Mini Reviews- Mclaren MP4/12-C 'MP4 LM'
Ermm……how can I put this…it's scary. A 650hp turbocharged feather with still far too little downforce and super quick steering makes this a true brute to drive. It can best be compared to what I'd imagine the Noble M600 would be like, should we ever get it in GT5. To quote Jeremy Clarkson, '1% too much speed going into a corner, you get understeer. 1% too much throttle to correct it, you get oversteer.' You get the idea. You really need to pay attention in this car. It's unforgiving, you get it wrong, you're off the track. There's a hint of understeer when you brake hard and when you corner at high speeds. At low speed corners, the MP4 shows its true characters and becomes a slight bastard to control. It'll lash out at you if you don't pay attention. It's got the attitude of a LMP at low speeds. All power, not enough control. Granted, it's not as mental as an actual LMP, but it isn't far off.
You need to really know what you're doing, it loves killing the tyres and, on occasion, you too. The only issue, aside from the mental powerslides, is the gears. Wheelspin in 1st gear is often accompanied with the sound of the V8 headbutting the redline. The current, standard gearbox, just can't cope with the power, it needs a longer 1st and 2nd gear if it is to be faster off the line. As of now, I need to launch the car in 2nd if I want a quick getaway.
To sum up, it's very much a car that sticks to what the MP4/12-C's values were, but delivers it in a completely different way. The stock Macca's motto seemed to be 'Lap times first, everything else doesn't matter.' Here though, The priority seemed to be around delivering the thrills a supercar should give, capturing that Lamborghini magic of terrifying the driver, while being blisteringly fast.
Anyway…now I'm done with it…anyone know where the toilet is? I might have crapped myself a bit driving that LM…