2015 Mclaren 650s on 2040-cars

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McLaren F1 sells for $15.62 million at Bonhams auction

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. – The first McLaren F1 imported to the United States sold for an eye-popping $15.62 million Friday at the Bonhams auction here. Offered by its original owner, the legendary supercar is in impeccable condition and has all of its service records, including one from just last month. The F1 gaveled for $14.2 million and the price included a 10-percent buyer's fee. The sale was held at the Quail Lodge as part of vintage car week in the run-up to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The car, designated a 1995 model, has a 627-bhp DOHC V12 teamed with a six-speed manual transmission, four-wheel independent suspension and four-wheel drilled and vented disc brakes, according to the Bonhams listing. This car is the 37th F1 produced and still wears its original silver exterior and black/grey leather interior. The unnamed owner bought it new from the factory in Woking, England, in 1996. This F1 has 9,600 miles on its odometer – half of them from a European roadtrip its owner took after buying the car. This F1 was converted to be road legal in the US shortly after purchase, but has been returned to its original form for the auction. All of the conversion pieces, however, were saved. Only seven of the 64 F1s produced were federalized for US roads. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 1995 McLaren F1 at Bonhams Quail Auction View 19 Photos Related Gallery First US-Spec McLaren F1 View 34 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2017 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com McLaren Auctions Special and Limited Editions Performance Supercars Pebble Beach bonhams

Weekly Recap: Toyota wants cars to be your 'close friends' around 2020

Toyota confirmed plans this week to launch autonomous technology in its production cars around 2020. The automaker's version is called Highway Teammate, and it's one element of a broader mobility strategy that includes vehicles communicating with each other and the grid. "Toyota believes that interactions between drivers and cars should mirror those between close friends who share a common purpose, sometimes watching over each other and sometimes helping each other out," the company said in a statement. That sounds utopian, and perhaps a bit cheesy, but it's an acknowledgment that autonomous driving requires more than technology developed in a vacuum. Toyota is looking at its research in a broader context, and dubs its overall strategy the Mobility Teammate Concept. Highway Teammate is the first step. Its test vehicle is a modified Lexus GS, which uses road-mapping data and external sensors to merge or exit highways, change lanes, and maintain safe distances during driving. It's operated on the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo. Toyota has been working on autonomous tech since the 1990s, with the goal of providing mobility for older people and the disabled, as well as lowering the frequency of traffic accidents. Toyota's push comes as an early adopter, Nissan, is hedging on its own deadline to implement the autonomous tech by 2020 due to a lack of firm laws governing self-driving cars around the world. Conversely, Volvo took the landmark step of being the first automaker to accept liability for when its cars will operate in autonomous mode, and urged the US government to set federal guidelines to regulate the technology. OTHER NEWS & NOTES 2016 BMW M4 GTS: Your water-injected, turbo-boosted demon BMW is unleashing its most powerful M4 ever, a 493-horsepower special edition that's road legal yet bred for the track. The company is making 700 copies for sale around the world, and 300 of them will come to the United States. The twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder revs to 7,600 rpm and uses a water-injection technology to cool the intake air and lower the compression temperature. BMW says this allows it to wring more power out of the inline six. The car also uses carbon-fiber reinforced plastic for the roof, hood, engine compartment strut brace, drive shaft, and rear spoiler to reduce weight. The M4 features BMW's organic light-emitting diode taillights, which are said to be an industry first.

McLaren discontinues 12C, offers owners free upgrade

When McLaren revealed the new 650S last month at the Geneva Motor Show, it was adamant that it was not a replacement for the 12C on which it was based, but rather a supplement to it within the company's growing lineup of supercars. Production was suspended on the 12C while the McLaren Technology Center in Woking geared up to begin assembling the 650S, but was slated to begin again in the near future – depending on demand. That all changes with today's announcement, however. In a letter sent to existing owners of the 12C and shared with Autoblog, McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt announces that, "we have decided to cease [production of the 12C] in light of the success of the 650S." Thus ends the life-span of the model that put McLaren Automotive back on the map three years ago. But that's not quite the end of the story for the 12C. Lest current owners feel left out of the action, McLaren is offering them a free Technology Upgrade program. The package incorporates some (but not all) of the advancements made to the 650S, including revised Active Aero software that deploys the rear wing as an Airbrake under heavy braking and as a Drag Reduction System for straight-line speed. The package also updates the Android-based IRIS infotainment system, as well as a back-up camera and DAB radio (in Europe) or Sirius satellite radio (in North America). The upgrades will be applicable to every one of the approximately 3,500 examples of the 12C coupe and Spider built, including those that were bought new from the factory, those purchased second-hand through McLaren's Qualified Program and the handful left in dealer hands around the world. All of which strikes us a rather admirable approach on McLaren's behalf towards its customers, instead of pressing them to trade in for the newer model. View the full details in the letter we've included below. Last month we were proud to present the latest addition to our range: the McLaren 650S. Utilising advancements made during the development of the groundbreaking McLaren P1™, the 650S provides an unparalleled combination of performance and refinement. True to the McLaren ethos, the benefits of such progress are not limited to our new models. As a McLaren owner, we want to be able to share these developments with you with the offer of a free Technology Upgrade available from June.