The new GT3 car from McLaren has made its global debut at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed. It is the first car that the company built for racing outside of Formula 1 ever since the McLaren F1 GTR. Based on McLaren’s MP4-12C high-performance road car, the new GT3 car received revisions as it underwent a brief intense period of development. New parts that are meant to optimize the car’s aerodynamic performance include a front radiator, which extends the maximum ambient temperature at which the car can operate. It also features a new gearbox cooler on the rear Aerodeck.
The model has an aerodynamics package that consists of a new front splitter, door blade, rear wing, diffuser and louvers in the front fenders. All of these are built entirely from carbonfiber by McLaren Racing. Meanwhile, McLaren Automotive gave inputs on the design. The newly established McLaren GT was tasked to develop the 12C GT3. McLaren GT, which is headed by McLaren Group CEO Martin Whitmarsh and CRS Racing Team Principal Andrew Kirkaldy, will be sitting out the 2011 race season to develop the 12C GT3.
But it is preparing for the delivery of 20 cars to privateer teams for GT3 racing in Europe in 2012. The MP4-12C GT3 is similar to the 12C road car and it features the ‘MonoCell’, an exclusive one-piece carbon fibre chassis. In 1981, McLaren presented a carbon fibre monocoque to Formula 1. The 12C GT3 will make use of several other technologies derived from Formula 1. The 12C GT3 will get the same steering wheel design that Lewis Hamilton used in his MP4-24 Formula 1 car. McLaren GT is working with past and current Formula 1 suppliers like Akebono, Mobil 1, McLaren Electronic Systems, Ricardo and Michelin to develop a race car specification that’s technologically superior to the GT3 competition in 2012.
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