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This unique McLaren 12C is valued at nearly $1.6 million

Want a new McLaren? Be prepared to shell out six figures. You can save a bundle if you're willing to go with a second-hand 12C, which you can pick up now for around $200k – about what you'd spend on a new 570S. Yet this particular MP4-12C is estimated to be worth upwards of a million. So what gives? As you may have guessed, this is no ordinary McLaren 12C. It's one of just ten examples of the special edition High Sport introduced back in 2012. McLaren Special Operations equipped the HS with aerodynamic enhancements derived from the GT3 racer, and an engine upgraded by around 80 horsepower to roughly match that of the ultimate 675LT that came much later. This particular example was ordered up by Ron Dennis himself with a special livery that mirrors (quite literally) the Vodafone livery which the F1 team was running at the time, with silver fading to black and neon red accents inside, out, and even on the wheels. Throw in the Stealth package, sport exhaust, carbon-ceramic brakes, and other goodies, and this example stands out from the other 3,500 or so 12Cs McLaren made over three years of production before the 650S replaced it. Outlandish as the livery may seem, this car won top awards at shows across Florida where it's current registered. Now consigned to Mecum Auctions to sell at its upcoming event next month, in Kissimmee, FL, it's expected to sell for between $1.3 and $1.6 million. That's more than you would have had to pay for a P1 if you had gotten your order in on time, but could prove the sounder investment as a collector's item. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2012 McLaren MP4-12C High Sport: Mecum Kissimmee 2016 View 32 Photos News Source: Mecum McLaren Auctions Coupe Supercars mclaren mp4-12c livery mclaren special operations mso mclaren 12c vodafone

VW CEO Winterkorn happy with rebounding Seat, Skoda

Martin Winterkorn is a happy man: Volkswagen is putting up big numbers in North America, its latest field of dreams, Audi, is breaking records every month, there are exciting cars in the pipeline - from Bugatti down to the XL1, Porsche's digestion continues, and now Skoda and especially Seat are turning in no-questions performance.
It seems Skoda has been on the ups for years, making the most of keen pricing and modern redesigns of the chassis and tech it gets handed down from big brothers VW and Audi. Winterkorn predicts the Czech brand will just about double its 2010 sales by 2018, going from 762,000 to 1.5 million.
Seat, on the other hand, wasn't just on the hotseat a year-and-a-half ago, phrases like "uncertain future" - code for "possible demise" - were rumbling in the background. A new CEO was brought in, new money and new models were thrown against the wall, and the efforts have stuck. The Spanish brand has hit three strong chords with Winterkorn, with increased sales, strong performance in China and anticipated models due. If this keeps up there won't be much left for him to do but, a la Alexander the Great, break down and cry with no worlds left to conquer.

Santander sticks with McLaren amid sponsorship exodus

Sponsors have been leaving McLaren one after the other as the team's performance has dropped off drastically over the past few seasons. But Santander is sticking with it for another few years. The banking group first teamed with McLaren in 2007. It started sponsoring Ferrari in 2009 and originally planned to drop McLaren, but ended up sticking with – and continues sponsoring – both teams today. Under the renewed contract, Santander will continue supporting both the British team and its driver Jenson Button for another five years, through the end of 2020. The news was undoubtedly welcomed in Woking amid the exodus of several other sponsors. Former title sponsor Vodafone left before the start of last season. Longtime sponsor TAG Heuer is leaving for Red Bull. After more than three decades with McLaren, Hugo Boss switched to Mercedes earlier this year. And Johnnie Walker is expected to leave as well to join Aston Martin over at Force India. McLaren did pick up sponsorship from CNN, which previously backed Caterham prior to the team folding. It also recently signed the Chandon champagne brand and extended its deal with Hilton hotels. Other partners include oil giant ExxonMobil, business technology leader SAP, multinational accounting firm KPMG, and Segafredo coffee. Once a championship frontrunner with eight constructors' championships, 12 drivers' titles, and 182 grand prix victories to its name, McLaren has dropped off drastically in its performance over the past few seasons. It finished the 2011 season in second place, 2012 in third, 2013 and '14 in fifth, and this past season in ninth. Much of that drop in performance can be attributed to teething problems with the new Honda engine package. But without a title sponsor for two seasons now and with many others leaving, McLaren might find itself without the resources it needs to rediscover its former winning form. McLaren-Honda and Jenson Button renew partnership with Santander McLaren-Honda is pleased to announce the extension of its partnership with leading bank Santander UK plc. The agreement is set to continue the partnership for a further five years until the end of 2020, with British driver and 2009 F1™ World Champion, Jenson Button, continuing to feature prominently in Santander campaigns. Having first partnered together in 2007, McLaren-Honda and Santander have enjoyed a long and successful relationship.