The vehicle combines two types of power plants to offer a mix of throttle response, drivability, and top speed. The vehicle has a mid-mounted 3.8-liter twin turbo V8 engine combined with a high-efficiency electric motor giving the vehicle of total power output of 903 bhp and 900Nm of torque. The gasoline engine alone produces 727 BHP and 720Nm of torque.

The electric motor in the vehicle adds 176 BHP and 260Nm of torque instantly to greatly improve the throttle response of the vehicle. That electric motor and the gasoline motor combined for the complete power output. The vehicle also uses some Formula One technology to help increase its straight-line speed and boost power. The car has F1 style DRS (Drag Reduction System) and IPAS (Instant Power Assist System).

All the power goes through a dual-clutch seven-speed gearbox that drives the rear wheels. Upshifts are made even faster using an E-motor that is able to provide instant negative torque at the point of shifting. That allows the engine revs to drop as quickly and efficiently as possible to the required engine speed for the upshift. The electric motor is also designed to provide drag torque to recover energy to the battery that would be lost to braking otherwise. The supercar does have an E mode that allows the vehicle to operate on the electric motor alone with ability to travel 10 km using only battery power.

[via McLaren Automotive]

As you can see from the image above, the 12C GT Can-Am Edition is one serious car. McLaren is calling this bad boy “the ultimate track car” and says that it isn’t subject to the same racing restrictions as other cars. “Each will be fitted with an unrestricted version of the familiar 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine with a unique engine calibration, and optimised cooling system to increase the power output of up to 630hp, making the 12C GT Can-Am Edition the most powerful 12C produced to date,” McLaren’s announcement stated.

That rear wing you see mounted on the back of the car is made of carbon fiber, and McLaren says it “increases down force by 30 per cent.” The 12C GT Can-Am Edition is also equipped with a FIA-approved rollcage, two racing seats, and a McLaren GT steering wheel that’s identical to the one found in the 12C GT3 race car, which serves as something of a predecessor to the 12C GT Can-Am.

As we said above, these cars are expensive, with McLaren sticking each one with a price tag of £375,000 – just a bit under $600,000. McLaren means it when it says this will be a limited run too, as the company only has plans to produce 30 12C GT Can-Ams. Production on the cars is set to begin in March 2013, so you better start saving up.

Earlier today McLaren confirmed that they’ll be aiming for “Pole Position in Paris” where they’ll be officially showing off the new P1 for the first time at the Paris Auto Show. The images released today should stir up plenty of excitement just in time with the show scheduled for late this month.

Instead of going for all out top speed with the P1, McLaren is aiming for the all around perfect experience. The McLaren P1 will be the ultimate machine and geared as the best car in the world for both the road, and on the track. They’ve put tons of technology into this new machine and here’s what a few of McLaren’s execs had to say:

The McLaren P1 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage,’ says McLaren Automotive Executive Chairman Ron Dennis. ‘Twenty years ago we raised the supercar performance bar with the McLaren F1 and our goal with the McLaren P1 is to redefine it once again.”

Our goal is to make the McLaren P1 the most exciting, most capable, most technologically advanced and most dynamically accomplished supercar ever made

Unfortunately, that is all the details we have on this impressive new supercar for now. Next weeks Auto Show we’ll surely be hearing about all the amazing new advances and technology behind this car that is destined for greatness. Rumors suggest the new McLaren P1 could arrive in 12 months for around $650,000. More details coming up September 27th from the Paris Auto Show.

[via Motortrend]

This is where McLaren Special Operations, a division within the company responsible for bespoke projects comes in with the X-1. This car was custom-built to the owner’s specifications using the groundbreaking McLaren carbon MonoCell. Rather than using the incredibly attractive MP4-12C body panels, the MonoCell chassis was fitted with a unique body for the anonymous buyer.

I think unique in this instance means ugly. This is simply not remotely attractive to my eyes. It looks like a prop car from the set of Back to the Future 2 in the 80s. The body panels are made from carbon and painted piano black as specified by the owner. The sides of the car are painted with the lacquered visual carbon fiber.

The special paint has no metallic or colored tints and is supposed to be one of the most challenging colors to paint. The body and other components were tooled specifically and exclusively for this car. It features unique headlights and taillights inspired by the McLaren Speed Marque Logo. The bright work on the car was machined from solid aluminum, and nickel finished. One of the most interesting features is the enclosed rear wheels, specified by the owner to give the vehicle “timeless elegance.” Only the Glasshouse is carried over from the 12C, the other non-mechanical parts of the car are unique. The mechanical components of the car are straight out of the 12C, including the twin turbo 625PS engine.

This concept is a race car only and weighs 2645 pounds. It has a special aerodynamic package that increases down force by 30%. The engine packed away inside this orange beast is a more powerful version of the engine the standard 12C gets promising up to 630 HP. The car was unveiled officially at the Pebble Beach Concours recently and is a one-of-a-kind.

The car is painted in McLaren Orange with black trim as a tribute to the cars that Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme raced in the 60s and 70s. This concept version of the car shares the same carbon fiber MonoCell chassis as the 12C road car. This concept is based on the 12C GT3 race car, but is purely a concept designed to be the ultimate track car and doesn’t follow any racing regulations.

Power comes from a revised 3.8-liter twin turbo V8 engine with special calibration and an optimized cooling system. The optimized aerodynamic package includes a carbon fiber front splitter, carbon fiber drive planes, and a carbon fiber wing on the rear. The concept also has beefed up brakes to handle the insane speeds the 630 HP engine is capable of delivering. The car also has a special steering wheel and an integrated air conditioning system.