McLaren MP4-12C GT3 racer spied

The McLaren versus Ferrari battle is no longer the exclusive preserve of Formula 1! These are the first spy pictures of the firm’s new MP4-12C which is being developed into a GT3 racing car, ready to take the fight to Ferrari’s forthcoming 458 Italia GT3.

GT3 cars are closely related to their production counterparts, keeping costs relatively low and hence why this car is still road registered. The GT3 series is becoming more and more popular, as it’s relatively cheap to enter, with cars like Audi R8 LMS, Mercedes SLS and Porsche 911 GT3 R all being turned into competitive contenders. 

As you can see, the shape of the MP4-12C is still very much in evidence, but the front air intakes have been closed off, a large front splitter has been added along with a huge fixed rear spoiler.

Our spy snapper confirmed that the car was likely undergoing aerodynamics testing, as the team also tried out a set of oversized winglets to the front bumper. 

The McLaren is being developed in conjunction with McLaren by top British team CRS Racing, which is based in Leicestershire. CRS has a large amount of experience with GT3 cars, having run a Ferrari 430 Scuderia in recent years. Interestingly, the Ferrari was driven by McLaren MP4-12C chief test driver Chris Goodwin during the 2009 season. Goodwin used to race the McLaren F1 GTR earlier in his career.

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