McLaren has placed the largest-ever carbon monocoque order for a series-production car.
The order has been placed with Salzburg-based Carbo Tech and the monocoques will be used for McLaren’s new MP4-12C supercar.
See pics of the new McLaren MP4-12C
Carbo Tech will build a new factory in Salzburg to cater for the increased demand in its services and around 100 new jobs will be created as a result.
“Carbon monocoques are particularly light and thus reduce the CO2 emissions of the vehicles while at the same time offering improved strength, structural rigidity and engineering predictability, resulting in better driving dynamics,” said McLaren in a statement.
The MP4’s carbon monocoque weighs less than 80kg and meets all current crash test legislation.
Carbo Tech hopes the deal with McLaren can allow carbonfibre technology to filter down more into more conventional series production cars, as more is learnt about its production on a larger scale.
Karl Wagner, Carbo Tech’s CEO, said the deal with McLaren would allow it “to rapidly develop these unique monocoques resulted in production costs for monocoques that are significantly reduced in cost over similar structures previously manufactured”.
McLaren’s order with Carbo Tech totals 150 million euro (£127.7m). All future McLaren sportscars will use lightweight carbon monocoques.
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Re: McLaren invests in carbon tech
How very, very sad that this couldn't be undertaken in the UK by a UK company. Seems amazing that with all the specialist UK based carbon shops, and indeed McLaren's own expertise from both F1 and SLR production, that yet more employment, profit and tax take has to exported. Regards
Re: McLaren invests in carbon tech
beachland,
I could not agree with you more!! 10 years ago for certain. But instead all the giant car co's decided to keep cars heavy and steel and mostly the same.
And why is it us lowly posters who call for carbon construction of cars, where has the automotive press been on this subject???
Carbon works and it will save thousands of lives- you know those they happen when people crash due to fault or not, due to its much superior rigidity compared to metals. j