MCLAREN'S WORLD CHAMPION TEST DRIVERS

IF you want to test a high-performance sports car it helps to have a pretty handy driver and McLaren have got two of the best in form of its Grand Prix drivers, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.
Although not officially linked to the company’s road car programme it makes sense to use the talents of the men who have won the last two World Championships and so they lent a hand with a day’s development driving on the MP4-12C which goes on sale a year from now.
A few weeks ago Button and Hamilton joined McLaren Automotive at Goodwood behind the wheels of XP8 and XP10, two of the prototypes, and after giving the cars a good caning came away impressed by what they found.
Jenson said: “The 12C is so easy to drive. Its cockpit is a nice place to be and really makes you feel at one with the car. The driving seat is very comfortable and the layout of the controls is completely logical. I like the fact that there’s no switchgear on the steering wheel. You simply select the mode you want before you begin driving and after that there’s no need to concentrate on anything but the driving itself.
“The car’s dynamic capability is fantastic at both high and low speeds. Within just a few seconds, I felt really comfortable with the car and after only a couple of laps I was able to begin to push it hard through the corners. Yet, even though I was pushing, I was amazed by the car’s great stability at high speeds. It’s very quick in a straight line, too. In fact, the biggest problem with driving this car on a circuit is that sometimes you forget it’s a road car!
Lewis added: “The 12C is a real driver’s car; it delivered on all my expectations. The visibility is great from the driver’s seat. You really appreciate that in tight corners. I loved the McLaren F1 when I drove it and, like that car, the huge front windscreen of the 12C allows you to take in all the information needed for perfect lines through apex turns.
“It was clear when meeting the Automotive test team that they share the same competitive focus as our race team. We’re obsessed with winning and we’ll do all we can to make sure that happens. If the 12C team say they are aiming to make the best performance car on the market, then I’m convinced that is what they will do.
If you have around £150,000 and reckon Button and Hamilton can be trusted to assess a supercar, give McLaren a call the order book is already filling up!