2012 Mclaren Mp4-12c Coupe on 2040-cars

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Tobacco giant BAT returns to Formula One racing with McLaren

LONDON — British American Tobacco, which had its own Formula One team before selling to Honda in 2006, is returning to the sport under a multi-year global partnership with McLaren. Both sides said in a statement announcing the deal on Monday that the partnership will focus solely on BAT's "potentially reduced risk products" with an emphasis on technology and innovation. "McLaren Applied Technologies will work with BAT on areas including battery technology and advanced materials. The two companies will share best practice, innovation know-how and mutual experience," it added. Tobacco advertising was widespread in Formula One until a ban in 2006 led most teams to kick the habit and seek sponsors elsewhere. Ferrari's partnership with Philip Morris International, whose Mission Winnow initiative focuses on smoke-free 'heat not burn' products and is the team's title sponsor, has been going for more than 40 years, however. BAT, the world's second-biggest international tobacco company by revenue, bought Tyrrell in 1997 and competed as British American Racing (BAR) from 1999 to the end of 2005 when Honda took over. Honda then quit at the end of 2008, handing over to principal Ross Brawn, who led them to victory in both championships under his own name in 2009. In 2010 they became Mercedes, which has won both titles for the past five years.Related Video:

Chris Harris gets his mitts on McLaren 675LT at Silverstone

When McLaren came out with the 650S, it boasted that it was already more powerful not only than the Ferrari 458 Italia, but more potent than the 458 Speciale as well. You'd think that would have meant that Woking's work was done, but the British racing team turned supercar manufacturer has never been one to leave well enough alone – especially now that Maranello has followed Woking's lead with the twin-turbo V8-powered 488 GTB. Hence the 675LT, which Chris Harris drives in his latest video. Based on the same Super Series underpinnings as the 650S, the 675LT is not so much an exercise in "less is more," but rather "less and more." It's got less weight and less electronic intervention, but more power, more downforce, and more grip. It's also more exclusive, with only 500 to be built and every last one of them already spoken for as production gets under way. Letting the auto scribe and video host known as Monkey get his hands all over it and slide it all over Silverstone, then, doesn't so much represent a chance for McLaren to boost sales, but to show off what it can do. And for us, in turn, to enjoy the visual benefits of those efforts. (The biggest geeks among us will want to watch till the very end of the nine-minute clip for an up-close look at the specific components McLaren has developed for the Longtail model.) So settle down, turn up the volume, and click Play to see what Harris has to say about Woking's latest. Related Video:

California teens rent McLaren MP4-12C using stolen credit card [UPDATE]

As teenagers, we all entertain the idea of replacing our high school beater with a real car. Alas, for many of us, we are left waiting a few years until we have the disposable income to replace the rusty Pontiac Sunfire we learned to drive on with something more impressive. Maybe a hot hatchback or perhaps a gently used, entry level luxury sedan. A pair of 19 year olds in Santa Rosa, CA, though, just couldn't wait to pick up their very own "cool" car, so they did what any idiotic teenager would do – they swiped a credit card and rented a McLaren MP4-12C. The two teens, Mohannad Halaweh and Nhimia Kahsay, were arrested by Sonoma County Sheriffs after the car, which was allegedly rented for $13,000 using a stolen credit card, was reported stolen. The two also charged $27,000 to rent a $12 million vacation home, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. It's not entirely clear how the two teens were able to fool the unnamed rental car agency into releasing the car to them. Ironically, the arrest happened when Halaweh was leaving a court appearance for (surprise, surprise) credit card fraud, from an earlier incident in which he tried to use an illegally obtained card to purchase $10,000 from the Apple Store. Halaweh and Kahsay are now sitting in Sonoma County Jail, with bail set at $100,000 and $60,000, respectively, and are facing charges of credit card fraud and possession of stolen property. UPDATE: An official statement from Sia Bani, the president of Club Sportiva, the company that rented out the McLaren MP4-12C, has been released and is available below. Club Sportiva helps Santa Rosa police catch credit card thieves As many of you have read online, a repeat identity thief was recently caught in California with stolen credit cards in a McLaren MP4-12C. This was indeed one of Club Sportiva's vehicles. Club Sportiva filed a police report with the San Jose police department once discovering further issues with the claimed identity of the driver, and that led to the prompt arrest of both driver and passenger of the vehicle in Sonoma County. Club Sportiva's policy includes an age restriction to >25 years of age, with exceptions only made to entry level vehicles with an in-person interview with management, and a greater deposit, and only with a clear insurance background check. Our delivery team was provided fake identification and flags were only raised after further due diligence with the credit card company used for the "gifted" experience.