We’ll warn you in advance: if you don’t already lust for the McLaren MP4-12C supercar, you will after this video. We’ve toured a lot of automobile plants, all over the world, yet we’ve never seen one that looks quite like McLaren’s Production Center, where each MP4-12C is hand-assembled by a team of skilled craftsmen.
Notice that we didn’t say, “and robots” in the last sentence, because McLaren still believes that a dedicated and motivated employee can perform higher quality work than a computer guided, hydraulically activated automaton. Robots don’t have the same eye for detail (technically, we suppose you could argue this point), and robots build with indifference, not passion.
Perhaps it’s best to look at McLaren in terms of building Formula One race cars. The company is quite good at this, having won 1/4 of all F1 races it’s ever entered. Broaden the scope to racing in general, and McLaren has taken a podium spot in half of all races it’s been in. Those are impressive statistics, and here’s where we point out that McLaren doesn’t use robots to build its F1 cars, either. In other words, if skilled workers are good enough to build F1 cars, they’re good enough to build the MP4-12C.
When we do hit the right combination of Powerball numbers, or when we finally write that best-selling-novel we’ve been talking about for years, we’ll be off to Woking for a visit with McLaren, and to place an order for an MP4-12C of our own. There may be faster or more over-the-top supercars, but none is a McLaren.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
