McLaren’s new convertible sports car, the MP4-12C Spider, officially started its tour of the Middle East with an exclusive unveiling in the UAE, to coincide with Abu Dhabi’s Formula 1 weekend.

The 12C Spider, which shares many technological features with McLaren’s Formula 1 open top race cars, will soon begin appearing across McLaren’s regional retail network alongside its sibling model, the 12C Coupe.

The latest sports car from McLaren Automotive is the highly anticipated follow-up to the acclaimed 12C Coupe, which was launched in the Middle East in November 2011.

Mechanically identical to the 12C Coupe, the new 12C Spider encapsulates McLaren’s commitment to offer both the luxury of a sedan and the performance of a track car, a statement said.

Mark Harrison, McLaren Automotive’s regional director for Middle East and Africa, said: “The 12C Spider benefits from the extensive experience and expertise that the McLaren team has built up over the years from being involved with open top driving in Formula 1. It offers dynamic driving without compromise, and is the perfect car in which to enjoy the beautiful conditions that we experience for most of the year across the region.”

“This reveal comes almost exactly one year after the launch of the Middle East retail network and arrival of our debut model, the 12C Coupe. We have already experienced significant levels of interest in the Spider from Middle East customers, which makes us confident that the new model will prove just as popular as the 12C Coupe,” he continued.

The Retractable Hard Top (RHT) is a fully automatic two-piece design, which can be raised or lowered in less than 17 seconds at speeds of up to 30 km/hr (19 mph). When lowered, the roof stows beneath a body coloured hard tonneau cover which incorporates twin buttresses. With the roof raised, the area beneath the tonneau cover can be used as additional luggage space.

Like its sibling, the 12C Spider features a one piece, carbon fibre tub. As a result, it offers virtually identical dynamic driving capabilities, including a breath-taking 0-100 km/hr time of just 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 329 km/hr.

The innovative carbon fibre MonoCell provides the necessary rigidity and strength for an open roof car. In conventional steel or aluminium chassis cars, extra strengthening – and associated weight increase – is normal during the conversion from fixed-head coupé to open-roof convertible.

The 12C Spider is now available from McLaren Automotive’s Middle East retail network as part of a select number of specialist, luxury automotive retailers located in prestigious venues across Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi and the UAE. There is also a service centre in Lebanon. – TradeArabia News Service