Al Ghassan Motors, McLaren Automotive and retailer for Bahrain, recently debuted the 12C Spider at an exclusive drive event in the Kingdom.

Customers, VIPs and executives from Mumtalakat, McLaren’s principal shareholder, were given the chance to experience McLaren’s first open top sports car for the road, a statement from Al Ghassan said.

The event marked the start of the year in which McLaren celebrates 50 years at the pinnacle of motorsport, the statement said. The 12C Spider is an example of the innovation and expertise gained by the company from their open roof motor racing experience which has brought unprecedented success on the track.

Mark Harrison, regional director of Middle East & Africa, McLaren Automotive, said: “The 12C Spider is unique in the car world and an example of the focus on research and development that McLaren and its shareholders are investing in to drive true automotive innovation.”

“Ending 2012 with the honour of the 12C Coupe being named ‘Best Supercar’ and  ‘Car of the Year’ at the Middle East Motor Awards, and the Spider being crowned ‘Best Supercar’ in Wheels magazine, is a superb foundation on which to build.”

“In presenting the 12C Spider in Bahrain at the start of what will be a very exciting year for McLaren is the perfect way to enter 2013 for our team here: the regional office in Manama, our retail partner, and Mumtalakat.”  

The 12C Spider, the second in what will be a range of high-performance McLaren sports cars, is the result of the company’s significant investment in carbon-fibre chassis engineering and production, and an almost obsessive attention to detail across performance, handling, quality and driver enjoyment at all speeds and in all conditions.

The 12C Coupe was launched in the Middle East in November 2011 and following the debut of the 12C Spider, McLaren is expected to soon confirm for production the P1 hypercar that debuted in prototype form at the 2012 Paris Auto Show, the statement said. – TradeArabia News Service