a Lambo or a Ferrari. Excellent reviews thanks for bringing them to us.
Great video, love the 12C, totally agree, I'm not a warranty person either but if I got a McLaren you're dam sure I would get a warranty
My old boss had one of these as a daily and it was amazing. Yes, they get huge attention and yes, the acceleration will hurt your neck!
Say what you want but to my ears, the 12C had a deeper and throatier exhaust note than anything that came after (with the exception of P1, which sounded insanely amazing).
Now that you've driven alot of great british twin turbo v8 supercars: Mclren MP12C, Lotus Esprit etc. I'd love to see a Noble M600 review if you can get that in the works. Good job Jay.
Second this! That car is scary in the best possible way!
great video!.. from an original NSX owner!
A 1991 Berlina black 5 speed.
Check it out on my channel!
These 12Cs drive great. They also sound incredible when fitted with a Fabspeed exhaust.
I'm 18 now, and by 21 I'll have one of these.
Leonard R Have us all over for a track day.
Lol go on son
Go for it. Make sure _you_ own _it_ though. It should be a disposable toy, I speak from ruinous experience with fast cars
@@visionist7 word
No.....no you won't
Well done....great review....think you're going to attract more followers....
The criticism of this car being as pedantic as “too computer like” and “too generic” are simply pointers to how fantastic the car actually is, which forces critics to clutch at straws. It’s absolutely stunning with its curvaceous bodywork and regardless of the turbos, it’s V8 howl is completely unique and frankly gorgeous. Added to that, it wipes the floor with a 458 Italia round a track. Plus you don’t get the Ferrari owners club bullshit with this thing, which is a massive bonus in itself.
I've caught of few of these vids so far You sir deserve 1000x the subs you have now
Your presentations are unmatched
Thankyou very much
Interior still looks modern in 2020. That is the best sign of a car ahead of its time. Don't love the plastic grill in the front or the back but everything else is more than acceptable. Still a beautiful car!
Loved that review and now look at them in a different light
These interior shots have been spot on Jay! It is exactly what I was talking about in my comments before.
Even the execution of them is spot on. Please do them more often this way! They gave very good impression on how the interior feels from the driver seat.
Thank you!
I'll see what I can do
That SC from the mid-80s must be exceedingly rare indeed!
This guy is just awesome. He is bigger version of Jeremy Clarkson. Its just in the last couple of days I have been watching his videos.
Kind of like May too.
A friend of mine works at McLaren, an MR2 SW20 was used as a mule development car to develop the HVAC system due to a similar cabin size, I've still pictures of it.
Well done.. I love the way you put and you where absolutely right.. its a great car may be to buy a spider you may pay only 25% of its original price.. but because of marketing mclaren produced more than 6 or 7 generations since 2014 and new cars with latest technologies it dose not make 1st mclaren bad at all.. on the contrary it could be even better.. but what can I say money talks .. with so many generations .. mclaren are losing the market and I wouldn't be surprised if they go out of business soon.. all depends on F1 coming season.. I love mp4-12c spider it was my first dream car.. guys if you can afford to buy one.. then do it with out any regret.. all the best.
Great quality content James!
I love the 12C spyder, as usual though, wish they made a manual
Great content mate. One of only a very few channels I am subscribed to. Loved this video.
Thankyou, really appreciate it.
Nice review. Volcano red is an awesome colour. I had two 12C coupes and one was reliable and one wasn't. The problem is that the cars are now around £75000 and the warranty is £5000. So that's quite a big chunk to pay each year. You cannot own a McLaren without a warranty. The 650S at £90k is the better car in my opinion.
Looks amazing in that color
Great review :-)
You know you should look to do the north coast 500 or something, review cars as you go combined with some pure driving videos 😃
Other than the F1 this is the only McLaren I'd want.
720s? 😍
Subscribed and notified!!! Love your channel, the cars you pick and your presentation! It feels like your more like your one of us 'Petrolheads' than many car RUclipsrs!!
Thanks Pip, plenty of other videos to watch!
@@JayEmmOnCars Cheers!!! On to it already!
Well yes it is and here’s my list:
1. It’s a super car
2. It’s Mclaren soo it’s a fast and good car
3. Since it’s 8 years old it’s cheap than it once was so it’s a budget super if that way u call it
thanks for another great series....inspiring, thoughtful, honest
There's one last video to come today
Brilliant content. So professional
Thankyou very much
Much better looking than the Sports Series cars. Still my favourite McLaren
The best looking McLaren in the modern Era.
I love this car so much. I live how it looks and I love the engineering behind it. Great video on it, hope I'll one day be able to afford a McLaren.
