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If Ferrari had made the 458 a truly beautiful car, I think McLaren would struggle to establish the MP4 as strong competition based purely on road dynamics, since it is an ugly car with what sounds like a slightly dull engine note. 

Hopefully, it'll be the other aspects of the design and engineering that will make this car a worthy alternative, and not just the McLaren name.

 So we can fathom that it is a couple of 4's running in parralell, or flat plane cranked. Sounds a bit flat. A little like a 5 gt turbo with a custom exhaust. A little disappointing. Unless they are keeping the exhaust tuning until a little later in development.

I think this car is all a little too function over form/audio.

For the music : welcome to the world of turbo engines...

Long live the N.A. engines!!!

 PS listen the former McLaren F1.

Good to see the testcar had a Mercedes steering wheel.

Yes, the turbocharged engine sounded a little flat. turbochargers do dampen the sounds.

The 12C is beginning to look very good.

Wanger:

Like the company that makes it, it comes over as far too clinical a machine for its own good and perhaps its biggest competitor will come from its great aunt in the shape of an AMG Mercedes SLS... Think this McLarens going to struggle even if it is a great drive or not...Its no F1!

 From the comments on the Video one would think that McLaren invented simulators, 

 road/track testing and hot weather testing. Not impressed !

Blimey you're a tough crowd to please aren't you.

Obviously McLaren didn't invent simulators, though I guess among road car manufacturers it's fairly unusual to be using an F1 based simulator and of course it's widely accepted that the McLaren simulator is one of the finest in the F1 world.

It does sound flat, there's no doubt of that but surely some work on the exhaust system can fix that, it seems manufacturers can tune exhausts to sound anyway they like these days, surely more important to concentrate on the chassis development and sort the noise later.

 I quite like the understated looks. I find the AMG SLS to be the one that is trying to hard, as the SLR did before it. It's shouting "I have heritage, honestly I do" and I think it has come off brutally ugly with it's in your face appearence. Not all supercars need to be all dramatic like Lambo's and Zonda's.

Wanger:

... Like the company that makes it, it comes over as far too clinical a machine for its own good and perhaps its biggest competitor will come from its great aunt in the shape of an AMG Mercedes SLS... Think this McLarens going to struggle even if it is a great drive or not...Its no F1!

Ah yes, I remember well what a runaway sales success the F1 was ;)

Agreed though, I think it might struggle, but I hope for the best. I wonder whether it could do with a really good manual option as well now Ferrari don't offer one?