2012 McLaren MP4-12C

RHD chassis number ‘992’ was delivered new in June 2012 and, in the intervening years, has covered a modest 13,000 miles in total, with just 3,000 of them added since 2017.

It has a full McLaren service history with the exception of an October 2022 service carried out by Bell Sport & Classic.

The vendor has owned the car since September 2018.

We have driven the car and can attest to its breathtaking performance and dynamic abilities.

All of the car’s 592 horses feel usable and almost instantly accessible, and its finely judged balance and surprisingly forgiving road manners give you the confidence to explore the car’s seemingly limitless abilities.

This particular example is reassuringly well-screwed together, and the only groans, whistles and clunks we heard were coming from the passenger.

Judged against either its mileage or its age, the car’s aesthetic, mechanical and dynamic condition is excellent.
 

To our eyes, the MP4-12C is a particularly attractive package, and not least because its proportions make it seem as lithe and nimble as it is.

Parked next to some other supercars we could mention, it would make them look as if they’d spent a bit too long popping steroids and pumping iron in the gym.

Needless to say, the shut-lines and panel gaps are as crisp and exact as you’d expect from the detail-obsessed engineers at Woking.

The Graphite Grey metallic finish really pops and sings in the sunshine.

Measured against either the car’s mileage or its age, the number of scuffs, scratches and stone chips in evidence is extremely low.

The alloy wheels are virtually pristine condition and have clearly yet to be introduced to kerbs or other roadside hazards and obstacles.

The matching Pirelli P-Zero tyres - 235/35ZR19 at the front, 305/30ZR20 at the rear - look to have a good amount of useful service left in them, as you’d expect of rubber that only been in action for 13,000 miles.

The lights, lenses and badging are every bit as good as the rest of, which is very good, and the only deviation from minty freshness we’ve noticed is a little fading to grey on some of the exterior plastic trim. 
 

You won’t be shocked to learn that the interior is every bit as impressively preserved as its exterior counterpart.

The black leather and Alcantara seats are supportive and firm but not in the painful way inflicted on occupants by the bucket seats in some supercars. They’re actually pretty comfortable.

Elsewhere, the cabin is appropriately focussed and purposeful.

Yes, there are screens telling you stuff, but they don’t get in the way, distract or tell you anything you won’t want to know.

The carpets and mats are beyond reproach as is the headlining.

The doors scissor up and away with a satisfyingly weighted and dampened action.

Aside from the lightest of creases on the outer bolsters of the seats, the only real indications of use are a few scuffs caused by the ingress and egress of feet over the carpeted surfaces of the wide sill covers.

The steering wheel and other controls are in excellent order and, as far as we’re aware, every knob, button, dial and screen does what it’s supposed to do in a faithful, timely and accurate fashion.

The frunk and rear luggage space is every bit as good as the rest of it.  
 

Peering into the amid-ships engine bay won’t tell you much, but it is an impressive-looking bit of kit and everything that’s visible appears to be in its right and proper place.

The undersides of the car look like those you’d expect to find on a car that doesn’t go out in the snow, sleet or rain and has only 13,000 miles on the clock.
 

The car comes with a service book containing 10 stamps, 9 of which are from McLaren.

After a delivery inspection by McLaren London at 6 miles, the service schedule to date is as follows.

•    McLaren London - 2,755 miles - 12.7.13
•    McLaren London - 2,787 miles - 4.7.14
•    McLaren London - 3,021 miles - 3.8.15
•    McLaren Manchester - 11,019 kms - 6.5.16
•    McLaren Ascot - 10,101 miles - 7.6.17
•    McLaren Ascot - 11,738 miles - 14.6.18
•    McLaren Hatfield - 12,296 miles - 2.7.19
•    Bell Sport & Classic - 12,472 miles - 31.10.22
•    McLaren Leeds - 12,752 miles - 10.5.24.

There are bills, receipts and invoices itemising expenditure at these service intervals.

The car comes with all of its books, guides and manuals, full sets of keys, a recent HPI report, and a V5C.

The car’s MoT certificate is valid until 19.3.26 and, in common with every other MoT certificate in its name, comes with no advisories whatsoever.

The MP4-12C was a hugely important car for McLaren.

Yes, their Formula 1 reputation was entirely beyond dispute and they’d blown the minds of the supercar world with the seminal F1 road car.

But they’d yet to prove themselves as volume manufacturers in the same way as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche or Aston Martin.

Everything was resting on this car.

Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint.

And you’ll find out just why as soon as you fire-up this fabulous low-mileage example.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £69,000 - £74,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.