Great review James
I actually quite like the noise, more than the other McLaren’s this week
One for the shortlist
At some angles and during nighttime the front headlights are very reminiscent of the F1. I first realised this when I tuned into the late hours of the Le Castellet GT endurance race and thought "nice F1" for a second.
This guy makes sense
Great week of specials yet again Jay. Looking forward to what’s next.
I'm looking at the 12C and while I know the car comes with its 12C quirks, the reason to get it outweigh the reasons to not... by far. Great review and big thumbs up!
Great video - I recognise the roads around Castle Hedingham. I have a black 12c and work in Sible Hedingham. Not sure if you have spotted me at some stage :)
Even post Covid I found a few MP412C local to me (within 75 miles) in the US for $110K to $130K and all under 30,000 miles. That is a bargain for a 570 hp high 10 second 1/4 mile, 200 mph plus, hypercar. I believe these will be VERY valuable one day as even though the 650S was the "better" version of this car, this is the car McLaren officially entered true production car status and thus put alot of time and money into each car. I can't think of a single car that gets you this kind of performance for $110,000. Yes the C8 Corvettes are as fast and list cheaper--but C8 is ugly as sin, fast 0-60 but SLOW above 100 and I'd rather have an old Mac than ANY C7 or C8 (and yes that includes the new 8600 rpm DOHC V8, 670 hp Z06) These are still amazing machines.
Loved this.
Bell & Colvill in Surrey are now approved by McLaren for aftersales/servicing. I'm sure they'll have some more toys for you to play with soon as well!
The Mclaren 12c will be the most sort after future classic car. Think about it.
British, ,,, what only less than 1000 that was build for the Uk market. Also, think How many have been written off!?
It’s the most honest and true Mclaren they have produced.
First of the McLaren reviews to speak to me. Pity you didn't review a 540C though. Sadly, I think the 12C's rep will keep sensible buyers away, at least sensible buyers for whom 75k+ is a lot of money for them. Can get an exceptional R8 V10 for that, even considerably less. However, for the smart rich guy, who has no need to show off, and didn't get rich losing money on McLaren depreciation, it's probably worth the risk, especially considering you can buy a warranty for 2800 gbp a year. Personally, this was also the first McLaren to sound good to my ears on any recorded review. McLaren needs to give you a big thank you for this review.
They won't. Did you see my video from yesterday?
@@JayEmmOnCars If McLaren is interested in staying in business, I think they need to accept that video as constructive criticism.
I prefer the more handsome elegant looks of this to the later cars
MP4-12C still best-looking McLaren
... the good Doug Demuria quirks.
I LOVE IT!
The UK make some cool cars. I like the people and their attitude towards engineering. Exceptional.
Nice one jay and merry Christmas bud
Definitely seems worthwhile if you are looking for a McLaren but don't have the higher end budget! Beautiful car.
I love the story build up in the intro of this video!
Dude, you are working hard! : ) To be honest I like this one better than the newer ones, apart from GT, but I would always prefer 458.
This cat killed this review. subscribing
Nice to see one running.
I really think the MP4 is the best looking of the new McLaren's.
I disagree. I think this and the new GT are the worst looking. I think the 600LT looks the best.
@@vika0194
I disagree with you both. I think the 675LT, P1 and 720s all look better.
Bc its true.
Only mpc12 does not look like an angry, chinese toy.
Mpc12 is an adult, well proportioned, classical, not screaming, 90s nostalgia lines, design.
It's still a looker 👌
Great review..... didn't Hoovie from Hoovies garage have one of these and said they were notorious in the USA for not if but when the engine would let go?
He had an MP4
Subscribed for your continuous praises of the NSX.
Welcome!
I like the 12C down to the sound. These things have a unique howl that I don’t ever hear from a V8. The Ferraris scream and the Corvette burbles but there’s something uniquely sci-fi about the 3.8 TT V8.
What an excellent review. Subscribed.
Isn't a "flying buttress" something like my '18 NSX has, or the Ford GT, where you can see through a space in the body?
I saw this car on the Fish and Chip run, epic spec!!
This looks so similar to my 2015 McLaren 650s! The back end and side profile is almost identical
Sounds better than the later cars, on the video at least.
Definitely considering purchasing this car in the future, really love it
I'd still have one!
James, I didn't hear you talk much about the engine. Does McClaren make all their own engines? Did I really hear you say it is 625 hp and gets 37mpg? How is that even possible? Awesome channel - keep up the good work!
The engine is made by Riccardo engineering in the UK for McLaren
@@JayEmmOnCars Its actually based on a Nissan racing engine that TWR developed for Indycar. McMaren bought the rights to the engine and gave it to Ricardo to further develop. The engine is incredibly strong and for all the niggles McLarens have barely any are engine related. Its an amazing unit that revs to 8,500 rpm.